Book Review: Lies My Therapist Told Me

Lies My Therapist Told Me, by Dr. Greg Gifford, is a dense and thorough examination of mental illness, the secular therapeutic, the mind versus the brain and how a Christian can and should respond biblically to these weighty and often personal issues. We all at least know someone who struggles with mental illness in some way. From depression, anxiety, and ADHD to schizophrenia and addiction, this work is relevant and much needed in the current cultural zeitgeist.

Gifford is an associate professor, biblical counselor, and pastor who has a Ph.D in biblical counseling and was the keynote speaker at Faith’s Transform Conference last year. His passion and education shine through in his writing, and his experience as a parent, counselor, and pastor come into play as he dives deeply into redefining mental illness from a biblical perspective. He addresses the confusion centering around conflating the mind and the brain (or the inner man versus the outer man).

Gifford seems to leave no stone unturned in his takedown of the secular therapeutic approach to what he calls “inner man issues” but remains faithful to Scripture as he wades into a plethora of difficult issues. He continually returns to the Word of God to remain grounded.

I found the book to be enlightening and extremely informative, if a tad redundant and belabored at times. And while somewhat heavy-handed, I appreciate Gifford’s thoroughness and passion in addressing such a difficult and complicated subject through the lens of Scripture, with compassion and hope coming through his writing.

This book read like a scholarly paper and may not be accessible to an average reader. That being said, I would call it required reading for biblical counselors and pastors, and strongly encourage it for elders, mentors, and those discipling someone through issues of mental illness.

Justin Holland

Justin has been member of Faith Bible Church since 2021. He and his wife, Bri, have four children.

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