ABSTRACT We aimed to explore consumers’ experiences of FT as an adjunct to their usual psychological treatment. Ten mental health consumers attended 1–6 monthly FT sessions. Interviews were conducted to understand whether FT contributed to therapeutic change. We used a phenomenological framework and reflexive thematic analysis to understand the data. Three themes were developed that reflected 1) experiencing

ABSTRACT The present study deals with four issues. First, several brief clarifying remarks concerning religion and spirituality, followed by similar but more extended remarks on guilt and shame. Second, consideration of religion’s negative influence on wellness and wholeness in mental health when religion contributes to excessive feelings of guilt and shame. Third, reflections on the potentially negative

ABSTRACT Warrior Welcome Home retreats have hosted Australian soldiers, veterans and their families since 2007. This article is an appreciative inquiry into theological and spiritual resources that respond to the emerging understanding of military moral injury. It discusses how Scriptural hermeneutics and experience of moral injury inform one another, how leadership fosters a nurturing community, how

ABSTRACT Nurses are living in unprecedented times and the first-line against the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses see controversial issues and face different complications that lead to work-life conflicts and compromise patient safety. Finding volunteer nurses is a fantastic adventure in such a situation. This study attempted to analyze volunteer nurses’ experiences and factors influencing care in the COVID-19

ABSTRACT Existing research highlights adaptive applications of spiritual intelligence, specifically its relationship to positive well-being and quality of life. Limited studies have examined its applicability within secular Western contexts. Two-hundred and fourteen New Zealand university students completed a questionnaire measuring their spiritual intelligence, resilience, and several aspects of wellbeing

ABSTRACT We use the logic of the spiritual Principles of Universal Mind, Consciousness, and Thought to describe two often overlooked ingredients for the resolution of traumatic memories – the power of Thought and innate mental health. We first review the three Principles and use their logic to explain why these two typically unrecognized ingredients can improve and sustain treatment outcomes for people

ABSTRACT Buddhist psychology increasingly informs mental healthcare through therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), as well as explicitly Buddhist therapies. The central tenets of Buddhist psychology are explored in the Abhidharma, a collection of psychological works from the traditional canon. The Abhidharma includes detailed expositions of the

ABSTRACT The considerable connection between religiosity/spirituality and positivity in life in general has been widely demonstrated. However, preliminary evidence has shown that when also a cognitive component is included, the direction of this relationship seems to emerge more clearly. Specifically, the differential pathways linking specific positive self-transcendent (ST) experiences and religiosity/spirituality

ABSTRACT This study explored how patterns of spirituality/religiosity relate to meaning-making among 199 racially diverse young adults (74.5% non-Hispanic Black, 65.1% Christian, and 49% female). Participants completed measures of demographics, spirituality/religiosity, and meaning-making. Latent profile analysis revealed four profiles: “Average Spirituality/Religiosity, Higher Negative Religious Coping

ABSTRACT Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīyah is one of the flag bearers of Islāmic psychology. Ibn Qayyim had rightly identified the relation between the physical and spiritual ailments. He has contributed both in the fields of spiritual and physical health. For curing psycho-spiritual diseases, he has proposed number of spiritual interventions that include faith in God, worship, dhikr (remembrance of God) patience

ABSTRACT In a sample of undergraduates who reported divine struggles (N= 290), we coded imagined conversations with God about the struggle for salient themes. We examined how these themes related to global views of God and struggle-specific responses to God. As hypothesized, participants with more positive global God concepts included more communal themes in their imagined expressions to God (e.g.

ABSTRACT Despite more than the 80-year history of the AA movement, there is a gap in academic knowledge about the essence of AA spiritual concepts. One particularly important lacuna about AA practice is weakness of theoretical frame for the often-used measuring tools of spiritual variables in quantitative studies. This article argues that theological analysis of AA practice can be a very useful part

ABSTRACT In this cross sectional study, the subjects were 390 students. The findings revealed two components of spiritual transcendence and spiritual openness and also the questions that had high factor loadings with these components are largely consistent with the findings of the scale’s authors. Construct validity and reliability were ascertained and the goodness of fit was determined for the Spiritual

ABSTRACT In our multicultural world, the counselor must provide a safe environment within which the client’s recognition of healthy and unhealthy beliefs are facilitated. Communications between counselor and client depend critically on the faith narrative each has developed over time from the brain’s natural inclination to organize and interpret accumulated personal experience. It is crucial for the

