Religious Psychotherapy Research Articles

The Application Of Islamic Psychotherapy To Community In Social Environment

This research is based on problems that arise and are faced by the social environment, these problems are behaviors and attitudes that deviate or are not in accordance with the norms and values ​​that should be. This study aims to see and analyze, namely the following: First, the role and function of religion in dealing with social problems, Second, the role and function of psychotherapy in overcoming social problems. Third, how religious psychotherapy can change deviant attitudes and behavior. This research method uses book or literature reviews. The results in this study are, first, religion or a key approach that is more effective in dealing with social problems. Second, psychotherapy can be or function as preventive (prevention), curative (healing) and constructive (maintaining mental health). Third, religious psychotherapy can change deviant attitudes and behavior.

Religious Psychotherapy for Depressive and Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review

This study aims to determine the effect of religious accommodation on psychotherapy in anxiety and depression disorders. This review systematically examines clinical trials of the integration of religion and psychotherapy for treating patients with depression or anxiety. The results of the studies review shown that psychotherapy using religious alternatives effective for treating depression and anxiety as other types of psychotherapy. Integrating religion into psychotherapy has shown a variety of results. But some studies shown that religious can support mental illness, and prayer can be alternative to meditation in psychotherapy. Religion and psychotherapy can affect anxiety, depression, suicide, and bipolar in the psychotherapy practice. Religion and psychotherapy can build self-control in people, and religion and psychotherapy can drive people to their well-being. But in the studies shown that in the practice of psychotherapy, the use of religion and spirituality as alternatives to meditation is still separated. This results in many variations of results in studies of religion and spirituality in psychotherapy practice.

A Qur'anic Concept of Sadness: Implication for CBT-Q Content Supplement (Part 1)

This study develops a Qur’anic culturally-adapted psychoeducational content supplement on sadness (ḥuzn) for the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Approach in preventing or treating depression among Muslim clients. The content of the concept derived from a Qur’anic Thematic Exegetical Analysis (al-Tafsīr al-Mawḍu’ī). It is a support towards religious psychotherapy from the Islamic Studies field. CBT approach is compatible with the religion of Islam provided complying with the Islamic methodologies e.g., the epistemological aspects of constructs/absolute or relative reality. It is educationally important for Muslims’ existential needs to resiliently face the challenges of life in general.

Towards the Beauty of Buddhism: The Development and Validation of a Buddhist Aesthetics Scale

Buddhist aesthetics, as a profound intrinsic value of pleasure, has continually attracted scholars to shed light on its influential effects. Its aesthetic nature, however, has drawn on the laws of profound Buddhist thoughts, which is challenging for empiricists to generate evidence for. Though some individual components or factors deriving from Buddhist aesthetics have been developed and exploited in previous studies, a holistic construct of Buddhist aesthetics remains ambiguous and lacks a pragmatically useable measure. This study fills this gap by creating a Buddhist aesthetics scale. A total of fifteen items have been found valid and reliable to measure three determinants, namely, value, acumen, and response. This scale can be used in further empirical studies in designing objects aiming to elicit the unique Buddhist aesthetic experience. Moreover, it can be utilized in measuring Buddhist aesthetics as a determinant in relevant practices, such as religious psychotherapy, cognitive engineering, and business.

The Effect of Religious Psychotherapy Emphasizing the Importance of Prayers on Mental Health and Pain in Cancer Patients.

The religious aspect is the most important aspect of the human nature that helps the human achieve the meaning and purpose of life as well as playing a very important role in the health of patients. This study aimed to determine the effect of religious psychotherapy emphasizing the importance of prayers on mental health and pain in cancer patients. This study is a clinical trial that was conducted in 2017 in Yasuj, Iran. According to the purpose of the study, the patients were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. Prayers 15 and 23 of the SahifehSajjadiyeh book were read at the beginning of the treatment sessions, and the patients were asked to pay attention to the meaning of prayer. The data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software. Before implementing the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of mental health score of the patients in the experimental and control groups were equal to 16.40 (2.21) and 16.56 (1.56). But after implementing the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of mental health score were equal to 11.24 (2.93) and 16.82 (1.83) which illustrates a significant statistical increase. Implementing the supportive spiritual intervention has been tested to enhance the mental health and reduce the pain of patients in the experimental group. Regarding this improvement, it is suggested a religious intervention be implemented to increase these patients' health in a participatory way.

