Resource: Spritiually Integrated Psychotherapy

Kenneth I. Pergament, in his book "Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy" (published in 2007 by the Guilford Press of New York and London), describes the reluctance of practitioners to deal with the sacred. Pergament points out that some therapy traditions judge the spiritual or any reliance on it as a sign of illness. This he does not directly counter, but suggests that people have a spiritual dimension and to amputate this part of a person causes more damage than cure.

To choose to avoid spirituality rather than excise it, Pergament says, is not better. Spirituality, he maintains provides many powerful tools for healing. And because some psychosocial difficulties arise from the sacred domain, psychotherapists who avoid spirituality will not be able to reach some problems successfully.

In providing some insight for therapists on the nature of the sacred, Pargament recognizes that one can become lost in the domain of the spiritual. He offers "a map that can guide us through spiritual territory, pointing to landmarks along the way, the directions to pursue, and the barriers to avoid." [29] Pergament references earlier psychology theorists who offer definitions and insights into religion, spirituality and belief. He suggests that explaining spirituality in more basic human drives, as some theorists attempt, is to miss the chance to elevate this dimension of humanity. Spirituality, suggests Pargament, is to search for the sacred in life. To engage with spirituality in helping clients is to aid in their search for the transcendent realities, the meaning and purpose of their lives -- the find that which is sacred in their lives. Pargament offers case studies along the way that ably demonstrate his points.

Pargament also offers research that demonstrates that spirituality is correlated with:

• Well-being, happiness and life satisfaction
• Hope and optimism
• Purpose and meaning in life
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater social support and less loneliness
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower rates of suicide
• Less anxiety
• Less psychosis
• Lower rates of alcohol and drug use
• Less delinquency and criminal activity
• Greater marital stability and satisfaction

[90] This would be very good outcomes for most psycho-therapeutic interventions, but there are also medical benefits expressed in increased longevity.

Pargament offers several approaches to interventions in the spiritual dimension. He also offers several types and levels of spiritual assessments. We will discuss spiritual assessment tools developed by Pargament in the next blog.