Spiritual Issues
Spirituality is the broad concept of a belief in something beyond the self. It may involve religious traditions centering on the belief in a higher power, but it can also involve a holistic belief in an individual connection to others and to the world as a whole. Over half of people who use mental health services find religion or spirituality helpful to manage their mental health issues. But often they find it difficult to speak about with their health care professionals.
Spirituality & Mental Health
Spiritual beliefs can also play a significant role in one’s ability to cope with adverse events in life. Spiritual practices can:
- Provide social and emotional support
- Help people find meaning and purpose in life
- Offer comfort in times of grief
- Provide ethical and moral guidelines by which some choose to live
Some people may use spiritual or religious beliefs to manipulate or control others. This is spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse isn’t always easy to recognize, especially if a person believes they are acting based on their beliefs. But it can have severe, long-lasting effects.
Examples of spiritual abuse include:
- Using faith or spiritual beliefs to extort money, goods, or services
- Using a person’s spirituality to shame them
- Insulting a person’s spiritual practices
- Forcing a person to make a choice against their spiritual or religious beliefs
- Parents not allowing children to make their own choices about religion
Spiritual Issues & Therapy
If a client expresses the desire to discuss spiritual matters, therapists at Psychiatric Associates can offer:
- Assistance in developing a spiritual practice to help cope
- Guidance surrounding feelings of abandonment or punishment by God/higher power
- The ability to discuss religious or spiritual issues
- A safe, nonjudgmental environment to express emotions and questions regarding religion or spirituality
- Faith incorporated treatment if desired
