“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Researchers from a wide range of disciplines have begun to investigate and accept the good impact spirituality can have on mental health in the last decade or two. Spiritual practice can also contribute to mental health and wellness, mental illness, and recovery, according to patients and survivors.
What is spirituality?
Spirituality is a term that is used in a variety of contexts and has diverse meanings for different individuals in different countries at different eras. Spirituality has long been conveyed through religions, art, nature, and the built environment, but in recent years, it has become more diverse and dispersed.
The range of vocabulary used to describe spirituality reflects this. A sense of purpose, a sense of 'connectedness' – to self, others, nature, 'God' or a quest for wholeness, a search for hope or harmony, a belief in a higher being or beings, some level of transcendence, or the sense that there is more to life than the material or practical, and those activities that give meaning and value to people's lives are some of the more common threads in the literature. So many of the concepts are based on the premise that striving to make sense of the world around us, as well as our own purpose and place, is a fundamental (sometimes unconscious) human activity.
"Spirituality" becomes the vehicle through which that meaning is sought in this setting, and it might vary depending on age, gender, culture, political philosophy, physical or mental health, and a multitude of other circumstances.
It is a well-recognized concept. It entails faith in and obedience to an all-powerful entity known as God, who is in charge of the cosmos and man's fate. It entails how people achieve what they believe to be their life's purpose, as well as a desire for meaning and a sense of belonging to the cosmos.
Mental health and spirituality
There are two aspects to mental health:
The absence of mental illness and the presence of a well-adjusted personality that contributes well to community life.
The ability to take responsibility for one's own actions, flexibility, high frustration tolerance, acceptance of uncertainty, participation in socially beneficial activities, courage to take risks, serenity to accept what we can't change, courage to change what we can change, the wisdom to know the difference between the above, acceptance of handicaps, tempered self-control, and harmonious relationships with self, others, including Nature and God, are the ess.
Spirituality is an important aspect of mental health. Being spiritual doesn’t mean blindly believing anything a man with a long beard and dhoti says. Spirituality is believing in fate but also working to make it true.
Though Sigmund Freud saw religion as a form of delusion and neurosis, Carl Jung saw the psyche as a powerfully embedded carrier of truth in the unconscious mind.
Religion and Spirituality
Religion plays a role in the aetiology, diagnosis, symptomatology, treatment, and prognosis of psychiatric disorders, both directly and indirectly. Lack of spirituality can disrupt interpersonal interactions, contributing to the development of psychiatric disorders.
The religious component can be present in psychiatric symptoms. Loss of interest in religious activities, for example, is a common symptom of depression. In schizophrenia, excessive and perverted religious rituals are widespread. Some religious feelings and experiences are frequently misinterpreted as indications of psychiatric disease. Visions and possession states are examples.
The patient's spiritual background will aid in the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. They're crucial in the treatment of psychiatric disorders since spiritual issues might be beneficially included in psychotherapy. Spirituality plays a significant role in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. A distinction between cure and healing must be recognized from a spiritual standpoint. The eradication of symptoms is the definition of cure. Healing entails the recovery of the entire person. Adversity frequently leads to maturity. As a result, in psychotherapy, the patient must be assisted in accepting his or her limitation and transforming it into a worthwhile existence.
Spirituality is independent of religion. Spirituality refers to a personal practice that brings calm and meaning to one's life. It has to do with the development of one's beliefs about the purpose of life and one's connection to others.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2755140/
https://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/spirituality-and-mental-health.htm#types-of-spirituality
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0253717620946995
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