Gods and Diseases: Making Sense of Our Physical and Mental Wellbeing

Today's society faces many problems that cannot be solved by the application of reason, logic or medicine. Some of these include alcoholism, suicide, drug addiction and child abuse to name but a few. Many mental health problems are on the increase such as depression, phobias and anxiety with no obvious solution in sight. In God's and Diseases, David Tacey argues that the answers lie in leaving behind the confines of conventional medicine. Instead we should turn towards spirituality and to what he calls 'meaning-making', to make sense of our physical and mental wellbeing and explore how the numinous may help us to heal.

Contents: Introduction: Return of the Gods. Gods and Diseases .The Suffering of Spiritual Rebirth. The Midlife Crisis as Spiritual Interruption. Cancer Phobia as a Doorway to Soul. Sexuality and the Sacred. Incest, Child Abuse and Alcoholism . Depression, Self-harm and Suicide. The Storm Gods and the German Psychosis. Spirituality, Medicine, Health. Conclusion: The Numinous as a Source of Healing . Bibliographical Note. Endnotes.