Ah, your gifts have a price, I see. From a person on one spectrum to another, the ought question, if one has some knowledge and belief in psychotherapy, hinges upon an intersection of the therapeutic principles at play (there are at least a dozen major schools of therapy such as CBT, family systems therapy, feminist, psychoanalysis, Christian, existentialist, etc.) and the your model of the world, in this case one that seemingly seems predisposed to contemplate the Hiddenness of God (SEP). From the article:
“Divine hiddenness”, as the phrase suggests, refers, most fundamentally, to the hiddenness of God, i.e., the alleged fact that God is hidden, absent, or silent. In religious literature, there is a long history of expressions of annoyance, anxiety, and despair over divine hiddenness, so understood. For example, ancient Hebrew texts lament God’s failure to show up in experience or to show proper regard for God’s people or some particular person, and two Christian Gospels portray Jesus, in his cry of dereliction on the cross, as experiencing abandonment by God, whom he regarded as “Abba, Father”, an experience shared by many mystics, saints, and ordinary folk of all theistic traditions, described at its worst as “the dark night of the soul”. Understood in this way, divine hiddenness poses an existential problem for those who have such experiences. (emphasis mine)
You ask:
Is this another form of the divine hiddenness problem, or is it a different, if related, such problem?
If the philosophical tradition is about expressions of annoyance, anxiety, and despair, then it is an inevitable cosequence that there are both logical and psychological dimensions to the problem. But on the psychological dimension, I suggest any good answer depends on your therapeutic stance. As far as research, I did come across this:
Did Christianity lead to schizophrenia? Psychosis, psychology and self reference (NIH)
There seems to be a body of literature on schizophrenia and communicating with God. WP has an article on the topic entitled "Religion and Schizophrenia". From WP:
The relationship between religion and schizophrenia is of particular interest to psychiatrists because of the similarities between religious experiences and psychotic episodes; religious experiences often involve auditory and/or visual phenomena, and those with schizophrenia commonly report hallucinations and delusions that may resemble the events found within a religious experience.1 In general, religion has been found to have "both a protective and a risk increasing effect" for schizophrenia.2
As a compulsive atheist, I can't possible related, but I'll share that my therapeutic preferences begins with CBT to encourage it as a therapeutic stance. From WP:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention1 that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders.5 Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective means of treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders.6 CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (such as thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and their associated behaviors to improve emotional regulation2 and develop personal coping strategies that target solving current problems.
Given that divine hiddenness seems to be logical and philosophical approach to responding to "expressions of annoyance, anxiety, and despair (as per SEP), then clearly one attempt can be to do the theology. But from a CBT clinical perspective, the question is, is the model you have of the world suffering from distortions? That provokes the sticky question of whether your belief in God is a product of distorted reasoning or not. Here then, you have to decide whether there is sufficient empirical and rational support for the existence of God. If there is, then you are back to your philosophical pursuit. If your metaphysics obviates the need of God in your ontology, then you are in another problem space entirely.
In the former case, if you decide to resolve your question philosophically, finding experts in a religious tradition is your best path. Perhaps that is the Vatican and natural theology. If, on the other hand, you reject God from your ontology, then an exploration of cognitive distortions and fallacy is warranted. In either case, the additional knowledge you accumulate can help you with developing coping mechanisms for unwanted thoughts and feelings. In both cases, finding someone with whom you have a good therapeutic relationship is pivotal (at least in accordance with modern psychological research).
