Why Do I Feel So Down, When My Faith Should Lift Me Up?

I had already borrowed this book from my church library and considered it so well-written that I was keen to obtain my own copy. Emotional and psychological issues are rarely well understood, often leading to inadequate care and understanding for those people suffering from such problems. This book is a valuable resouce for both carers (medical and lay) and sufferers.

Unfortunately, the church isn't always a place of refuge for those of us who suffer with depression. In several circles, there is a stigma of spiritual weakness or lack of faith associated -- at a time when support is needed most.Dr. Mullen examines all the issues in a very practical & spiritual manner, encouraging the reader to both lean on God and also to change the way he/she regards the illness. The author also covers the sometimes-controversial topic of taking medications to treat depression and other anxiety-related afflictions: take medication in order to feel well enough to be able to pray & take part in one's own recovery.If you personally suffer from any of these problems, I hope you have the support you need from friends, family, and your church family. May Christ's blessings follow you daily.

Dr. Mullen has written a book of hope for depression sufferers and families or caregivers of sufferers. This is not a clinical analysis of the problem, but a personal journey to which the reader can relate. The tone of this book is conversational, and not preachy or didactic, making it quite readable. Dr. Mullen gives the sufferer permission to feel the way he does and is not judgmental. Conversely he approaches this subject very seriously and does not give the reader the impression that there are easy answers. He does not propose a single formula for all sufferers, but rather he sees value in drug therapy, counselling and deliverance. The personal annecdotes included in this book are very encouraging and give hope to those who are suffering that others have indeed recovered. Dr. Mullen has done an excellent job of taking the guilt for feeling depressed out of the equation and given the sufferer the freedom to find help. This is a most readable book and highly recommended for Christians suffering from depression.

This book has been a blessing to me. It describes my mood disorder and how to get the help I thought was not available. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has unhealed emotions from the past . Thank you Dr. Mullen for writing it.

Mullen, Grant. Why Do I Feel so Down When My Faith Should Lift Me Up?: How to Break the Three Links in the Chain of Emotional Bondage. Kent, Eng.: Sovereign World, 1999.The intention of Dr. Mullen in this book is to provide both an understanding of, and a guide to achieving, emotional health. Emotional health involves healing from chemical imbalances, deliverance from evil forces and freedom from emotional woundedness (the three links in the chain of emotional bondage), and results in a wholeness of thought and feeling, of mind and heart, of faith and life. As a librarian I examine thousands of books every year, and most fall into the "put-down-can't-pick-up" category. Mullen's book, however, was one I couldn't put down once I picked it up. I found in its 286 pages a wonderfully lucid and engaging treatment of these very complex issues, and throughout I kept thinking how "right" this was. On many points I found direction, encouragement and hope.Often individuals engaged in ministries dealing with psychological problems, I find, take a very unrealistic approach in diagnosis (demons are at the root of everything, your spiritual inadequacies are the cause, etc.) and propose solutions only the most saintly or determined could aspire to. Further, the results they expect are often very idealistic. Although there may be an element of truth in some of this, it comes across to me at best as being highly imbalanced. Thankfully, you won't find in Mullen's book a recommendation to flush pills down the toilet as a act of faith, to cast out the demon of fingernail biting, or to claim your healing while really wanting to jump off the nearest bridge. This book is a sane, reasoned, knowledgeable sensitive, practical, honest, perceptive, and spiritually nuanced treatment, and one that I am sure will resonate with you in its truthfulness and sensibleness. In a very helpful fashion, the main text is inset with illustrative case studies, and the well-crafted cartoons throughout have purpose and punch. The writing is uncomplicated and narrative in style. The book was of great benefit to me and I highly recommend it to you.Ivan Gaetz, Library Director, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.