Year: 1995
Type: article
Abstract: Interest in spiritual interventions in psychotherapy has increased dramatically in recent years as indicated by publication of at least 14 books on this topic in the past eight years, and by the offering of continuing education workshops on religious issues in psychotherapy at APA. Research and/or theorizing has begun on: religious values in psychotherapy, religious interventions (process), religiosity and mental health, graduate training in religious/spiritual interventions, and religious assessment.However, a review of the literature suggests that so far investigation of religious/spiritual outcomes of psychotherapy has been neglected, although examining such outcomes seems an obvious corollary of making the interventions.Results of two studies which show significant gains on Spiritual Well-Being following brief therapy are reported.Although causality cannot be firmly established, these results provide support for the hypotheses that psychotherapy produces favorable spiritual outcomes, and that spiritual benefits occur whether or not spiritual interventions are explicitly and consciously included.
Authors: Rodger K Bufford, T. Wilson Renfroe, George Elliott Howard
Institution: George Fox University
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W810831743