Spirituality
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Spirituality has become a topic of great interest in recent times in the scientific community. This includes the convergence of advances related to the role of spirituality in self-help groups, health psychology, psychiatry, and consciousness research.
Spirituality as a psychological construct and therapeutic factor.
Spirituality has traditionally been considered an elusive concept that is difficult to research. Therefore, its role in psychological well-being has been largely absent. More recently, however, spirituality has been rightfully placed in contemporary psychology. This includes metatheoretical propositions that explain it as a legitimate psychological construct, which differs from religiosity and has cross-cultural applicability.
While spirituality can include religion, it has been defined as an expression of transcendent ways of realizing human potential and as synonymous with constructs such as hope, meaning, integrity, harmony, and transcendence (O’Reilly, 2004 ). Spirituality has been recognized as an important feature of the therapeutic process and a contributor to improving life satisfaction and well-being and reducing antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and suicide rates (Brawer et al., 2002).
For example, recent contributions in schema therapy, an increasingly popular model adopted by clinicians to work with people with multiple disorders, explain spirituality as “a natural wisdom or spirituality that is not necessarily channeled through institutional religion.” , and that provides a sense of strength and direction in the face of loss and adversity” (Edwards, 2022, p. 5).
Similarly, recent advances in health psychology have developed measures to assess spirituality (Braghetta et al., 2021). A new framework in health is proposed for a better understanding of spirituality as an important aspect of health research (de Brito Sena et al., 2021).
Research Evidence Supporting Spirituality
A body of research evidence indicates that spirituality plays an important role in the treatment of medical and psychological conditions (Stanard et al., 2000) and that any form of psychotherapy that explores the depth of the human psyche will eventually reach the spiritual domain ( Elkins, 2005). Meta-analytic results from 31 studies investigating spiritually oriented psychotherapies provide empirical evidence of their benefits for people experiencing various psychological conditions, such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and stress (Smith et al., 2007).
Contemporary contributions in consciousness report positive and causal associations between spiritual well-being and mental health (Saad et al., 2022), as well as supporting evidence for the use of spiritual experiences to treat conditions such as addiction, depression, and anxiety. anxiety to positively transform lives (Corneille and Luke, 2021).
Recent contributions to psychiatry state that “cutting-edge clinical psychiatry seeks to provide successful treatment to people with mental illness in a comprehensive approach that integrates social and spiritual aspects” (Huber & Schneeberger, 2020, p. 1).
Finally, recent advances stemming from rigorous scientific research examining the effectiveness of 12-Step Programs (12SP), initially spawned by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and addiction treatment, have been found to be effective stand-alone interventions for the disorder. for substance use, as well as effective adjunctive professional clinical practices (Kelly et al., 2020). Despite previous doubts and criticism from academia, today, “the evidence for the effectiveness of 12-step interventions is compelling” (Greene, 2021, p. 19). Spirituality is a central construct, a therapeutic factor and a mechanism of change inherent to them. (Kelly et al., 2011).
Neuroscience, consciousness and spirituality
Given the progress and convergences outlined so far, it is not at all surprising that neuroscience and the clinical benefits of spiritual practices have become the main drivers of recent scientific research.
Contemporary consciousness research provides emerging proof-of-concept evidence for spirituality by asserting that: (1) the mind is separate from the brain; (2) the spirit and soul are comparable to the energy and information that exist in the vacuum of space; (3) individuals can receive intuitive information that is accurate and useful in their individual and collective lives; and (4) physical and psychological health can be fostered through active loving spiritual processes.
Spirituality Essential Readings
The wisdom of Carl Jung
Nearly a century ago, Carl Jung noted that many people in his time were afflicted by debilitating feelings of insignificance, inadequacy, and hopelessness. In his Collected Works, Jung concluded that such feelings were caused by what he called the “Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.”
Spiritual Practices – Where to start?
From a personal and professional perspective, I dare say (without exaggeration) that spiritual practices could save anyone years of suffering and/or psychotherapy.
It is not surprising that in recent times, multiple spiritual authors/teachers, some of whom have become international bestsellers (e.g. Tolle, Singer), have been spreading the message of spirituality.
Finally, an alternative starting point for accessing your spirituality is to consider the following distinction of self, provided over a century ago by William James, founder of the psychological movement. In short, this refers to the “two types of “I” in self-referential consciousness. The self as “I” (the knower or higher self) is related to the self as the subject of experience (I as subject), which also It is related to meditation experiences and studies linked to the notion of mindfulness and other Buddhist constructions.
The causal agent, the thinker or observer who does the thought or observation, is also responsible for self-awareness and self-knowledge. The “I” (the known self) refers to the self as the object of experience or cognition (the self as object). This distinction in self-referential consciousness has recently resurfaced in neurocognitive science, particularly in experimental studies investigating the phenomenological self and consciousness.
