Physician Offers Spiritual Insights for Better Emotional, Physical Health
by Allie Martin
December 9, 2003
(AgapePress) - A Florida doctor says many Christians are allowing destructive emotions to control and destroy their lives.In his book Deadly Emotions: Understand the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection That Can Heal or Destroy You (Thomas Nelson, 2003), Dr. Don Colbert says stress, anger, fear, anxiety, and depression can become ticking time bombs, just waiting to explode and wreak havoc on the body. "Every feeling that is buried -- it never dies -- that feeling, that resentment that we have towards someone years ago," he claims.
That is why Colbert says it is vital for believers to deal with their past hurts and disappointments.
According to the physician, many people who have gone through divorce or abortion or other personal sins, losses, and traumas have retained seeds of bitterness, anger, grief, shame, or blame. "And these emotions are buried deep within them. They're not gone," he says, "so we have to deal with those. We have to forgive ourselves. We have to forgive the other person.
Colbert says failing to deal with negative emotions can take years off a person's life. In Deadly Emotions, he encourages Christians to take steps to overcome the kind of negative feelings that he says can trigger the disease process.
"So many people blame God for a tragedy that happened in their life, and they're seething with anger and bitterness, and it's affecting their health. So we teach simple biblical principles, which will help them deal with these problems," the author says.
Colbert maintains that the first step to true health begins with a personal relationship with Jesus. In addition to that crucial element, he advises believers to focus on four areas essential to emotional well-being: truth, forgiveness, joy, and peace.
In his book, Dr. Colbert identifies, defines, and describes the deadly emotions and their physical manifestations, and offers advice on how to avoid them through the wisdom of biblical principles, proper nutrition, and the power of God.
