Spirituality And It's Place In Healing

"When I went out, I often had patients talk about – most of the indigenous patients – talk about calling on the spirits of their forefathers to help. Once in the past, a patient I was treating, a young man, hung himself, and what I saw was the family and the extended family talking to the spirit of their forefathers to help them bear this". - Russell d'Souza, psychiatrist.

D'Souza is based in Melbourne and is one of two pioneers in the field of psychology and its relationship to spirituality. He's done lashings of research to show that a person's spiritual life may in fact be an extremely useful resource to draw on when supporting them to heal. And here's his colleague, another psychiatrist, George Halasz:

"That is in the setting that I really understood that there is a soul – much like there is a ventricle in the heart, there’s a liver in the abdominal cavity or there’s a brain in the cranium, somewhere there’s a reality to the soul. And I thought “ah ha, that’s what has been neglected”.

Personally, I'm relieved to be given the go-ahead to explore this with clients. I have done so only in the past where the client has made explicit reference to it. I shall be more confident in bringing up the subject now, having previously been scared of perhaps imposing my own beliefs (and therefore being unprofessional).

The same ethical principle still applies of course, the green light of which I speak allows the therapist to encourage the client's own opening of pathways to spirit, not necessarily their own.

Link to the interview

Eskimo Medicine Man

Comments

[Deb]

Great post. I think it is so important to encourage patients to find whatever it is they may need in life. And to paraphrase what you wrote, even if it is not your own.

[HP]

Excellent post.

Assuming you are all better now? We are all 'quarantined' with slapped face disease. It's a good look, what can I say?

[Alison]

Hi Deb,

Yep and that's a challenge isn't it - to help a person find what will propel them forward, when the same thing may not hold weight for yourself.

HP,

Better now save for an annoying cough, thanks for checking in.

A.

[phd in yogurtry]

I've seen several studies and reviews referencing the positive benefit of spirituality. If its an important psychological resource for my clients, yes, I agree, I help them draw on it, in limited form. I'm a big believer in using their language, whatever it might be (unless its offensive or abusive, of course) and the same goes for their faith.

[Alison]

Yep, that's it in a nutshell phd. Well said!