Link between spirituality and mental health

Achieving a mentally sound and stable individual is a multiplicity of components, and spirituality is one of them.

Spirituality has a significant and growing recognised role in psychotherapy, with unique contributions to the therapy process. Spirituality is a personal or individual search for meaning, purpose, and connection to something greater, not necessarily tied to a specific system of religion or deity.

It is a flexible process guided by internal experience, intuition, and self-discovery, with no fixed rules or required ritual, hence encouraging personal exploration.

Spirituality works from the inside out, with inner beliefs and experiences shaping our outer actions. Spirituality can also involve belief in a higher power, universal energy, or simply a sense of connectedness, motivated by personal growth, inner peace, and self-realisation. There are several renowned benefits of inculcating spirituality in mental wellness interventions. It allows therapists to see clients as whole persons in terms of mind, body, heart, and soul, and not only deal with their psychological issues.

This recognises that the majority of people’s issues and recovery are deeply embedded in their quest for meaning, purpose and connection beyond themselves. Many people bring spiritual concerns or existential distress to therapy, as a potential precursor to their underlying issues, in a bid to search for meaning, purpose, or forgiveness.  

Addressing these can be the solution to resolving issues like anxiety, depression, and bereavement.

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Spiritual practices and belief systems can provide a person with effective coping strategies, helping them cope with trauma, loss, and transition in life. Spiritual resources like prayer, meditation, or a support community can provide hope, acceptance, and resilience. Recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and other forgiveness or meaning-based therapies actively employ spiritual principles to facilitate recovery from alcohol, other drugs of abuse and trauma.

Complementary incorporation of spirituality into psychotherapy is guided by individuals’ own beliefs and preferences. Therapists are encouraged to ask about and respect clients’ spiritual backgrounds, using these as a strength in therapy.

Research has shown that spirituality can be synthesised with multiple psychotherapeutic modalities, including mindfulness, existential psychotherapy, narrative therapy, and spiritually sensitive cognitive behavioural interventions. These modalities allow clients to explore spiritual conflicts, reframe suffering, and cultivate inner peace.

Spirituality is recognised as an important cultural dimension and therapists are encouraged to develop competence in addressing spiritual and religious issues, hence recognising their impact on mental health and respecting diverse worldviews.

Some of the efficient spirituality-based techniques include mindfulness, which helps in stress management and improving emotional regulation. Practising gratitude helps an individual boost positivity and build resilience, while creative expression assists in processing emotions and finding meaning.

Spiritual tenets like forgiveness and compassion help reduce negative emotions and leleado improved relationships, while engagements with nature and community help improve connectedness, reducing stress and helping in processing emotions.

The writer is a licensed psychologist/psychiatrist/clinical officer and lecturer at KMTC Meru Campus