CHAPTER 14 – In conclusion
It’s time for a new paradigm.
For the last two decades, Dr Caroline Leaf has promoted the idea that toxic thoughts are the fundamental cause of our physical and mental health problems, and if we follow her teachings, we can detoxify our negative thinking and emotions and restore our health.
But that was the old way of thinking. Her concepts are based on superseded models of thought and stress. For the last fifteen years, new therapies have shown that you do not need to change your thought in order to change your behaviour, but you can change in spite of your thinking. Research has confirmed this. New models of stress show that stress is not always bad, but is both helpful and indeed necessary in order to experience a full and abundant life.
Unfortunately for Dr Leaf, the times have changed, but her teachings have not. Rather than develop her concepts according to the new discoveries being published, she has tried to adapt the new research to fit the old concepts. Rather than promoting truth, this has led to misinterpretation, and misinformation. She has tried to put new wine in old wineskins.
The work of Dr Leaf has not been without its positives. Many people attribute her work with helping them grow in life. For that, we should be thankful.
But it’s time to turn a new page, to start a new chapter, to move on from the old ideas and grow even more in the new knowledge that is available to us.
When all is said and done, I hope that this book will generate more discussion about mental health. I pray that we would all better understand, and be honest about, our own psychological wellbeing. I also pray that the Christian community, and the community at large, can better understand and support those who live with mental health issues on a daily basis. I hope that the opinions of psychologists, doctors, and neuroscientists are sought, and equally considered.
And I hope that, one day, the Christian community will lead the way in understanding, respecting, and caring for those with live with mental illness, just as Jesus did.