The spiritual crisis among students in the digital age is increasingly evident through a decline in interest in worship, low moral awareness, and an increase in individualistic lifestyles that affect the formation of faith and moral competence. This condition requires the development of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) learning that is not only oriented towards cognitive understanding, but also fosters a deep spiritual awareness among students. This study aims to analyze the role of reflective-based PAI learning as a solution in strengthening students' faith and moral competence amid digital challenges. The method used is library research by examining books, curriculum policies, and relevant national and international journal articles over the last ten years. The results of the study show that the reflective approach, through activities such as muhasabah, personal journals, value dialogues, and tadabbur experiences, is able to increase self-awareness, faith appreciation, and strengthen social morals more effectively than conventional learning, which is one-way and teacher-centered. In addition, the integration of reflective values has been proven to support the achievement of basic PAI competencies as mandated in KMA No. 183/2019, especially in the spiritual and affective domains. These findings imply that PAI learning in the digital age needs to adopt a more participatory, contemplative, and experience-based design in order to foster character building.

The author’s spatiotemporal vision is outlined on the background of the relation between the real and the eternal. The empirical present is opp­re­ssed and severe. It requires perfection, transformation and spiritual con­tent. According to the author, this is achieved solely by means of literary creativity. Like the creator of the world, Guramishvili creates and forms a new artistic reality. In the poem, the author communicates with the reader in a self-confident manner which resembles Rustaveli’s style: ”My name being Davit Guramishvili, I have told “Davitiani...“. The almighty author of “Davitiani” knows from the very start that he is writing the poem for the salvation of the reader. According to Davit Guramishvili, there must be mutual assistance bet­ween the author and the reader. Both should feel responsibility and ob­li­gation. The didactic character of the poem proves that the reader is inferior to the author. They occupy different positions. According to “Davitiani”, all the readers are an object of the author’s care and aid. It is impossible to fulfill the creative mission without the reader’s re­adiness and participation. The reader created and educated by Guramisvhili should be the basis for the author’s salvation and immortality. Guramishvili managed to use poetry for achieving the communion between his pain­ful/sinful life and God. The creator/man could not have done anything more important than sharing his experience with others. He has been saved by the book, and now he has to assist the world with the book; he feels and predicts this intuitively. According to Guramisvhili, it is the reader who “makes a book”, granting life and vitality to a literary work and turning it into the book which is read. “I am asking the wise man to baptize my orphan child“ (10. 11). Guramishvili introduces the concept of baptizing the text. This is a supreme expression of the perfect union between the author and the reader. The communion of readers of every epoch with the text i.e. baptizing of the text, is, according to Guramishvili, the basis for the immortality of the text. In “Davitiani”, the word “baptizing” may have a religious meaning, but it may also mean revision, editing, correction. In the epoch of religious crisis and depreciation of values, Guramish­vili finds himself in the situation where literature should be based on the idea of human salvation; hence, his words should express the meaning of logos. Guramishvili is a powerful author. He has the resilience of Biblical fathers. He is uncompromising and full of faith. This helps him influence the readers and direct their thoughts, dreams and emotions. Guramishvili thinks that, due to his lack of wisdom and “scarcity of knowledge”, the text needs to be baptized. He distinguishes a special cate­gory of the reader – “the wise man” i.e. the reader that will appreciate the text. Thanks to such readers, Guramishvili will fulfill the mission of revision of the text, its “baptizing”, “converting” and “turning it into a Georgian text“. It is interesting to find out what kind of editing Guramishvili expects from “the wise man”, i.e. the reader. They belong to different categories. The author describes his work as follows: “translation” i.e. commenting and exp­laining of the text implies revealing of its covert idea. This is what he requires from the readers of “Davitiani”: “Grasp the idea of the fable, tran­slate it for my sake!/I have placed a grain inside the loaf of the Georgian bread!“ (68. 373). “The wise man” should revise the text from the religious-theological viewpoint: ”If the text contains something of alien faith, let him translate it into the Georgian faith“; ”If I tell lies, let him transform the text into the truth/may nothing be untrue and unfair“ [10. 11]; ”This book should be used in purity, let no one smear it with impurities!“ (64. 350). The colla­boration between the author and “the wise man” is a kind of allusion on the editing activities carried out by the metaphrasts. The words “turning into a Georgian text” mean genuine, untold truth. With these words, Guramishvili expresses the world vision of the epoch when the terms “Christian” and “Georgian” were identical and Christianity was the key feature of the Georgian national self-portrait. Ilia Chavchavadze wrote: “even nowadays, in the entire South Caucasus, “Georgian” and “Chris­tian” are synonyms. When the Caucasians want to say that someone was converted into Christianity, they say: “He became a Georgian”.

