Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness

by Estelle Frankel

Overview

In Sacred Therapy Estelle Frankel travels to the heart of Jewish mysticism to reveal how people of any faith can draw upon this rich body of teachings to gain wisdom, clarity, and a deeper sense of meaning in the midst of modern life. In an engaging and accessible style, Frankel brings together tales and teachings from the Bible, the Talmud, Kabbalah, and the Hasidic traditions as well as evocative case studies and stories from her own life to create an original, inspirational guide to emotional healing and spiritual growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780834825192
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	03/08/2005
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	789 KB

About the Author

Estelle Frankel is a practicing psychotherapist and a seasoned teacher of Jewish mysticism and meditation. She was ordained as a rabbinic pastor and spiritual guide (mashpiah ruchanit) by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and is one of the spiritual leaders of her local Jewish Renewal community. Estelle has taught widely in the United States and in Israel, where she lived for over eight years, and is currently on the core faculty of Chochmat Halev: Wisdom of the Heart Meditation Center. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

Preface
ix

Acknowledgments
xv

Introduction
1

PART
ONE

Becoming
a Vessel of Light: Kabbalistic Cosmology and Healing

1.
Broken Hearts and Shattered Vessels 15

2.
The Broken Tablets of Sinai: Embracing Imperfection 36

3.
The Wisdom of Ayin (Nothingness): Transitions and Spiritual Awakening 55

PART
TWO

Healing
and Birthing the Self

4.
Healing the Split Self: Humility as a Spiritual Resource 81

5.
The Myth of the Exodus: Birthing the Self 101

6.
Teshuvah: Return to Self and Spirit 128

7.
Repentance, Psychotherapy, and Healing 139

8.
The Myth of Messianic Redemption: The Wound That Heals Us 165

9.
Moving from Judgment to Compassion 182

PART
THREE

Sheleimut:
Wholeness and Integration

10.
Wholeness and the Paradox of Healing 209

11.
Finding God in All Things: Nondualism and Psychological Capacity for
Integration 224

12.
The Four Worlds: Integrating and Unifying the Self 249

13.
The Messianic Torah: Life as Sacred Narrative 281

Notes
299

Bibliography
313

Continuing
Education Units

317

Credits
319

Index
321

What People are Saying About This

Michael Lerner

For years people have talked about the need for an integration of spiritual insights into therapy-Estelle Frankel actually does it, and does it in a way that avoids simplistic New Agey nonsense and pop-psychology and instead provides a new vision of what spiritually informed psychology could be.
—Rabbi , editor of Tikkun Magazine and author of Spirit Matters

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Estelle Frankel is a masterful and seasoned spiritual helper who has the expertise of both the empirical-spiritual and the Jewish mystical in her competence. Her writing opens awareness so that readers can find the tools for inner work as well as the hope that makes for sustained effort.
—Rabbi , Rabbinic Chair of Aleph, Alliance for Jewish Renewal

Harold Kushner

Frankel has done an impressive job of blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern psychology to fashion a powerful force for healing.
—Rabbi, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

David A. Cooper

"Sacred Therapy integrates profound Hasidic and Kabbalistic teachings with psychotherapeutic insight, revealing to readers how to shift from ordinary self-centeredness to a more spacious, 'spirit-centered' perspective. I highly recommend this compelling book to readers from all backgrounds for its wisdom is rich and universal."
—Rabbi, author of God is a Verb

Tirzah Firestone

Frankel deftly harvests the pearls of her own deep-sea dive into the intimate world of spiritual counseling. Filled with usable stories, quotes, and concepts, this book is a must-read for rabbis, therapists, Jewish educators, and other professional who take to heart the transformative power of the spiritual journey
—Rabbi, author of The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women's Wisdom

Editorial Reviews

...a practical exploration of how humans can heal and be whole...credibly researched, thoughtfully written...applicable to all.
—April 2004

Science and Theology News

a stunning breadth of knowledge..a profound depth of understanding.. a breathtaking glimpse of the transformative potential of this ancient..tradition.
—Oct. 2004

Presence Magazine

"There is nothing more whole than a broken heart," taught Hasidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotsk. Frankel cites that paradoxical wisdom as well as other biblical, Hasidic, Talmudic and kabbalistic traditions to shape her thesis: healing begins with brokenness and leads to transformation, wholeheartedness and renewal. As a psychotherapist and teacher of Jewish mysticism, Frankel integrates the psyche and spirit so they "flow as two currents in a single stream, creating a synergistic healing power." She uses the kabbalistic myth of the shattered vessels to mirror the inevitability of brokenness in our lives, the broken tablets at Sinai as a metaphor for imperfection, the Exodus from Egypt as a reflection of change and self-liberation and the process of teshuvah (repentance) and the High Holiday cycle as paradigms for healing. "Locating ourselves in Jewish myth and metaphor," she says, can lessen the sense of isolation in suffering, as well as enlarge our identities through spiritual awareness. The book is divided into three parts: kabbalistic cosmology and healing; healing and birthing the self; and wholeness and integration. Client case studies and reflections on her own life focus on common psychological complaints: a broken heart, transition, loss, depression and illness. Suggestions for guided meditations and spiritual rituals give readers practical ways to be "healed by, or in spite of, whatever illnesses and difficulties we face in our lives." Those familiar with the concept of tikkun olam-repairing the world-will discover here its more personal and interconnected form-tikkun nefesh: healing our own souls. (Dec.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Psychotherapist Frankel draws on the Torah, the Talmud, and the Kabala to provide a Jewish perspective on the universal issues of pain, healing, and growth that are faced in a therapist's office. Throughout, Frankel interweaves her personal story and experiences with Judaism with her accounts of working with clients. Her background knowledge is extensive and she readily quotes from an impressive variety of sources to illustrate her points. Her use of Kabalistic cosmology-involving shattered vessels and sparks of light to reflect on emotional pain, broken-heartedness, and separation-is especially strong and moving, as is her linking of these themes with the image of the broken tablets of the law at Mt. Sinai. The book seems to be written for both clients and therapists. It is more substantive than a typical self-help book and would be best used by someone with a strong connection to Judaism. Therapists who include a spiritual perspective in their work would likely benefit from the many moving metaphors and images Frankel illuminates. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Stephen Joseph, Butler Cty. Community Coll. Lib., PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"Frankel exhibits a stunning breadth of knowledge, particularly of Judaism's rich mystical tradition, and a profound depth of understanding of emotional and spiritual development."—Jewish Woman Magazine



"Her use of Kabalistic cosmology to reflect on emotional pain, broken-heartedness, and separation is especially strong and moving."—Library Journal

"Frankel has done an impressive job of blending ancient Jewish wisdom with modern psychology to fashion a powerful force for healing."—Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"I highly recommend this compelling book to readers from all backgrounds, for its wisdom is rich and universal."—David A. Cooper, author of God Is a Verb

From the Publisher