Core Issues With the SOZO Process from a Mental Health Professional Perspective

I sat down with my good friend Britt who's a licensed mental health professional to talk to her about SOZO, a deliverance ministry that's out of Bethel Church in Redding California. In this short clip, Britt addresses some core problems with SOZO and why it's important to address them.

Helpful and Related Content:

Link to Full Video:

Short Video on my Research of SOZO:

Bethel and the New Age:

A Discussion on Christian Counseling:

An Honest Critique of Bill Johnson's Book:

Interview with Mike Winger about Scriptures that are Misquoted to Support Word of Faith/NAR teachings:

Issues With Word of Faith:

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[Karrolicious]

This is a little unrelated to this particular video, but as a new Christian, I just have to express how grateful I am for your channel. I have had so many questions, ones that could ultimately have led me to turn away from the faith altogether, but I have found actual answers via your channel. I also feel as if you've taught me how to approach these questions on my own, so I have just learned a whole new method on how to look at teachings, questions, sermons etc. Learning how to search for the truth in everything through the actual Word of God has been a blessing, so I have to thank you so much for that. God uses you in a wonderfully relatable and educational way! ❤️

[carolschafer]

This could not have come at a better time for me. I am a Christian and not just on Sunday. I pray, go to church, study my Bible, have faith in God and believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He is my High Priest. HOWEVER...I was recently diagnosed with depression and have been put on medication. I was just thinking this morning...."does this mean I am really not a Christian?" I mean, how can I have faith and hope in Jesus and be depressed? But, this reminded me that it can be a chemical issue with my brain and not necessarily a spiritual. Of course I will continue to pray about it and I still find joy in Christ, but this has helped me with the guilt I feel for having depression and needing medication.

[Winnie]

Thank you Melissa, this has been so encouraging and eye opening. I went thru a sozo session in my former church and the torment and confusion it left me in was horrible. When I didn’t “get healed” of the trauma I had I somehow felt abandoned by God and “had hidden sin” that left me unworthy of healing. I felt so unloved and just feelings of despair, I left the church and thru you and others have and are still coming to truth that I was in a deceptive doctrine. God bless you and others walking thru my journey.

[samanthabyler]

It's inherently so disrespectful to reduce someone's life experience turned trauma into a spiritual issue that can be extinguished with a fire hydrant. (That was a great metaphor) It stood out to me a lot that people would kinda get a savior complex about these things. They wanted to be the powerful one praying etc. This was enlightening, I'll have to watch the full video later!

[annabel]

A few years ago I went to a Christian retreat with my fiancé and his family, and there was an older couple running a SOZO prayer tent where people could go any time. I didn't know anything about it or about Bethel then, I was thinking about going for prayer but I'm so glad I didn't as I was young in the faith and this could have caused some serious confusion. The weirdest thing though, was that in one of the main meetings the couple stood up and were really emotional - the wife said in front of over 200 people... [I apologise, this next part is very TMI, read on at your own discretion]

...that they had always had problems with physical intimacy as a couple and she has never been able to satisfy her husband sexually, and she was so thankful that the SOZO ministry was allowing them to serve together in really intimate way. I felt this was really over-sharing and inappropriate. It also seems really odd to compare leading prayer ministry with physical intimacy. I also feel that sometimes when someone over-shares intimate details about their life with people they don't know well, it is almost a manipulation tactic to get the other person to do the same, as a kind of short-cut to emotional connection.

[myjesusmysavior]

I met a lady that had one through her church in Louisiana. She said that she had an issue that she continued to struggle with after she was saved. She said that she went in and from what she describes as a light hypnosis the "spiritual counselor" brought forward that she looked down on men since she was a young girl. This affected her marriage for years ending in divorce. Jesus delivered her of this during this session. When I asked her why she thought Jesus wouldn't deliver her from this by herself and required a spiritual counselor in order for Him to be willing to do it? She said that "He wouldn't heal her from this until she went through SOZO." Crazy. I tried to minister to her, but she wouldn't hear any of it. When I asked her why something not in Bible/against Bible is something Jesus would do to heal her, she said that Jesus can use whatever He wants to heal her. Hear me! Jesus does not and will not go against His own word to do anything. He can do anything, but he is also Truth. His word is the Truth. Period.