Religious and spiritual struggles among adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse: Associations with trauma symptoms.

Prevalence and correlates of spiritual distress in adult patients facing elective surgery: A cross-sectional analysis.

Appraisals of God’s role in suffering and spiritual struggles among Christians seeking spiritually integrated psychotherapies.

Objective: To investigate the lived experiences of cirrhotic patients in Pakistan, with an emphasis on their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual struggles, while also analyzing the coping strategies they adopt to navigate and manage their condition. Study Design: Qualitative Phenomenological study. Setting: The study took place at the Liver Transplant Department of Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Institute of Medical Sciences, Gambat, Pakistan. Period: May and June 2024. Methods: Involving eight purposively selected patients diagnosed with Child-Pugh class C liver cirrhosis. Data collection occurred through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method, and thematic analysis was utilized to uncover key themes reflecting the patients’ experiences. Results: Six major themes and 13 sub-themes were identified. Patients initially experienced shock and disbelief upon diagnosis. Physical challenges included fatigue, weakness, chronic pain, and cognitive decline. Emotional distress was characterized by fear, anxiety, and depression, while family support emerged as a critical coping mechanism. Social withdrawal and isolation were common, driven by stigma and physical limitations. Many patients relied on religious beliefs for strength, while some struggled with feelings of hopelessness. Healthcare experiences varied, with some reporting satisfaction and others highlighting barriers such as financial constraints and limited access to specialized care. Conclusion: Patients with liver cirrhosis face significant physical, emotional, and social burdens, often alleviated by familial and religious support. Healthcare professionals should integrate psychosocial interventions and family-centered education programs to enhance patient well-being. Addressing financial and accessibility barriers is also crucial in improving such patients care.

The article delves into the use of verigi (chains) as a symbol in L. N. Tolstoy’s autobiographical short novel “Childhood,” F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov,” and A. P. Chekhov’s short story “The Murder.” The act of wearing chainsis traditionally understood as a feat performed by Christian ascetics.In 19th-century Russian literature, this motif is actualized in texts through the depiction of characters endowed with traits of foolishness for Christ and/or on a pilgrimage. The interpretation of this hagiographic motif varies among different authors.Maman and Princess Mary, two deeply religious characters in Leo Tolstoy’s “Childhood” and “War and Peace,” realize the spiritual value of chains worn by their pilgrim guests (Grisha and Fedosyushka). In this context, chains symbolize the renunciation of worldly desires by the fool for Christ or the pilgrim, who represent a heightened spiritual feat intertwined with love for God. In contrast, in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, chainsbecome a sign of purely external asceticism, devoid of its spiritual content: although Father Therapont’s humility and love for his neighbors resemble certain features of a holy fool, he is endowed with pride.This interpretation of the chains imagery in Dostoevsky’s works is linked, in our view, to the tradition of the holy fathers, particularly to the practices of spiritual guidance at Optina Monastery, which the writer visited in 1878. For example, in the life of Elder Leonid (Lev) of Optina, there is an episode about demon-possessed people who, while wearing heavy chains, fail to engage in the internal spiritual struggle required to cleanse their hearts of passions, eventually succumbing to demonic possession. Father Therapont in “The Brothers Karamazov” sees evil spirits everywhere. Despite wearing chains, fasting dutifully, and walking barefoot, he is unaware that he is consumed byvanity, envy, and judgement. Wearing chains without blessing exceeds the character’s spiritual strength. As shown in the life of Elder Leonid (Lev) of Optina, true humility and repentance, rather than wearing chains, are the only means of returning to a proper spiritual state, which the protagonist fails to choose. In Anton Chekhov’s “The Murder,” the thematic thread of the imagery of chains initiated by Dostoevsky continues. Matvey Terekhov veers into sectarianism, condemning the clergy of the Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, he wears chains, prays a lot, and fasts rigorously, attempting to conduct his own liturgy. The character’s rejection of his delusions is accompanied by his unwillingness to wear chains, which, according to his master, are “from the devil.” In the analyzed works of L. N. Tolstoy, F. M. Dostoevsky and A. P. Chekhov, it is the Orthodox faith that turns out to be valuable and saving for the soul, the faith from which the hero must not retreat, neither by deviating exclusively into external asceticism, nor by leaving the Orthodox Church.

