Spirituality, healing and the mind

Abstract

The problem is outlined of finding a place for healing within medicine in general, and psychiatry in particular. The experience of trauma as a necessary concomitant of human life is discussed. Defence mechanisms are identified, protecting against psychic pain but at the cost of wholeness of being. The therapeutic task of approaching trauma from a psychospiritual standpoint is summarized and, since spirituality is a profound source of healing, it is argued that taking a spiritual history should be intrinsic to good practice. Where the opportunity arises, further exploration of spirituality becomes a powerful therapeutic tool. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Learning for holistic care: addressing practical wisdom (phronesis) and the spiritual sphere

“…Within an individual, healing involves physical, mental and spiritual aspects, with emotions drawing on both mental and spiritual spheres and affecting physical functioning. The aim of holistic health care is to help people attain and maintain a state of well‐being in which the self‐healing capabilities of body, mind and spirit can proceed unhindered, as discussed by Powell (2005) and Weze et al. (2005).…”

Spirituality and Healing

“…The attempts by suffering patients to express their illness in terms of a spiritual malaise represents a challenge to the healing professions, which have typically been secular and materialistic. As psychiatrist Andrew Powell (2005) put it:…”

Spiritual Emergency and Occupational Identity: A Transpersonal Perspective

“…Such thinking identifies how a spiritual emergency could be evaluated from a medical model perspective (Marzanowski and Bratton 2002); moreover, Shafranske (2000), adding further complexity to the discussion, reported that psychiatrists are three times less likely to be interested in spirituality or religion than their patients. Current psychiatric practice is discussed by Powell (2005), who suggested that interventions often reflect the following hierarchy: (1) medication, (2) social support, (3) psychological interventions and finally (4) spirituality, which receives the least attention (Waldfogel and Wolpe 1993). The evolution of 'transpersonal psychiatry' (Scotton et al 1996) has the potential to establish a more robust understanding of the interactions and dichotomies that can occur between spiritual experiences and mental health problems.…”