Comparison of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Citalopram on Depression and Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

There has been evidence supporting the reduction of depression and anxiety by religious psychotherapy in cancer patients, however, there have been scarce randomized controlled trials. Therefore, there is a need for replication in a well-designed study to investigate the efficacy of these interventions among depressed women with breast cancer. A randomized controlled trial is designed to be conducted on 160 women with breast cancer. Participants will be screened for anxiety and depression diagnosed by clinical interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Golriz and Baraheni's Religious Attitude Questionnaire will be used to assess the religious attitude. Individuals meeting the prerequisites will be randomly allocated to four groups, each containing 40 participants, including three intervention groups (RCBT, CBT, and citalopram) and one control group (usual breast cancer treatment). An instrument by the EORTCQLQ-C30 and BR-23 will be used to measure the quality of life. Blood tests will be taken to assess biomarkers with the (ELISA) method. The results will determine whether RCBT is more effective than other treatments. If so, the outcomes of the study will have implications not only for the management of similar problems in cancer patients but also for the management of other chronic diseases.

Comparison of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Citalopram on Depression and Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

There has been evidence supporting the reduction of depression and anxiety by religious psychotherapy in cancer patients, however, there have been scarce randomized controlled trials. Therefore, there is a need for replication in a well-designed study to investigate the efficacy of these interventions among depressed women with breast cancer. A randomized controlled trial is designed to be conducted on 160 women with breast cancer. Participants will be screened for anxiety and depression diagnosed by clinical interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Golriz and Baraheni's Religious Attitude Questionnaire will be used to assess the religious attitude. Individuals meeting the prerequisites will be randomly allocated to four groups, each containing 40 participants, including three intervention groups (RCBT, CBT, and citalopram) and one control group (usual breast cancer treatment). An instrument by the EORTCQLQ-C30 and BR-23 will be used to measure the quality of life. Blood tests will be taken to assess biomarkers with the (ELISA) method. The results will determine whether RCBT is more effective than other treatments. If so, the outcomes of the study will have implications not only for the management of similar problems in cancer patients but also for the management of other chronic diseases.

Comparison of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Citalopram on Depression and Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

There has been evidence supporting the reduction of depression and anxiety by religious psychotherapy in cancer patients, however, there have been scarce randomized controlled trials. Therefore, there is a need for replication in a well-designed study to investigate the efficacy of these interventions among depressed women with breast cancer. A randomized controlled trial is designed to be conducted on 160 women with breast cancer. Participants will be screened for anxiety and depression diagnosed by clinical interview based on the DSM-IV criteria and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Golriz and Baraheni's Religious Attitude Questionnaire will be used to assess the religious attitude. Individuals meeting the prerequisites will be randomly allocated to four groups, each containing 40 participants, including three intervention groups (RCBT, CBT, and citalopram) and one control group (usual breast cancer treatment). An instrument by the EORTCQLQ-C30 and BR-23 will be used to measure the quality of life. Blood tests will be taken to assess biomarkers with the (ELISA) method. The results will determine whether RCBT is more effective than other treatments. If so, the outcomes of the study will have implications not only for the management of similar problems in cancer patients but also for the management of other chronic diseases.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, an Islamic view

Objective The aim of this work was to study obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from the Islamic viewpoint and programs of Islamic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in OCD. Background OCD in Arab and Islamic populations is mostly viewed and managed from a religious perspective, and these individuals are often more religious and more likely to seek out religious counseling and less likely to receive medical treatment. Most early Islamic scholars associated most cases of OCD to the devil and related it to religion; they established Islamic legislations on the basis of this concept. Research from the Islamic viewpoint on issues linked to these disorders can prevent exploitation of patients by swindlers and imposters on the basis of religion. Methods The authors performed a systematic review and a narrative synthesis of studies; relevant publications were identified, reference lists were examined, and citation searches were performed. No restrictions on date or type of study were applied. Recent findings Religious patients receiving religious psychotherapy showed significantly more rapid improvement, and required lower dosage of medications and for periods less than others. The role of religion as CBT could be significant in the Islamic culture. Conclusion OCD is quite different from the whispers of Satan or self-talk by the Islamic understanding. Islamic legislation for patients with OCDs has to be revised in accordance with changes in the concept of obsessions in Islamic considerate. The religious component in CBT can be effective for religion-oriented OCD patients in Islamic culture. Education on OCD and specialized treatment trainings in religious settings could be beneficial to providing therapies. The correct teachings of Islam provide adequate support for individuals with scrupulous obsessions.