Depression represents a major global mental health challenge, yet protective factors that enhance resilience against depressive symptoms remain insufficiently understood. This two-wave longitudinal study examined prospective relationships between personality traits, spiritual fitness dimensions, positive mental health, and depressive symptoms in Polish adults over six months, determining their relative contributions and investigating mediational pathways. A total of 385 participants completed baseline assessments, with 158 completing six-month follow-up. The combined model explained 41.4% of variance in depressive symptoms. Positive mental health emerged as the strongest protective factor, demonstrating substantially larger effects than individual personality traits. Among personality dimensions, emotional stability, conscientiousness, and extraversion showed significant protective associations. Spiritual fitness dimensions revealed differential patterns: pursuing meaning, purpose, and value demonstrated significant protective effects, suggesting that active meaning-making buffers against depression. However, personal connection to a higher power showed an unexpected positive association with depressive symptoms, possibly reflecting spiritual struggles, reactive seeking during distress, or tensions navigating religious transitions in contemporary Polish society. Service orientation showed no significant direct effects. Longitudinal mediation analysis, controlling for baseline depression, revealed that positive mental health at follow-up significantly mediated the relationship between protective personality traits and depressive symptoms, accounting for 41% of personality's total protective effect. These findings demonstrate that positive mental health represents a more potent protective resource than stable personality traits and serves as a key mechanism linking personality to depression outcomes, while highlighting the complexity of spirituality-mental health relationships. Results suggest that interventions targeting modifiable positive mental health resources and meaning-making may offer efficient pathways to depression prevention.

Through an analysis of the Girl imagery in ten of Wang Luobin’s lyrics, this paper explores its symbolic significance within both the textual structure and the psychology of creation. It argues that the Girl in Wang Luobin’s songs always remains in a state of “not-yet-arrived”--an unattainable and ever-elusive phantom. The constellation of related images surrounding the Girl--such as the moon, the rose, the whip, and the grave--collectively constructs a symbolic system in which life and death, power and pain are intertwined. The relationship between the young “I” and the Girl is not merely a romantic narrative; rather, it embodies an unconscious projection between the creator and the self, the ideal and the act of creation. Through the repeated depiction of “love that cannot be possessed,” Wang Luobin transforms his obsession with creation and freedom into a symbolic process of self-redemption. Hence, “love” in Wang Luobin’s work functions not only as a creative motif but also as a metaphor for his lived experience and inner spiritual struggle.

This paper presents an Assessment of Pastoral Counseling Service Delivery Among Christian Faithful through a focused case study of God’s Care Missions, Okpo (Kogi State, Nigeria. It considered the impact and effectiveness of pastoral counseling. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data from 35 participants who received pastoral counseling services. The findings suggest that pastoral counseling has a significant impact on the spiritual and emotional well-being of individuals, with 80% reporting improved spiritual well-being and 82.9% reporting improved emotional well-being. Spiritual struggles were the primary reason for seeking pastoral counseling (51.4%), followed by trauma and crisis (28.6%). The study highlights the importance of addressing spiritual needs in counseling and provides recommendations for improving the delivery of pastoral counseling services, including enhancing training and monitoring for pastoral counselors and increasing access to services. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening pastoral counseling through formal training. The findings have implications for the development of spiritually integrated counseling programs in faith-based organizations.

This paper presents an Assessment of Pastoral Counseling Service Delivery Among Christian Faithful through a focused case study of God’s Care Missions, Okpo (Kogi State, Nigeria. It considered the impact and effectiveness of pastoral counseling. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data from 35 participants who received pastoral counseling services. The findings suggest that pastoral counseling has a significant impact on the spiritual and emotional well-being of individuals, with 80% reporting improved spiritual well-being and 82.9% reporting improved emotional well-being. Spiritual struggles were the primary reason for seeking pastoral counseling (51.4%), followed by trauma and crisis (28.6%). The study highlights the importance of addressing spiritual needs in counseling and provides recommendations for improving the delivery of pastoral counseling services, including enhancing training and monitoring for pastoral counselors and increasing access to services. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening pastoral counseling through formal training. The findings have implications for the development of spiritually integrated counseling programs in faith-based organizations.

