Is Psychology Compatible with Jewish Values? Exploring Faith, Freud, and EMDR

The study of the psyche and the science of psychology are among the most debated disciplines from a Jewish perspective. Unlike fields such as medicine, physics, or chemistry, psychology deals with the human soul and influences a person’s spirit, thoughts, worldview, and shapes their personality. 

Occasionally, a religious person may find their values in conflict with certain psychological theories upon which their therapist relies. Traditional psychology, founded by Freud, was largely based on secular principles. It viewed a person as driven primarily by physical needs, instincts, and desires, referred to as the id. According to Freud, these were curbed by conscience, morality, and societal rules- the superego, which he saw as a byproduct of the id. The ego served to mediate between the id and the superego, enabling a person to function in society.

Traditional psychology largely ignored concepts such as the soul. However, later schools of thought began addressing spiritual elements and proposed that there is something beyond the psyche- a dimension that had not been previously discussed.

Today, we find many parallels between various psychological theories and Jewish values concerning the human soul. In recent years, there’s been significant openness within religious and even ultra-Orthodox communities to mental health treatment. It has become increasingly clear that proper psychological care can be a great blessing.

Unlike the traditional psychodynamic method, a new approach known as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), developed by Aaron Beck, focuses less on the unconscious. It is a more pragmatic, structured, goal-oriented method that identifies cognitive distortions and misinterpretations of reality. It is highly rational and appeals to the cognitive, thinking parts of the brain.

Seemingly, this aligns well with Jewish thought, which emphasizes “the mind ruling the heart” and “after actions, the heart is drawn.” That may explain the growing popularity of CBT-based programs and training frameworks in the Orthodox world.

CBT is effective, well-recognized, and widely used. Yet, some clients struggle with its demands, such as practicing techniques between sessions. For others, rational exercises alone aren’t enough to bring emotional relief.

In this article, I want to introduce a lesser-known but highly regarded treatment approach known as EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, originally developed to treat trauma.

What Is EMDR?

EMDR is an integrative therapy that includes cognitive, hypnotic, psychodynamic, systemic, behavioral, and body-mind elements. It is a therapeutic tool that connects to memory. Its goal is to take a traumatic memory and, through a specific process, transform it into an ordinary memory.

According to EMDR, trauma isn’t only a life-threatening event or severe loss. It can also be an experience like being fired, feeling deeply insulted, etc., that leaves a lingering negative effect. Unlike regular memories that we can recall without emotional activation, traumatic memories remain "raw" and trigger reactions, sometimes years later. These memories may be charged in four channels:

1. Sensory – Disturbing images (e.g., seeing someone bleeding after an attack)

2. Cognitive – Negative beliefs (e.g., “It’s my fault”)

3. Emotional – Intense feelings such as fear or depression

4. Somatic – Physical sensations (e.g., tightness or pain)

EMDR addresses all four channels- cognitive, emotional, somatic, and sensory- by integrating and “digesting” the traumatic material.

How Was EMDR Discovered?

In 1987, Dr. Francine Shapiro- a Jewish psychologist- was recovering from cancer and taking a walk. She noticed her mind was filled with anxious thoughts and with time she realized that the thoughts had suddenly become less distressing. What had changed? Her eyes had been rapidly moving side to side as she walked.

She tried it again: she brought up a difficult thought, moved her eyes deliberately side to side, and felt relief. She then tested it on her students- asking them to think of upsetting memories and use the same eye movements. They reported calm and release.

Dr. Shapiro later discovered that these eye movements activated both hemispheres of the brain: the right (emotional, sensory) and the left (logical, analytical). This allowed memories to be processed more completely, reducing their emotional charge.

What Makes EMDR Unique?

Unlike other methods, EMDR doesn’t focus on awareness or building coping tools. Instead, it aims to change the root cause of the problem by altering the person’s experience of the memory itself. The focus is on emotionally reprocessing the event so that the person can feel, not just understand, it in a completely new way.

By reprocessing the memory, it no longer remains isolated or “stuck” in a raw, reactive form, but becomes integrated with the rest of the person’s memory system.

Vered Azrieli is a Clinical Social Worker