Depression in the Medically Ill: Evidence for the Important Role of Chaplains in Medical Settings

Health professionals often underestimate the power that religious faith plays in the healing of the whole person (emotional, social, and psychological), especially when that person becomes physically ill. This article examines the role of religion in coping with stress and medical illness, reviews new research on the relationship between religious involvement and mental health, and explores how religious psychotherapy can speed the treatment of depression and other emotional conditions. A growing research base is now beginning to document the wide prevalence of spiritual and religious needs of patients in health care settings, the importance that addressing those needs plays in the patient’s mental and physical health, and the key role that chaplains play in this regard (as the only health professionals who are trained to address these areas). That research base includes studies from the United Kingdom. We are now developing and testing new psychotherapeutic methods at Duke University for therapists, including chaplains, that will provide tools to address the emotional and religious needs of Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and Hindu patients with medical illness.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment of depression in Christian patients with medical illness

Psychotherapy and religion are two widely utilised resources among people suffering from mental and physical illness. Intervention studies have found that integrating clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs in therapy is at least as effective, if not more effective, in reducing depression than secular treatments for religious clients. The medically depressed are at heightened risk of negative medical outcomes. One unexplored question is whether or not religious psychotherapy is more effective in treating depression in religious patients with physical illness. This article will present theoretical and empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that Christian cognitive behavioural therapy (C-CBT), which utilises the religious resources of patients in the treatment of depression, may boost the effects of conventional CBT in Christian patients with medical illness. Potential evidence and explanatory factors for this hypothesis will be explored. A description of major theoretical principles of C-CBT and future directions for research will also be discussed.

Spirituality Intervention and Outcomes: Corner stone of Holistic Nursing Practice

Background: Holistic nursing results in healing the whole person as human being that has interconnectedness of body mind social cultural spiritual aspect. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of Islamic spirituality interventions on health outcomes in nursing. Method: Databases searched for electronic journals and books that were published since 1994 to 2010 were included. Results: Spirituality intervention mainly composes of prayer, recitation of the holy Qur’an, remembrance of Allah, fasting, charity, prophets’ methods, and modified Islamic methods. Thirteen studies found that various outcomes have been highlighted when applied in several areas of nursing, such as stimulating baby’s cognitive ability in maternal nursing, promoting health during eating halal food, fasting, abstinence of alcohol and tobacco consumption, performing regular exercise, reducing anxiety, and pain in medical-surgical nursing. In mental health nursing, six studies explored effects of prayer and religious psychotherapy to enhance happiness and physical health and alleviate anxiety, and depression. Three studies reported Islamic cognitive therapy to alleviate the auditory hallucination, bereavement, and depression. In critical care nursing, three studies employed reciting the holy Qur’an and talqin in end of life care. Conclusion: Although the literature is limited in the amount and quality of spirituality interventions, some evidences have shown as integrative energy in nursing practice to promote health and minimize some symptoms. Spirituality interventions should be performed to acknowledge the high priority in holistic nursing and support interventions. Keywords: spirituality intervention, holistic nursing, Islam

A journey of psyche and spirit

Jayne MacGregor shares with us her life‐long journey and battle with obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. She describes how religious belief, meditation, psychotherapy and medication have all played key roles in keeping her afloat and how they are essential tools in her survival kit.

Religious psychotherapy as management of bereavement.

This study was aimed at determining the effect of psychotherapy in patients in bereavement. Fifteen patients in a control group were given brief psychotherapy and 15 study group patients received psychotherapy with a religious perspective. The patients in the study group showed consistently significant improvements as compared with the control group at the end of 6 months. The results indicate that highly religious patients with grief and bereavement tend to improve faster when a religious psychotherapy is added to a cognitive-behaviour approach.