ABSTRACT This paper describes a process of lamentation for sharing moral distress and spiritual struggles elicited by climate crises. In its broadest cultural sense, lamentation is a response to tragic suffering. This spiritually respectful process of lamentation helps people (1) explore their unique personal struggles, distress, self-care practices, values, and beliefs, and (2) identify spiritual struggles from religious and spiritual abuse that may compound spiritual struggles elicited by climate crises. Using Sandage et al.’s dialectical interplay between spiritual dwelling and seeking, this process of lamentation, like trauma care, begins with spiritual dwelling through intrinsically meaningful body-based self-care practices for experiencing goodness. Once grounded, people can begin a multi-layered, self-reflexive process of spiritual seeking designed to be shared with trusted others. Katy Cowen illustrates this lamentation process. Spiritual care practitioners using this process for themselves will remain spiritually grounded and differentiated when they care for others struggling with climate crises.

Until recently, mainstream psychiatry has eschewed the clinical consideration of spiritual matters. This article traces key historical influences leading to the inclusion of a ‘Religious or Spiritual Problem’ category (RoSPc) in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). First, I discuss psychiatry’s ‘spiritual’ aversion issue and the 1994 RoSPc inclusion in DSM-IV. Second, I examine the humanistic and transpersonal psychology thinking from which the seed-idea for the RoSPc later emerged. This includes a philological exposition on initial uses of the term ‘transpersonal’. Third, I examine the transpersonal notion of ‘spiritual emergency’ and unpack related dynamics leading to the RoSPc creation. Fourth, I describe and critique RoSPc developments from DSM-IV to DSM-5-TR. This provides an unfolding historical depiction of factors preceding and influencing the DSM inclusion of spiritual considerations, and subsequent related issues beyond. Overall, my article demonstrates the apparent need for psychiatry to expand the RoSPc’s diagnostic scope to include the types of spiritual experiences originally intended by its transpersonal instigators. Finally, while this article was under consideration for publication, the RoSPc was suddenly updated to ‘Moral, Religious or Spiritual Problem’, so a subsequent Epilogue has been added to discuss and critique this change.

The current global environmental crisis is not only caused by technical and economic factors, but also reflects a spiritual and ethical crisis in the modern human view of nature. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a contemporary Islamic philosopher and thinker, offers an environmental ethics approach based on Islamic spirituality that emphasizes the sanctity of nature and the relationship between humans and God as the center of ecological morality. This study aims to examine in depth the concept of environmental ethics according to Nasr, as well as its relevance in responding to contemporary ecological challenges. Using a qualitative descriptive approach and literature study of Nasr's works, this study found that Nasr's concept of environmental ethics is based on the principles of monotheism, trust, and the ontological relationship between humans and the universe. Nasr criticized the Western secular and anthropocentric paradigm that objectifies nature and called for the restoration of the sacred relationship between humans and the environment as the basis for sustainable ecological ethics. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the development of holistic and spiritual environmental ethics in global and local contexts.

This study is aimed at studying the cultural dynamics of the value system in the southern regions of Kazakhstan. The change in value orientations taking place in modern society is one of the topical issues in the field of cultural studies. The purpose of the study is to analyze the process of transformation of the spiritual value system at the regional level, its causes and consequences, structural features and a comprehensive cultural and social analysis. During the study, an interdisciplinary methodology combining cultural, social and psychological directions, as well as the results of surveys conducted in the southern regions of Kazakhstan and observation data were used as an empirical basis. The results obtained allowed us to systematically study traditional values ​​in modern society, the internal and external factors influencing them, as well as elements of behavior established in national psychology. These are important indicators that affect the cultural integrity of society, social harmony and spiritual stability. The results of the study contribute to understanding internal contradictions in the value system, identifying regional features in the structure of spiritual orientations, and forming effective cultural policy based on these features. The scientific and practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the results obtained can be used in the development of intercultural dialogue, the adaptation of spiritual renewal strategies at the regional level, and the provision of social stability. Keywords: culture, values, spiritual crisis, social factors, cultural transformation, empirical research.

