Spirituality and Mental Health

As someone who has been battling depression for many years I have a personal interest in how spirituality can assist with one’s mental heath.

I had previously found hypnosis to be an effective therapy for my depression and anxiety and then a grief counselor I consulted a few years ago included a form of mindfulness meditation in our therapy sessions.

I found both of these treatments particularly useful at the time as an introduction to meditation and, as my own spiritual concepts have developed, I have found a sense of personal calmness and security in spirituality that I feel is helpful to my mental health.

This interest led me to wonder how the wider medical community perceive spirituality and what conclusions have been drawn from any studies they have completed.

So what is spirituality?

I personally feel that each person’s experience of spirituality is unique to them, it is therefore difficult to totally define, however in my case it has given me a sense of belonging and a higher purpose to my life.

Spirituality is something everyone can experience, it helps us to find meaning and purpose in the things we value, can bring hope and healing in times of suffering and loss and encourages us to seek the best relationship with ourselves, others and what lies beyond.

Spirituality often becomes more important in times of emotional stress, physical and mental illness, loss, bereavement and the approach of death.  http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/therapies/spiritualityandmentalhealth.aspx

Spirituality has also been defined as the personal quest for understanding answers to ultimate questions about life, about meaning and about relationship to the sacred or transcendent, which may (or may not) lead to or arise from the development of religious rituals and the formation of community.  https://explore.scimednet.org/index.php/conceptualising-spirituality-for-medical-research-and-health-service-provision/

Spirituality and its effect on mental health

Over the past decade there has been far wider acknowledgement of the importance of spirituality in the field of mental health and further studies are being conducted.

There is a growing consensus among medical professionals that spirituality is generally helpful to patient recovery in cases of depression, stress and anxiety. However more research is needed about its success with more complex conditions.

Spirituality focuses on the healing of the person, not just the disease. It views life as a journey, where good and bad experiences can help you to learn and develop. It highlights our connection to other people and the world. In  my case this has allowed me to accept and move forward from some of the bad experiences I have had.

What difference can spirituality make?

In many cases it has been acknowledged that people say that they have gained better self-control, a new sense of meaning, hope, peace of mind, confidence, self-esteem and better relationships, with both themselves and others.

Spirituality can help make us more compassionate, understanding, hopeful, patient and kind. This can only be a good thing in the best health of both mind and body and it would appear that the medical professionals are coming to this same conclusion .

Therapies that include spiritual dimensions

There has been an increased interest in using treatments that include a spiritual dimension over recent years. These include mindfulness-based cognitive therapies for stress, anxiety, depression and grief. compassion-focussed and forgiveness therapies are being actively researched and used and the 12-step programmes for alcohol and substance abuse have been established for many years now.

What can I do?

Even if you do not have mental health issues allowing spirituality a place in your life is beneficial. I found it helpful in being able to look at myself from a position of love and understanding, as well as increasing my compassion and empathy for other people.

Meditation is a very beneficial way of introducing a spiritual (holistic) practice into your daily life. You could also seek out friends and groups with similar interests in this area to discuss your thoughts and ideas with; the internet and Facebook are a great source for this. There is an ample source of spiritual material available online and I will also be discussing some of the books and authors that I have found fascinating at a later date.

There is also a wide range of papers about spirituality and mental health that can be downloaded from the publications archive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group’s website.