This past week I have been re-reading the book Orthodox Psychotherapy by metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos. This was a textbook from one of the Pastoral Theology classes in seminary. The subtitle of the book is The Science of the Fathers. Excellent book on the subject and looks at the patristic tradition of the priest as healer. For the past year I have been teaching undergrads a course in General Psychology, and now I can add some patristic thoughts to my file on the mind and how things work. The premise of the book is that due to the fall, we are all broken and need healing. Our nous, or eye of the soul, has been darkened and needs to be cleaned. This can only happen in the church which he calls a hospital. This has much in common with the doctrine of Sanctification that is a large part of the holiness movement of the Church of the Nazarene.
There are several other good books on the subject and I will just mention the titles of these;
Raising Lazarus, Integral Healing in Orthodox Christianity Edited by Stephen Muse
Inner Way, Toward a Rebirth of Eastern Christian Spiritual Direction by Joseph Allen
