When “Learn Tanya” is a Solution And When It Isn’t

By Dr. Yitzchok Wagshul, Ph.D.

I know nothing whatsoever about the program known as “Breathwork,” so my remarks will not address that specifically. Rather, as a licensed psychologist with years of experience treating people with various emotional and psychological issues, I’d like to offer important clarification of some things I’ve seen in the articles and comments that have appeared here recently.

Breathing

First, on the general subject of breathing, there’s no question that the breath can exert profound influence on us. Most everyone knows that if you take even as few as one slow, really deep breath—not strenuously, expanding your chest like Superman, but naturally, like a baby at rest, letting your belly gently rise and fall as you do so—you’ll feel calmer. There’s a physiological reason for that (which this isn’t the place to explain), but for thousands of years (confirmed now by modern research) various cultures have known how to use this phenomenon to achieve a sense of peace and well-being.

What I’ve just said is an extreme oversimplification, because there are a great many nuances to working with the breath and it can sometimes take years to achieve mastery. My point is simply that breathing definitely has its place among the wide range of tools available to qualified therapists in helping people psychologically and emotionally. It shouldn’t be written off as silly.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Breathing techniques are often used in meditation and what is known as “mindfulness.” These, too, have been around for thousands of years and proven by modern research to have benefits for mental and emotional health. Like breathing, there are many variations on how to do them. I think the most important point to be made here is this: There is widespread confusion about whether meditative practices involve avodah zarah—idol worship or similar religious practices. And the answer is, some do—of course some do, everybody knows that!—and some don’t. In a famous sichah delivered on Yud-Gimmel Tammuz, 5739 (July 8, 1979), the Rebbe explicitly recognized this. He noted that (in those days) many young Jews were seeking mental or emotional peace through meditation, which they were getting from non-Jewish religions r”l. The Rebbe called upon those qualified to do so to develop a Torah-compatible form of Jewish meditation, so that people who could benefit from this therapeutic practice could do so within the framework of Torah and Judaism. The Rebbe pointed out that some people worship the sun, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t benefit from the sun. Similarly, although some use meditative practices in their religions, that doesn’t mean this essentially neutral technique should not be used. Today, there are forms of meditation that have nothing to do with religion at all. The important thing is to know which is which.

Healing through Torah vs. Healing through Therapy

Which brings me to a very important point. In that sichah, the Rebbe went out of his way to clarify that the kosher meditation he was advocating was to be used exclusively by people whose mental or emotional illness made it necessary for them to heal this way. He emphasized that for a healthy Jew, the preferred activity was action, not meditative inaction, and it was therefore inappropriate for an emotionally and psychologically healthy person to meditate in the manner discussed in the sichah.

We can derive a crucial insight from this: In the Rebbe’s view, mental and emotional illness…exist. Whether the cause is trauma, a chemical imbalance in the brain, or something else, there really is such a thing as a person whose mind and emotions aren’t working right. These people are literally “sick,” as the Rebbe said in the sichah, and must be healed before ordinary advice—whether “Cheer up!” or “Learn Tanya!”—can possibly work for them. Although he said healthy people shouldn’t meditate, the Rebbe didn’t call for nonhealthy people to learn Tanya (and no one knew the benefits of Tanya like the Rebbe). Instead, he said they could meditate. They could learn Tanya once they were well enough for it to do them any good.

By the way, I’m not just saying that because I was at that sichah (which I was, baruch Hashem). I’m also saying it because, in my practice on Eastern Parkway, I see a number of people from our community, and I can tell you firsthand that, whether baalei teshuvah or frum-from-birth, some people simply can’t be helped by giving them Torah guidance alone. They absolutely require the tried-and-true therapeutic modalities known to therapists. I’m a doctor of the mind and the emotions, and if I tell you so, you can rely on that.

Various Kinds of Therapy; Various Kinds of Therapist

Finally, I think it’s important to realize there are many approaches to therapy, and research shows—amazingly—no one approach is significantly more effective than another. The most important factor in whether therapy works is the relationship between the therapist and the client or patient. No therapist can know all possible forms of therapy, but one of the most important tasks of the therapist, perhaps his or her greatest challenge, is to know enough techniques (or at least, to know something about enough techniques) that he or she can identify the right fit for a particular person.

Over the years, working with colleagues from various backgrounds, I’ve come to realize that the specific degree a therapist has isn’t as important as you might think. Whether someone is a psychologist, a social worker, a mental health counselor, or has one of the various other degrees that exist today, if they have genuine compassion and unconditional positive regard, can help the person feel seen and heard, and continually strive to grow in their knowledge, they’ll probably do just fine. The reason I mention this is that some of the therapies we’ve been discussing, especially “new” or “alternative” methods, are offered by people with no academic credentials or license at all. I’m not saying these people are necessarily ineffective; if they have the qualities I mentioned, they might just be the best fit in a given case. It could happen. But mental and emotional health are serious, complex subjects, and whomever you consult for help should be able to competently diagnose the problem and formulate a treatment plan based on the best fit for you. That can’t be done if they know only one thing.

The Bottom Line

To sum up, in the hands of a competent, experienced therapist, almost any treatment can work, including some that are considered new or outside the mainstream. It goes without saying that established, mainstream treatments work as well; that’s why they’re so well established. It’s the therapist’s job to know what will likely work best for a given person, considering their unique background and circumstances. Thus, with respect to new or alternative techniques, I think the most sensible attitude is this: If a person hears about such a therapy and decides to try it, one cannot automatically say it won’t work or is a bad idea, but—the person is trying to treat him- or herself, and is often not qualified or objective enough to do so. Likewise, they may not be able to evaluate the credentials of the proposed provider. On the other hand, if a reputable and experienced licensed therapist recommends such a treatment for a particular person, and the therapist is a frum Jew knowledgeable about halachah, I think we are safe in relying on that therapist’s professional judgment.

A person whose mind and emotions are healthy, but who is experiencing normal human feelings like sadness, discouragement, or worry can benefit from the guidance of Torah teachings, such as the Alter Rebbe’s advice for those problems in the Tanya. But for someone with a real mental or emotional illness, it’s a mistake—in fact, it’s misguided and potentially harmful—to suggest that person “should” be healed without benefit of treatment by a trained and experienced mental health professional.

I sincerely hope this turns out to be merely an academic discussion, because Moshiach will come immediately and we will all be healthy in mind, body, and spirit.