The renowned French Orthodox theologian Jean-Claude Larchet discussed the importance of the spiritual father in the healing process of addictions in an interview published in the 17th issue of the “Words to Young People” magazine by Putna Monastery.

The importance of relationships in healing addictions

When asked, “How important is the relationship with a person in the healing process of an addiction?” the theologian replied, “Faced with a person’s addiction, parents, relatives, and friends are, unfortunately, almost always powerless. However, they can help indirectly because addiction is always a means of escaping an unbearable reality or a way to find greater satisfaction than what the real world can offer.”

J. C. Larchet explained that the attention and love we can offer an addicted person helps them find more satisfaction in the real world. True friends can encourage those “fond of false friendships and superficial Facebook likes to experience the beauty and joy of a genuine friendship.”

The Role of the Spiritual Father

The theologian emphasised the importance of the spiritual father in the process of overcoming addictions.

“I am not referring to the priest to whom we confess occasionally, quickly, without having a profound relationship with him, but to an understanding, loving, and prayerful spiritual father on whom we can rely at any time and who constantly monitors the state of his spiritual son, always giving him suitable advice to free himself from addiction,” J. C. Larchet highlighted.

The success of the healing process depends on the collaboration between the spiritual son and his spiritual father, requiring willpower and effort.

“This cannot be solely the work of the spiritual father (although sometimes there are miracles due to spiritual fathers endowed with charisms), but it requires work, willpower, and effort on the part of the person who is addicted. In other words, it must be achieved through close collaboration between the parties involved.”

“The spiritual father, especially if engaged in traditional ascetic life, has experience in liberating someone from an addiction and even with a multitude of addictions. For we all, as members of fallen humanity, depend on many passions deeply rooted in us and hard to give up,” the theologian added.

Ascetic Life

Jean-Claude Larchet highlighted the role of ascetic life as a permanent and systematic effort to free oneself from passions.

“The word freedom is often used as a synonym for apatheia (dispassion), which we find in patristic texts to designate the state reached by the one who has become master over his passions.”

J.C. Larchet was also asked about advice offered by the Holy Fathers on healing addictions.

“The ascetic writings of the Holy Fathers offer the method to follow to free oneself from this fundamental form of addiction, represented by passions, and this method is usable for all other forms of addiction, including those that did not exist when the Fathers wrote their treatises, as it is based on controlling the thoughts that underlie our behaviour.”

In the same interview, Jean-Claude Larchet also addressed topics such as repentance, culture, spiritual illnesses, Christian identity, and maintaining the purity of the soul. Archimandrite Dosoftei Dijmărescu conducted the interview, which is available in Romanian here.

Jean-Claude Larchet: bio

Born on September 25, 1949, into a French Roman Catholic family, Jean-Claude Larchet converted to Orthodoxy in 1971, deeply influenced by the writings of the Eastern Fathers.

A Doctor of Philosophy (1987) and Theology (1994) from the University of Strasbourg, Larchet has had a remarkable career in studying Orthodox theology, publishing numerous works on health, suffering, and healing from a Christian Orthodox perspective.

He was a university professor for over 35 years in Strasbourg and has lectured in many countries.

Many of his books are translated into Romanian.

Photo source: Orthodoxie.com

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