The Body: Dialogues between Psychoanalysis and Orthodox Theology

by Vasileios Thermos

The history of the relationship between soul and body in science tracks the history of the battle between idealism and materialism—a conflict with only temporary, contingent winners. Meanwhile, through both advances in neuroscience and the decay of ideological obsessions, hope for a much-needed peace has come into view, in the form of moderate, synthetic views. This article will attempt to construct a brief description of how two movements, perhaps surprisingly, have become capable of creating conditions that facilitate convergence and fertile dialogue on the subject: psychoanalysis and Orthodox theology.

Vasileios Thermos

The Rev. Dr. Vasileios Thermos is an assistant professor of pastoral theology and pastoral psychology at the University Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens. He studied at the Medical School of Athens University, specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, and he still practices in this area in Athens. He was ordained in 1986 and serves in the Diocese of Viotia. In 1997, he received a PhD in pastoral psychology from the Theological School of Athens University. He is the editor of the biannual Greek journal Ψυχής Δρόμοι (Ways of the Soul), which studies the relationships between theology, religion, psychology, and psychiatry.

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