ABSTRACT This systematic review of randomized controlled trials investigated the effects of two religious/spiritual (R/S) practices (breathwork and chanting) on mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms). After registering with PROSPERO (CRD42020136645), a systematic search of four major databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and ProQuest)

(2021). The dark side of Dharma: meditation, madness and other Maladies on the contemplative path. A book review. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT The assertions outlined throughout this article are intrinsic to the “search for meaning” as centrality of human nature. The approach consists of a systematic study from the theoretical link Religion-Philosophy-Psychology underlying the spirituality and religiosity of the counselees in their way they manifest themselves in the sense of existing in relation with reality. It consists of a psycho-religious

ABSTRACT Spiritual competency encompasses the ability to conceptualize and utilize a client’s spiritual experience in clinical contexts while mitigating one’s own bias through self-awareness and knowledge. In this article, spiritual competency in clinical work with children is explored. Findings showed an interplay between conceptualization and participation in such settings. A framework of spiritual

ABSTRACT This article explores the significance of religious/spiritual approaches to existential issues in psychotherapy in Norway, with its secular, Western-European society. A content analysis of eight semi-structured interviews with psychologists who are experienced in the intersection of psychotherapy and religion/spirituality confirms the perceived therapeutic benefit of addressing religion/spirituality

ABSTRACT Addressing spiritual concerns in psychotherapy might be challenging in secular societies. An additional obstacle may be a possible religiosity gap between psychotherapists and their patients. To explore levels of religiosity and spiritual care competence, the Spiritual Care Competence Questionnaire was given to professionals in Norwegian mental health clinics. 262 staff participated, 92 of

ABSTRACT Maslow’s theory might be one of the most powerful perspectives on humans’ growth. It suggests that people have a strong desire to realize their full potential, reach their self-actualization and find meaning in life. In spite of its attractive nature, the theory has also received much criticism. One of the main objections focuses on its emphasis on “self”, which might be interpreted as an

ABSTRACT In 1997, thirty-nine members of a religious cult from California, US, committed mass suicide to gain abnormal powers exchanging their present body form. This is popularly known as Heaven’s Gate. In 2021, in India, two young women were killed by their learned parents to get abnormal powers by giving-up their present body form. The paper connects such incidences and answers questions like why

ABSTRACT Research has demonstrated that maladaptive relational functioning of patients suffering from personality disorders is associated with more negative God representations. This study demonstrated with a single group design among a group of 37 Christian patients with personality disorders, that changes in implicit God representations during psychotherapy, as assessed with the recently developed

ABSTRACT Christian asceticism assumes that human beings can profoundly transform themselves over years of systematic training, with divine aid. This contribution joins recent scholarship in stressing the therapeutic and transformative dimensions of asceticism, but argues that it was not solely or primarily through bodily training that asceticism implemented this program. In the Eastern monastic tradition

ABSTRACT Using Thematic Analyses the experiences of thriving in ministry were explored across generations of Catholic women religious (N = 1116). Participants responded to open-ended questions regarding their dis/satisfaction with religious life. Sisters expressed concerns about ministry that demanded their energy and time normally needed for community prayer and living. Sisters reported on vital experiences

ABSTRACT As the counseling profession has increased focus on spiritual integration into counseling sessions, such integration brings necessary attention to professional ethics. While ethical guidelines mandate that counselors not impose values on clients, this has oftentimes been confused with the false idea that counselors who are Christian may not or cannot practice ethically due to potential conflicts

ABSTRACT Many concepts in science lack clarity. Developing clear definitions of research phenomena is one of the most challenging tasks for academics of various proveniences. Defining spirituality seems to be one of those challenges. The author of this article synthetically describes historical and present-day challenges in defining spirituality in order to develop an appropriate awareness of certain

ABSTRACT Religion and science are often deemed to conflict. Neurotheology is a new way of exploring the interface of neuroscience and religion. Neuroscience shares many of the same concerns about human welfare as religion and also provides the credibility of secular rationale, evidence, explanation, and resolution for many religious ideas for wholesome living. The analysis here reveals and explores

ABSTRACT For Aotearoa New Zealand Māori, wairua (spirit) is an integral aspect of existence and important source of well-being. In this qualitative study, 15 Māori participants discuss their personal experiences of wairua. Inductive thematic analysis revealed a diverse range of highly meaningful spiritual experiences occur for Māori, and align with historical accounts about wairua and existing academic

ABSTRACT Religion is a salient part of cultural competence for mental health clinicians. This paper describes rationales for clinicians to work with a less well-known Catholic clergy: permanent deacons. Demographic, personality structure and religious commitment data from nearly 2,000 deacons support collaboration with clinicians to improve the continuity of mental health care. Guidelines for this

