{"title":"Stepping carefully on sacred ground: religion and spirituality in psychotherapy","authors":"Lars Mandelkow, Anne Austad, Henning Freund","doi":"10.1080/19349637.2021.1939834","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"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. Participants reported “sacred moments” in therapy and the significance of religion/spirituality for their therapeutic identities. Religious/spiritual self-disclosure and ethical borders emerged as challenging topics. As core competencies, the interviewees named existential sensitivity, self-reflection, and self-disclosure management. The article discusses what is needed to create safe spaces for existential/religious/existential issues in secular psychotherapy.","PeriodicalId":51916,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health","volume":"3 1","pages":"288 - 308"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7000,"publicationDate":"2021-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2021.1939834","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
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. Participants reported “sacred moments” in therapy and the significance of religion/spirituality for their therapeutic identities. Religious/spiritual self-disclosure and ethical borders emerged as challenging topics. As core competencies, the interviewees named existential sensitivity, self-reflection, and self-disclosure management. The article discusses what is needed to create safe spaces for existential/religious/existential issues in secular psychotherapy.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health is an interdisciplinary professional journal (retiled from American Journal of Pastoral Counseling to better reflect its broader scope) that is devoted to the scholarly study of spirituality as a resource for counseling and psychotherapeutic disciplines. This peer-reviewed quarterly journal seeks to enhance the understanding of spirituality as a core component of human well-being in individual, relational, and communal life. Leading authorities provide insights into research and effective therapy in an interdisciplinary dialog that crosses the disciplines of psychology, spirituality, theology, sociology, cultural analysis, and other fields.