Knitting with Barbed Wire: Understanding the Factor of Religion in Mental Illness and Health

Knitting With Barbed Wire is imagery to stimulate thought for a myriad of benevolent activities which at first appear beautiful and helpful, but in reality are exclusion and ostracization for those who are different—different in appearance, race, economic status, or abilities—who are clearly not welcome. The metallic, rusty, and sharp barbed wire emotionally, socially, and physically bars those deemed unwanted; and any attempt to rush through the wire results in severe cuts, deep injuries, and even death. The author illustrates, with creative fiction as well as nonfiction prose, how vitally important religious belief is for acquiring sound mental health, and how the barbed wire of exclusion in attitudes and practices causes undue suffering for those deemed unwanted.

Marcia A. Murphy is a person in recovery from mental illness who started to write as a teenager and as an adult has published on the importance of faith in mental health in articles, essays, and works of creative nonfiction in professional psychiatric journals, anthologies, and newspapers. She is the author of several books. Also, available on her Mental Health Initiatives (MHI) website: Hope & Spirituality Worksheets (PDF file available), materials on bullying, programs to support psychiatric patients, and videos.