The present article examines the editorial and ideological evolution of Nikos Kazantzakis’ Ascesis, focusing on the significant differences between its first edition (1927) and the extensively revised second edition (1945). While extant scholarship has predominantly focused on linguistic changes – most notably in the final section of Ascesis, the well-known “CREDO” – this study seeks to address a critical research gap by arguing that these revisions mark a far more significant transformation. The analysis draws on biographical sources and Kazantzakis’ correspondence as well as his political essays and philosophical influences (notably Nietzschean, Bergsonian, and Buddhist though) in order to contextualize Ascesis within the author’s philosophical development and evolving worldview. The study demonstrates how the work transitions from a politically charged, collectivist manifesto embedded in the ideological context of early 20th-century communist thought to a deeply personal and metaphysical text centered on existential struggle and ascent as well as a multifaceted engagement with nihilism. Special attention is given to the removal of overt political references, the addition of the “Silence” chapter, and the restructuring of the final “CREDO”, which collectively signal a shift from political engagement to lyrical-philosophical introspection. The findings indicate that Ascesis underwent not only a stylistic revision but a fundamental restructuring in Kazantzakis’ conception of spiritual struggle and in his Weltanschauung in general, all of which seemingly occurred in a considerably short time span. This evolution is indicative of the broader tensions between literature, ideology, and personal metaphysics in Kazantzakis’ works – the article contends that Ascesis should be read not as a lesser philosophical addition, but as a central work within the author’s repertoire. The study posits that Ascesis ultimately manifests as a lyrical expression of existential anguish and the will to struggle for its own sake, transcending ideological frameworks.

In the history of human existence, man has encountered a plethora of religious experiences. Some of the experiences have been codified into doctrines. The doctrinal aspect of religion is difficult to determine because it consists of a complex and extensive system of beliefs which are developed through the ages by generations of believers. To solve this problem of religious crises and establish a peaceful co-existence among the multi-ethnic groups in Nigeria religion, therefore, plays an important role. This paper examines how religion can be used to promote cohesion and inspire collective action among members of the society.

How psychedelic experiences can cause, worsen, or resolve spiritual struggles: A mixed-methods study of psychedelic users.

ABSTRACTAimThe present study explored the perspective of nurses and parents of children with cancer regarding communication.DesignThis was a qualitative study that applied a descriptive‐exploratory approach.MethodsParticipants included six nurses, eight mothers and four fathers of children with cancer, who were selected based on a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using in‐depth interviews with participants. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using the inductive content analysis method.ResultsData analysis revealed three categories and eight subcategories, including supportive communication (subcategories: informational support, psychological support and special communication skills); managing spiritual crisis (subcategories: identification of spiritual/religious beliefs and needs of children with cancer and their parents, and managing the spiritual crisis of children with cancer and their parents); and empowering parents and healthcare teams (subcategories: the necessity of teamwork, holding educational workshops and training paediatric oncology nurse specialists). All healthcare providers (including nurses, oncologists, paediatricians, etc.) can consider the results of this study to improve their communications with other healthcare team members, children with cancer, and their families to provide holistic care and increase the quality of care they provide.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.

The study examines the functional role of ekphrasis in the prose of A. M. Remizov and the formation of his unique visual-verbal “cultural code,” using the works The Pond (1905), The Weeping Ditch(1914–1918), and The Judgment of God (1925) as primary material. The aim of the research is to reconstruct Remizov’s system of visual codes and to identify how the lubok print, satirical caricature, and icon become carriers of cultural memory and instruments for comprehending the spiritual crisis of the Silver Age and the period of emigration. The focus lies on the interaction between image and word, in which visual motifs do not simply illustrate the text but create a specific artistic optics that shapes the structure of Remizov’s myth-making. Ekphrasis in Remizov’s works functions as a narrative mechanism capable of transforming an everyday object into a symbol, and a symbol into an element of the author’s metatext, reflecting the movement from reality toward a dreamlike, metaphysical depth. Thus, the analysis of visual codes makes it possible to reveal the inner dynamics of the writer’s artistic world. The methodological framework includes an intermedial approach, structural-semiotic and motif analysis, as well as the comparison of Remizov’s texts with iconographic and lubok traditions, European painting, and the visual satire of the early twentieth century. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that this is the first systematic description of Remizov’s visual code as an integrated intermedial system, in which the lubok, the icon, and the caricature function as “mnemonic supports” and mechanisms for interpreting cultural experience. The results obtained may be used for further research on the poetics of the Silver Age, issues of intermediality, visual theology, and the mechanisms of cultural memory in twentieth-century Russian literature. The study shows that lubok ekphrasis in The Pond (the image of the lion, the scene of “Fornication,” etc.) fulfills a symbolic-psychological function, marking the destruction of the family’s sacred space. In The Weeping Ditch, the caricature from Satiricon visualizes the hidden structure of the love triangle and the opposition between “old” and “new” Russia, intensifying the text’s ironic dimension. In The Judgment of God, the icon Joy of All Who Sorrow forms the semantic center of the narrative, serving as a mediator between human and divine will and modeling the experience of faith under conditions of historical catastrophe and exile.