In this fascinating book, Jeremy Holmes has considered the practice of both religion and psychotherapy, exploring where there are parallels and whether the two diverge. The book takes a conversational and exploratory tone, and does not aim to be too technical. Holmes has a wise and pragmatic understanding of both religion and psychotherapy, and views both in broad, existential contexts without getting too bogged down in excessive rumination over terminology and semantics. He includes all religions in his argument, sometimes separating doctrines of immanence and transcendence, which makes for insightful parallels with individual and collective consciousness concepts in psychotherapy.

Holmes builds an argument that both religion and psychotherapy aim to support the individual with existential issues, including inevitable human suffering and the unfairness, uncertainties and constant changes that need to be navigated in life. He describes how mental pain is inevitable and how suffering should not be located purely as pathology. His understanding of psychotherapy is both thoughtful and straightforward. It is clear that his insights have developed from a lifetime of work rather than a short period of vigorous study.

This book really helped me understand more about what I am doing when I practise psychotherapy and indeed made me think more about what it is to be human and what we need to help us navigate the uncertainties of being a human. Sometimes it is so easy to become trapped in clever interpretations and technical arguments and to somehow miss the point. I had read several chapters of the book before Holmes introduced Freud’s somewhat scathing views on religion in Civilization and Its Discontents and other works (although he also points out how Freud’s views may have shifted by the time he wrote Moses and Monotheism). His arguments had been so convincing up to this point that I had forgotten that Freud had held those views, and found myself hoping that somewhere, in another dimension, Freud is having a dinner party discussion with this interesting author (and that I am also invited). Holmes then explores how religion can be used more defensively, just as indeed psychotherapy can be at times.

This book made me reflect on many things. In the past I have noticed how some psychotherapists see religion as being the antithesis of psychotherapy, whereas others see it as being part of the same whole. I think this book has helped deepen my understanding of psychotherapy, and indeed psychiatry and people. It is definitely not just a book for psychotherapists. It also made me think about why people (including Freud himself) can get so worked up about how psychotherapy is conducted and I started to wonder about why we have so many conversations about the art and science of psychotherapy, when actually perhaps what we should be thinking about is the spirituality of psychotherapy.