COULD CARMELITE SPIRITUALITY PROMOTE GOOD MENTAL HEALTH? A brief Tribute to Saint Teresa of Avila in the 500th anniversary of her birth

Often it is overlooked that Christian Spirituality involves a personal relationship of a human being with God. It is of interest that both the Protestant Reformers and the exponents of the Catholic Counter Reformation agreed upon this. Two of the greatest exponents of the Counter-Reformation, both of whom were made Doctors of the Church because of their teaching on Prayer were Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross. This year is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Saint Teresa of Avila. Here, as a Catholic Psychiatrist, I argue that the teaching of both saints about the prayer life, properly understood, tends to improve self worth, and therefore must tend to help persons with mental health problems