Siang-Yang Tan - The Impact of Dallas Willard on Counseling and Psychotherapy

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This talk is from the session, Dallas Willard's Impact on Counseling, Psychotherapy and Spiritual Direction, the third breakout session of the 2018 Experiencing Life with God Conference, an academic conference hosted by the Martin Institute of Westmont College and Renovaré.
Here is Siang-Yang Tan's description:
Dallas Willard’s impact on counseling and psychotherapy is less well- known but significant, especially in the use of prayer, Scripture, spiritual teaching, and other spiritual disciplines in therapy (Willard, 1996; see also Tan, 1998, 2007, 2013). Religious and spiritual therapies have received much attention and empirical support for their effectiveness in recent years (Worthington, et al., 2011; Captari, et al., in press). Willard’s impact can be clearly seen in the development of such therapies, including Christian approaches that are Christ-centered, biblically- based, and Spirit- filled (see Tan, 2011).

[@kchansenak]

I learned from Dallas to apply, integrate, Jesus in every area, my entire worldview, which began in his talk on Love the Lord with all....of who you are (my translation), and your neighbor as your self. I became a Disciple of Jesus and slowly with my Christian Councilor, people in the Body, the Word, the Spirit, to enter into my First Freedom ( Dallas's phrase). The First Freedom is my thought life. I praise God as my Councilor and Spirit helped me form my Christ like thought life and Body. The Body influences thinking, so taking care of the physical temple is huge. It's hard to think clearly when the brain is hurting. Bless you guys!

[@blossomtan1876]

Thank you so much as it is so informative and edifying on Biblical counselling

[@Alltheworldsastage41]

The historical significance and psychological implications of the spiritual disciplines as rooted in the Christian church have been part of the history of the church for 2000 years. Dallas Willard and Richard Foster have only made the treasures of the Catholic Church (Read St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Ignatius, St. Teresa LaSiux, Brother Lawrence, etc.) available to the Protestant Church.

[@GnosisMan50]

The question arises, when people are given treatments in Christian psychotherapy, which one is actually having the transformational power to help them: the Christian beliefs or the psychotherapy? And to assume that you gain insight in your suffering all because it was a Christian oriented psychotherapy would be disingenuous since many people who have secular psychotherapy can gain insights as well and to a profound degree. I can't help suspect that Christianity finally realizes the benefits of psychotherapy and wants to incorporate it into their beliefs as a desperate attempts to keep Christians in line with the belief in the Christian God. In ancient times, when people got sick, they were burned at the steak for being evil but we know now that they had a biological virus. The Christian leaders at the time inevitably had to change their tune by admitting their error. It seems this error is repeating itself with Christian psychotherapy but since they cannot undermine secular psychotherapy as some evil treatment, they instead adopted it to fit into the Christian faith. I would give greater respect to Siang if he admitted the mistakes of the Christian past and gave more credit to Jung, Freud, Erich Fromm, Keren Horney, and many others who knew far more about human behavior than even the best preacher or Christian clergy ever could.

[@kchansenak]

I suspect the same is valid in your assumption. Your Worldview's influence on assumptions. Without the Spiritual reality added into your Worldview your assumptions will look similar to those who believed the world was flat. Their Worldview was partial.