[thetruedaoster]

Thanks for taking the time to critique this area; all truth is ultimately God's truth, so one should make every effort to examine things so that they can be objective in their decision making. Thank you and God bless!

[crinick]

Good clip. As someone who spent years as a Biblical Counselor I loved the conversation on the physical. Who we are, Imago dei, is rational, relational, emotional, volitional, and physical. To counsel a person is to be aware of this in its totality with the truth we find in the bible and who we are in and to Jesus. Any one part of the Imago dei impacts the others or at least can. Yes there are spiritual battles and issues but never ignore the whole. Thanks again good clip.

[Sugarpuffyy]

Really interesting. I have always had concerns about SOZO.

[WilliamtheWorst]

Good stuff as always. We must expose these heretics and preach Christ alone!

[Sistergirl]

Not to discourage or discount emotional or mental health struggles of viewers, chemical imbalance has been debunked now for several years. With that said, finding a person that is qualified and compassionate in providing counseling to help you uncover the root of difficulty in the area or mental health is vital.

[kenmccracken]

I'm going to start my own version called the BOZO process. Guaranteed one hunnerd percent!

[bboop]

So for years the Lord has guided me down the extremely interesting and intricate road of mental illness/psych in the setting of The Church (every where between and hyper-charismatics). Yikes!!! Dicey road to walk with people. 🙏🙏🙏.

Anyhow, I’m 100% convinced that mental illness is “all of the above”: physical, emotional, and spiritual. I would add to the term you mentioned and use this model:
BioPsychoSocialSpiritual. 🤣🤣🤣 A tongue twister ..BUT TRUE! The neuroscience/physical is REAL, the trauma/emotional/social stuff is REAL, and let me tell you....there are demons, too. We’re foolish to leave out any one of those aspects when helping someone.

[RachelDee]

I've had 4 different Christian counselors (including lay counselors). This woman is awesome.

[IntegrityMatters]

This is really great! Ty for sharing. I truly appreciate this video.

[OnlyJalenPhd]

Our very good friends are/got into this. They have numerous doctorate degrees, and I’m a lowly BA in Bible girl. However, I do NOT feel right about it. I’m supposed to go through this training, by a Bethel higher up, on Aug 19. Anytime I think about it, my heart skips a beat, and I get a sinking feeling in my gut. I don’t know how I’m going to maneuver this. They read hundreds of Christian books a year, and I only read The Bible. (The Bible was written by God, but books are written by men. ) I learned years ago, that just bc someone says they’re “Christian, ” does NOT mean they are, or even Scripturally sound. We’ve been very close friends for over 13 years. We vacation w/ them, etc…I don’t know what to do, or say. Help from anyone, is appreciated. TIA

[philipguyott]

I have a friend who is training to be a deacon in the Church of England who is doing here SOZO training with them right now. Very interesting video.

[nancyburge]

Thank you for this. I have never seen a mental health professional speak on christians/the church and mental health issues. I have a question that I have not been able to address to a mental health profession from the biblical worldview.
Is EMDR new age? I have been offered this as a treatment and have refused it because of the uncertainty around how it works and nothing about it, in my opinion, is biblical. Many Christian Therapsit use it however I see red flags.

[jamiegilliam]

I find that the things I have overcome to the greatest degree are things that God showed me why I was doing them. That once I realized why I was doing something, I was able to correct that issue the best. Sometimes God uses people to help you see that. Many people want to tack on a spirit to their issues as an excuse. Because if it's a spirit then you can't help it and therefore can't fix it which is not true.

[lasdoscarasdelmisterio]

Melissa, two questions. Why have you not done more video with Doreen Virtue and also, how to you talk to highly sensitive people who see Spirits and think they are friendly spirits or aliens or ascended masters withmore wisdom?