This morning I had the opportunity to attend an Oaklawn Professional Series workshop entitled, Shedding Light on Darkness: Understanding Depression and the Dark Night, with presenters Daniel Schrock, D.Min. and Timothy McFadden, M.D.
The seminar objectives included: (1) learning more about the "dark night" experienced by many Christians, (2) better understanding the differences between depression and the dark night, (3) to hear about new advances in the treatment and understanding of depression, and (4) to explore strategies for responding to depression and the dark night.
This was a workshop geared for pastors, but was also available to social workers, psychologists and other helping professionals for continuing education units.
What a "dark night" you may ask?
According to Dan Schrock, "The dark night is one of God's tools for transforming us so that we more closely resemble the people God wants us to become. It has 3 signs, and if we experience all 3 at the same time, then we may be in a dark night. (1) You can't pray or worship in the ways that you have usually found meaningful; (2) Your spiritual life, and probably your life in general, feels dry and fruitless; (3) You feel a growing desire to be with God, often through silence and solitude."
The dark night and depression are similar in that they both involve loss. One of the main differentiations between the two is that in depression there is a loss of function, whereas in the dark night functions remain relatively normal but there is an experienced loss of God's presence.
The workshop was invaluable and I'm so glad I went.
For more information on the "dark night of the soul", see Dan Schrock's new book:
The Dark Night: A Gift From God
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