Dr. J. K.

Mutiso
•Do not seem to have much in common
•But there is increasing awareness
•Aspects of spirituality offer benefits for
Mental Health
•All healthcare strives to relieve pain and
suffering
•But good healthcare tries to do more
•Focuses on the person not just the disease
•A person includes body, soul, spirit
 Body

Soul
Body interacts with environment
via five senses
Touch
Sight
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Soul interacts with others and
society
Mind… thought processes
Volition…decision making
Heart…emotional state
Spirit
Gives meaning and purpose
People’s deepest values
Holds out hope and healing in loss
Connects with the beyond
Interaction with the spiritual world.
Some Scholarly Articles
“Recent studies have found that
spirituality may serve as a
psychological and psychosocial
resource for coping with stress:”
Koenig H. G. (Spirituality and
mental health) International
journal of psycho-analysis 2010.
Some Scholarly Articles
“ A person's sense of spirituality
informs his or her awareness of self and
the society around them, and is
intrinsic to their mental well-being”
Swinton J. (Spirituality and mental
healthcare: rediscovering of a
“forgotten” dimension) 2012.
Some Scholarly Articles
“all along, the majority position of
psychiatry has been that psychiatry has
nothing to do with spirituality. Religious
beliefs and practices have long been
thought to have pathological basis and
psychiatrists have understood them in
this light…”Verghese A. (Spirituality and
mental health). Indian Journal of
Psychiatry 2010.
Kenneth Pargament 2013
Leading expert in psychology of spirituality
Editor-in-chief, “APA Handbooks of Psychology,
religion and Spirituality”(2013)
Empirical studies of many groups dealing with
 Major stressors
 Natural disasters
 Illness And loss of loved ones
 Divorce
 Serious mental illness
Kenneth Pargament 2013
Show spirituality is helpful to people in
coping
Especially where resources are fewest
Or problems are uncontrollable
Kenneth Pargament 2013
Positive spiritual coping methods
 Spiritual support from God
 Rituals to facilitate life transitions
 Spiritual forgiveness
 Support from religious institutions/clergy
 Reframing stressors into a benevolent system of
meaning
Kenneth Pargament 2013
For mental health workers unfamiliar with
spirituality he advises, “put their toes in the
water.”
“Ask their clients a question or two about their
spirituality.”
“Communicate your own interest in spirituality
Large majority of mental health workers receive
no training in spirituality
This has to change!
People with mental health
problems need:
To feel safe and secure
To be treated with dignity and respect
To feel they belong and are valued
To make sense of their life and illness
To develop their relationship with God
Benefits of spirituality in Mental
health
Faster/easier recovery in some cases (e.g.
grief)
Better relationships with
Self
Others
God
Environment
Nature
•A time, place and privacy to worship

•Reassurance that mental health workers

respect spirituality

•Encouragement in faith – chaplaincy

•Sometimes – be helped with forgiveness

Place of Chaplaincy/Pastoral care
Times have changed
Chaplains are increasingly part of
healthcare teams
CPE = Clinical Pastoral Experience
Get on well with local clergy and faith
communities
Work closely with them
Make referrals when appropriate
Further Reading
 Barker P. & Buchanan-Barker P. (Eds). (2003) Spirituality and Mental Health: Breakthrough.Whurr.
 Butler-Bowen T. (2006) 50 Spiritual Classics. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
 Cook, C., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (Eds) (2009) Spirituality and Psychiatry. RCPsych Publications.
 Coyte M. Gilbert, P. & Nicholls V. (Eds.) (2007) Spirituality, Values and Mental Health: Jewels for the
Journey. Jessica Kingsley.
 Culliford L. (2007) Love, Healing and Happiness. O Books.
 Fontana D. (2003) Psychology, Religion and Spirituality. BPS Blackwell.
 Forest J. (2007) The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life. Orbis Books.
 Galanter M. (2005) Spirituality and the Healthy Mind: science, therapy, and the need for personal
meaning. Oxford University Press.
 Kabat-Zinn J. (2004) Wherever You Go, There You Are. Piatkus Books.
 Koenig H.G. (2013) Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What, West Conshohocken,
PA, Templeton.
 Kornfield J. (1994) A Path With Heart. Rider.
 Nataraja S. (2008) The Blissful Brain. Gaia Books.
 Post S. & Neimark J. (2007) Why Good Things Happen to Good People. Broadway Books.
 Royal College of Psychiatrists (2013) Recommendations for psychiatrists on spirituality and religion.
 Scott Peck M. (1997) The Road Less Travelled. Rider.
 Swinton J. (2001) Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a Forgotten Dimension.Jessica
Kingsley.
 Whiteside P. (2001) Happiness: The 30-Day Guide. Rider.
Websites
The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Spirituality and
Psychiatry Special Interest Group
The Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare
Chaplaincy website has valuable information about
traditions, symbols, teachings and practices of nine world
religions.
The National Spirituality and Mental Health
Forum - an independent registered multi-faith charity.
For additional resources, try typing ‘spirituality and
health’, or ‘spirituality and psychiatry’ into an internet
search engine.
References
 Anandarajah G. & Hight E. (2001) Spirituality and Medical Practice: using the HOPE questions as a
practical tool for spiritual assessment. American Family Physician, 63, 81– 92.
 Cook C.C.H (2009) Substance Misuse. In Cook, C., Powell, A. & Sims, A. (Eds) Spirituality and
Psychiatry 139-168 RCPsych Publications.
 Cook C.C.H. (2013) Controversies on the Place of Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatric Practice. In
Cook C.C.H. (Ed.) Spirituality, Theology and Mental Health, London, SCM, 1-19.
 Craigie F.C. (2008) Positive Spirituality in Health Care. Minneapolis, Mill City.
 Culliford L. (2002) Spirituality and Clinical Care. British Medical Journal. 325:1434-5.
 Culliford L. (2007) Taking a Spiritual History. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 13, 212-219.
 Culliford L. (2009) Teaching Spirituality and Healthcare to 3rd Year Medical Students. The Clinical
Teacher, Volume 6, Issue 1, pages 22-27, March 2009.
 Eagger S. (2005) ‘A guide to the assessment of spiritual concerns in mental healthcare’.
 Faulkner A. (1997) Knowing our own minds. London: Mental Health Foundation.
 Gilbert P. & Nicholls V. (2003) Inspiring Hope: Recognising the Importance of Spirituality in a Whole
Person Approach to Mental Health. London: National Institute for Mental Health in England.
 Gilbert, P. (2009) Introducing compassion-focused therapy Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 15, 199-
208.
 Koenig H., McCullough M., & Larson D. (2001) Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
 Neely D. & Minford E. (2009) FAITH: spiritual history-taking made easy. Clinical Teacher. 6: 181-185.
 Swinton J. (2002) Spirituality and the Lives of People With Learning Disabilities. The Tizard Learning
Disability Review. 7, 4: 29-35.
 World Health Organization. (1998) WHOQOL and Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs:
Report on WHO Consultation. Geneva: WHO.