Over the past few years, concerned onlookers have been assured and reassured by many that the teaching and writings of clinically-informed biblical counselors does not arise from any substantial doctrinal differences they have from historic biblical counselors, nor from historically faithful orthodox theologians and documents.[1] Our grave concerns are supposed to be allayed by considering that our “differences are methodological…not foundational.”[2] But it has been my contention that our methodological differences actually prove more rudimentary disagreement than what is supposed. And if I and others who have beat this drum are right, then the proof should be evident in the teaching and writings of those who are clinically-informed. I believe it is.
EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE
This document is a set of notes I compiled for the final quarter of a four-part series I taught for the Biblical Counselors Society.[3] It is the fruit of my ongoing engagement with Bioenergetics and Clinically-Informed Biblical Counseling literature. In reading authors from both perspectives, I have been struck by the philosophical (theological) similarities between the two.
In this comparative study, I am simply seeking to point out the unity of thought between two presumably or purportedly disconnected worldviews by letting them tell us in their own words what they believe about ideas pertinent to counsel. Bioenergetics renounces adherence to any particular religious system, denies the existence of the immaterial soul, and doubts whether men live beyond their temporal earthly existence. Clinically-informed Biblical Counseling, on the other hand, claims the Bible is it’s sole interpretive authority.[4] But the similarity of thought concerning counseling is astonishing.
The following document includes dozens of quotes from Alexander Lowen, the architect of Bioenergetics and therapeutic grounding, as well as from those who teach clinically-informed counseling convictions. First, both systems are described briefly by their own adherents. Then, quotations from each system, supporting similar principles for counseling, appear under the following headings. To me, these headings seem to be unifying threads aligning, at many important points, CIBC’s theology of counseling more with Bioenergetics therapy than with true biblical counseling.
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- The person is his body.
- Emotional/psychological difficulties parallel physical trauma.
- Personality problems are stored and manifested in the body’s physical members.
- Bodily changes occur in order to survive emotional trauma.
- Verbal counsel is insufficient for comprehensive change.
- Treating the body is a necessary precursor to treating the mind.
- Altering the body is part of personality change.
- Counseling methods.
I am praying that the Lord will use the following resource to push readers back to the Scriptures, the only source that can produce true clarity and hatred for falsehood.
From Your precepts I get perception; Therefore I hate every false way. — Psalm 119:104
click the image below for the full notes
- Those who have offered such assurances have included Danny Akin, Kristin Kellen and other faculty members of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Tim Allchin, Bob Kellemen here and here, and many more.
- Tim Allchin, “Not the Same Thing: Why the Simplistic Binary Doesn’t Word” (https://substack.com/home/post/p-193514928).
- The title of that series is Discerning Therapeutic Grounding and the notes can be found at the following links: “Lecture 1 | What is Therapeutic Grounding?”, “Lecture 2 | Therapeutic Grounding and Scripture’s Sufficiency”, and “Lecture 3 | Historical Dissociation”.
- See Jason Kovacs’s guest blog post at https://rpmministries.org/2026/01/kovacs-responds-gifford/ and the SEBTS faculty paper clarifying their Redemptive/Clinically-Informed counseling convictions at https://www.sebts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/What-is-RCCIBC.pdf.