The life course of psychological resilience: A phenomenological perspective on deflecting life's slings and arrows

Notably lacking in the promising new literature on psychological resilience are longitudinal studies of adults who have not only survived extreme early life stresses, but have actually thrived in the face of them. The present study compared 31 resilient adults who were middle-aged, upper-middle class and well educated with 19 controls from comparable life circumstances who had not been exposed to severe early adversity. The experimental group reported exceedingly high scores for early life stress, with emotional abuse by parents being the most pervasive compliant. They felt and showed extreme signs of emotional oppression as children, but normal (or even superior) intellectual development. The majority sought and received substantial support outside the family, including religious counseling and formal psychotherapy, but healing was tediously slow and probably not entirely complete. Most attributed their success to relentless effort and self-reliance, but the groups did not differ significantly on psychological measures of internal locus of control. "Transcenders" appeared remarkably normal as adults, showing significant improvement in interpersonal relations. Their self-descriptions of exceptional fortitude may have been slightly exaggerated but probably contributed to their growing self-esteem. There was only limited support for the hypothesis that resilient people become scrupulously appropriate in their own parenting attitudes and behavior. Their enthusiasm to promote disclosure about their stressful early lives, and about the possibilities for successful outcome seemed to fulfill altruistic needs to counter the popular myth that extreme adversity in early life inexorably leads to adult patholog, and also provided some validation for themselvesas people.

Ethical Considerations in Religious Psychotherapy: Potential Pitfalls and Unique Resources

Religious psychotherapy which works with religious issues and utilizes spiritual resources (e.g., prayer, Scriptures, referral to religious support groups, etc.) explicitly, has become an important part of contemporary approaches to psychotherapy. Religion is now recognized as a significant dimension of human diversity that needs to be respected and dealt with appropriately in psychotherapy. However, ethical considerations and controversial issues related to the practice of religious psychotherapy remain. They are discussed in this article both in terms of potential pitfalls or dangers, as well as unique resources or positive contributions of religious psychotherapy, which should be practiced in a clinically sensitive, ethically responsible, and professionally competent way.

Preferences for Religious or Nonreligious Counseling and Psychotherapy

Religious values in counseling and preferences for religious or secular counseling were investigated in two geographic areas. Over-all, 164 respondents distinguished religious from secular counseling and endorsed the importance of religious issues and the availability of counseling which can deal with religious issues. 51 preferred religious counseling. Small minorities expressed biases against religious or nonreligious counseling. Counseling preferences were based on the type of problem: religious counseling was preferred for marriage and family problems, and nonreligious counseling was preferred for mental illness and addiction, but religious and nonreligious counseling were equally chosen for depression. Frequency of church attendance was broadly related to preferences for religious and nonreligious counseling.

Evangelical Renewal Therapy: A Proposal for Integration of Religious Values into Psychotherapy

The importance of incorporating religious values into psychotherapy that is used in treating the mental health needs of Evangelical Christians was examined. Rationality and pathology were analyzed from an Evangelical Christian perspective. Guilt was seen as the primary psychological consequence of self-defeating behaviors. Evangelical Renewal Therapy was offered in response to the apparent need for a religious psychotherapy that would focus on the mental health needs of Evangelical Christians. The Atheistic Ideation Complex purports that atheistic ideations as measured by the Atheistic Ideation Reference Scale lead to unwanted emotional consequences. Repentance, the process of change in Evangelical Renewal Therapy, is achieved through the analysis of moral action, rebuke, confession, prayer, recompense, and mortification through good works.

The Effects of Theistic and Atheistic Counselor Values on Client Trust: A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis

Using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), we investigated how theistic or atheistic values of an analogue counselor influenced trust of the counselor by 49 religious psychotherapy clients and 51 religious leaders.

Christian Therapists' and Clients' Perceptions of Religious Psychotherapy in Private and Agency Settings

This study investigates the work of seven mental health professionals with 27 adult clients using data from 92 sessions. Therapists were in private practice or agencies. Therapists and clients (a) identified presenting problems, (b) rated improvement in therapy since its onset, and (c) estimated severity of problems both (retrospectively) at the onset of therapy and(later) at the beginning of the study. Each week, therapists and clients reported on the use or non-use of 20 spiritual guidance techniques and rated the helpfulness of the session. Therapists saw a range of problems, most often involving marriage and family and personal-emotional concerns. Agency and private therapists saw people with different types of problems. Therapists also reported using spiritual guidance techniques at different frequencies. Therapists used spiritual guidance techniques differently with clients of differing religious intensity. Clients and therapists are cautioned that Christian therapists may differ substantially in use of spiritual guidance techniques, expertise, and therapy outcome; consequently, Christian counseling should not be treated as a unitary phenomenon.