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a two-and-half hour constructivist-oriented training session upon the spirituality and religious competency of 15 master’s level counseling students. The results revealed that the master’s-lever counselors in training demonstrated a significant overall increase in spiritual and religious competency. Although the intervention resulted

ABSTRACT The book “Islam and Mental Health” seeks to examine Islam as a resource and a liability for mental health among Muslims. This paper describes the translation of this book into Persian, examines how mental health professionals in Iran view its contents and reviews whether the information is consistent with Iranian religious beliefs based on views of Shiite Islamic scholars. For this purpose

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate empathy and mental health in individuals who practice spiritual healing techniques. A sample of 190 healing practitioners was recruited to evaluate the healing experiences, along with to test cognitive-perceptual deficit and empathy. Significant differences were found due to age in two groups (Practitioners, n = 71, and Newly initiated, n = 119). Practitioners

ABSTRACT Counseling professionals and trainees are encouraged to address clients’ presenting concerns through a developmental lens. A versatile theory appears to be Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, which looks at the human being through the lifespan approach. Through a cross-sectional quantitative method, this study explored the relationship between completion of Erikson’s fourth psychosocial

ABSTRACT This study tested hypotheses about client preferences and functioning based on a relational spirituality model of psychotherapy in a sample (N = 101) of adult clients at a community mental health center in the northeastern United States. Most clients wanted to engage spiritual, religious, and existential issues in treatment and this preference was positively related to both spiritual/religious

ABSTRACT The current study investigated the relationship among mindfulness, religious coping, and serenity between institutionalized and noninstitutionalized elderly. A total sample of 100 elderly participants, which included 50 institutionalized (n = 25 females, n = 25 males) and 50 noninstitutionalized (n = 25 females, n = 25 males) participants within an age range of 60–89, was selected from different

ABSTRACT Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based intervention to increase knowledge about mental illness and self-efficacy in addressing mental health problems. This pilot study explored the implementation of MHFA for members and leaders of Christian church congregations. Twenty-seven church members completed the 8-hour manualized training. A preintervention and postintervention survey

ABSTRACT This study explores the interrelationship between forgiveness and general, spiritual, and interpersonal coping within the context of intimate partner stress. A total of 116 adults responded to an online survey on measures of forgiveness, general, spiritual and interpersonal coping, and well-being. Individuals who engage in forgiveness are more likely to take the perspective of their partner

ABSTRACT Despite the conceptual link between love and forgiveness, empirical evidence for the relationship between the two is scarce. Also, controversy exists surrounding the use of a self-evaluated forgiveness tendency as a measure of dispositional forgiveness. One hundred adults filled out an online survey to provide the data for this study. Compassionate love, commitment to forgiveness, and valuing

ABSTRACT Religious buildings have a significant role in Muslims’ culture. The architects have developed some features in designing such buildings that create a unique sense of comfort and spiritual state in humans. By more precise examination of the spiritual sense whose results are in mental health for the audience, the paper tried to analyze the impact of buildings with religious characteristics

ABSTRACT Spiritual and religious (S/R) competence is an important yet under-studied area of clinical multicultural competence. In a sample of clinicians who attended seminars on a specific S/R group training model, we examined the roles of humility and differentiation of self (DoS) in predicting S/R attitudes and S/R self-efficacy, as well as perceived barriers to implementing this training model in

ABSTRACT Empathy is a well-established factor for a successful therapeutic relationship. Similarly, spirituality has demonstrated significance for many clinical outcomes. Although available evidence generally supports a relationship between spirituality and empathy, there is a dearth of empirical information examining the relationship from a multidimensional perspective. The Expressions of Spirituality

ABSTRACT The psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual wounding caused by childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and the ways in which one dimension of the trauma impacts another is extremely complex. Accordingly, restorative healing practices call for survivor-centered approaches to being with and healing from the embodied wounding and attachment trauma that results from sexual violence. Developing a

ABSTRACT Research with self-report measures of God representations suggests an association with personality pathology. However, according to object-relations theory, God representations are predominantly implicit. This observational study aimed at validating the implicit Apperception Test God Representations (ATGR). In a group of 74 patients with personality pathology and a group of 71 non-patients

ABSTRACT Scrupulosity is characterized by an excessive anxiety against sinning and it is found to be common in Muslim societies. Spirituality plays a significant role in its presentation and management. The role of Islamic spirituality is examined by revealing the relevance of Islamic spiritual values e.g. acceptance (rida), patience (sabr), to the therapy. Five cases where these values are integrated

ABSTRACT Recent research suggests that religious leaders’ humility is crucial to their own psychological wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the communities they lead, yet little is known about how humility is understood and cultivated by the leaders themselves. This qualitative study of 273 religious leaders from the Abrahamic faiths examines the diversity in their theological understandings of

ABSTRACT How do graduate-level theology students in Korea perceive human and divine forgiveness? Are there certain aspects of forgiveness that they see as more different than other aspects because of their theological and cultural assumptions of human and divine forgiveness? Theology students from two Protestant divinity programs in South Korea showed higher endorsements for abandoning a desire for

ABSTRACT The Black Superwoman Phenomenon refers to the idea that Black women should be caretakers and assume various roles and responsibilities without the opportunity to be emotionally transparent and expressive. Popular media images and historical narratives reinforce and perpetuate this notion of Black women as able to assume these responsibilities without emotional release and support. Thus, Black

ABSTRACT Limited studies exist about how negative life events (NLEs) influence spirituality, particularly that of the Nigerian Catholic sisters living in the United States. Twenty sisters were interviewed. Content analysis of transcripts generated four themes. The themes followed a specific pattern of dealing with an adverse life situation, beginning with 1) the basic instant internal reactions to

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine if experiencing spirituality through spectating sports is associated with increased wellbeing in sports fans. A sample of 151 American adults who self-identified as sports fans (N = 151) completed questionnaires which measured Sports Spectating Spirituality (SSS), spirituality, wellbeing and the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (r-RST). It was hypothesized

ABSTRACT The most destructive psychological structures are made all that more lethal by their invisibility. This article explores one such structure, transference neurosis. Transference neurosis occurs when an individual is infected by the neurosis of another person, thus altering the normal defense patterns and causing a distortion in the unconscious. The therapeutic journey is charged with the task

ABSTRACT A large body of research examines the effects of religion and spirituality on criminality and recidivism in the United States. The goal of much of this work has been to determine the effectiveness of various rehabilitation models with a majority of studies focusing on male offenders’ experiences. There is a dearth of research exploring women and crime and even less examining the life experiences

ABSTRACT In this International study, 91 Roman Catholic sisters, responded to an open-ended question regarding their previous hesitations, obstacles, and fears as they discerned to enter religious life. Frequent concerns expressed by these young Sisters included varied doubts about their vocations, lack of support or understanding from others, insecurities about the ability to live obedience, and sacrificing

ABSTRACT There is no agreement about the design of spiritual interventions. Therefore a systematic review was conducted to determine the available evidence on the type of interventions in Iranian health care studies and to evaluate the quality of the studies. Interventional studies, between April 2008 and April 2018, were extracted from domestic and international databases and finally, 39 studies were

ABSTRACT Migrants flee violence, extortion, assault and kidnapping in Central America and Mexico to make the dangerous journey to the U.S. – Mexico border. They experience trauma and adversity at each stage of the journey – prior to departure, enroute, and upon arrival at the border. This mixed methods research project examines protective factors that mediate trauma and support quality of life among

ABSTRACT Anxiety is a ubiquitous problem in our society from which many suffer. The purpose of this study was to consider how spirituality, dispositional forgiveness, and God concept together informed an individual’s level of anxiety. Results suggested that forgiveness had a significant influence on anxiety and that the shared variance between God concept and forgiveness may warrant future study. Implications

ABSTRACT This study investigated the interplay of gender and spirituality in the identity development of women within the religious institution of the Anglican Church of Canada. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to investigate the experiences and meaning making of the participants with regards to their identity development within their religious contexts, in order to better understand

ABSTRACT The study examined the relationship between spirituality, identity development, and maladjustment variables. A total of 1,016 college student participants (53.9% female) were recruited from a major state university in the southern United States, the structural equation modeling revealed that aspects of identity development mediated the relationship between certain aspects of spirituality (spiritual

ABSTRACT Results about associations between God representations and well-being/mental health can be questioned because they are predominantly based on studies with self-report instruments. There are no well-validated implicit measures of God representations. Therefore we developed the Apperception Test for God Representations (ATGR). In a clinical (n = 75) and a nonclinical (n = 71) sample, we found

ABSTRACT Spiritual-religious coping (SRC) may be significant for the quality of life of Brazilian parents who have lost a child due to homicide, suicide or accidental causes. Forty parents responded to the: SRC Scale, the WHOQOL Spirituality Religiousness and Personal Beliefs, the Duke University Religion Index, and interviews. The results indicated that SRC can collaborate in bereavement by traumatic