Spiritual Perspective Research Articles

Jungian psychotherapy, spirituality, and synchronicity: Theory, applications, and evidence base.

The aim of this article is to give an introduction to the theoretical model of Jungian psychotherapy (JP) and the role of spirituality in it, with a special focus on the concept of synchronicity (meaningful coincidences), by which the application of a spiritual viewpoint in JP will be exemplified. The paper gives an overview of the empirical studies of the effectiveness of JP and then focuses on the results of an empirical study on the occurrence of synchronistic events in psychotherapy and how they are integrated in the therapeutic process. JP can be called the prototype of a spiritually integrated psychotherapy, since Jung was the first in the development of psychotherapy who put a strong emphasis on a spiritual perspective and who succeeded to integrate spirituality into his psychotherapy approach with a coherent theoretical model in the background. Moreover, Jung's psychology became a major reference point for many other spiritual psychotherapy approaches which developed in the twentieth century. Regarding the studies on the effectiveness of JP it can be said that there is some empirical support pointing to the effectiveness of JP, but there is a strong need for further research, especially with randomized controlled trial designs. The paper presents the results of a study investigating how psychotherapists integrate synchronistic experiences and make use of these to support the therapeutic process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Ausgewechselt – Wo bleibe ich beim notwendigen Generationenwechsel?

The author takes a look at the replacement of older persons, whether in paid or volunteer jobs, from a spiritual perspective as well as on the basis of his experience as a TCI instructor and member of the Ruth Cohn Institute. He attempts to provide a description of the fears surrounding these issues, offers insight into a thematically related TCI course on the topic of growing older and arrives at the diagnosis that the phase following the withdrawl from active professional life is not receiving sufficient attention at the RCI. In conclusion, the potential for development of stronger collaboration between young and old within the RCI is shown.

Developing a Spiritual Care Model for Clinical Nurses: A Theory Synthesis.

This study was carried out to develop a spiritual care model for clinical nurses. This study has used a 3-step strategy proposed by L. O. Walker and K. C. Avant (2019) for theory synthesis. In the second phase of this study, an integrative review was conducted to retrieve and select relevant articles. A total of 227 documents were included for theory construction. After identifying and defining the basic assumptions of the model, the concept of spiritual care was defined as a paradigmatic concept with a holistic approach. Then the metaparadigmatic concepts (ie, human being, environment, nursing, and health) were defined according to the holistic approach. After defining the model care goals, clinical strategies and interventions were defined according to the goals and the concept of health as an outcome of spiritual care. Nurses' clinical roles were conceptualized within the conceptual framework that includes 3 main steps of nursing process: (1) assessment and identification of the client to explore the spiritual perspective; (2) planning and implementing spiritual care; (3) documenting and evaluating spiritual care. This model can tell clinicians what to do in caring for patients, especially chronic and end-stage patients. Therefore, this model could help provide better care for all clients.

Conscious spiritual theory: a spiritual alternative to critical social work practice

ABSTRACT Critical practice is often used to create space for the inclusion of knowledge and practice that has been marginalized. In this piece, it is argued that while critical practice can create the space for spiritual knowledge and practice, there may be a spiritual alternative to general critical social work practice. This paper presents Conscious Spiritual Theory/Practice as an alternative practice approach to Critical Theory/Practice for social workers keen to work with human rights and social justice issues from a spiritual perspective. To do this, Conscious Spiritual Theory is explored within an existing critical framework for practice.

IKHLAS: A Spiritual Resource for Indonesian Muslim Wives in Accepting Their Husband's HIV-Positive Status

The religious and cultural values of the Muslim community shaped their coping mechanisms in facing various problems. Indonesian Muslim wives leaned toward both religious and cultural philosophies as resources in maintaining their marriage life. This research aimed to understand the spiritual perspective among Muslim wives in accepting their husband's HIV-positive status. This study used a qualitative study with 15 wives who had a husband with HIV-positive. The interview was run 2-4 times for each participant, and around spent 50-90 minutes for each interview. Data were analyzed simultaneously using a content analysis method. Three themes were articulated, including:1) the meaning of being a Muslim wife to a husband with an HIV-positive, 2) Life experiences after knowing a husband’s HIV-positive status, and 3) Philosophy of life in accepting a husband’s HIV-positive status. Muslim wives' experiences often depend on gender power relations, cultural and religious values, and family roles. The result of the study could be used in developing specific strategies with a gender approach to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS among Muslim wives.

Corporate Organizational Culture and its Description in Bhagavad Gita

Today’s organizations are primarily dynamic and pose huge challenges and opportunities to the policy makers and corporate practitioners. The philosophy of Bhagavad Gita should not only be viewed from spiritual perspectives but also as a guide in developing Managerial Effectiveness. Today it has found its place as an alternative to the theory of modern management and also as a means to bring back the right path of peace and prosperity for the human beings. This research paper measures empirically the effectiveness of organizational corporate culture and its descriptions in Bhagavad Geeta. With this paper we will see the practical message of Bhagavad Gita has strong linkage to core management practices like establishment of good corporate culture.

“A Perfect Place to Die”: Thinking the EcoGothic, Darkness, and the Dark Sweet in Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees

Located at the foot of Mountain Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan’s gothic forest Aokigahara Jukai, is an (in)famous “suicide forest.” Drawing on Timothy Morton’s three threads pertaining to dark ecology and Elizabeth Parker’s notion of “ecoGothic,” both of which open up a more comprehensive perspective of the dark forest, this article argues that the analysis of Van Sant’s film The Sea of Trees (2015) on Aokigahara brings into question the stereotype of the horrible suicide forest for it not only invokes Morton’s sense of (dark-sweet) meditative space for people to ponder the meaning of life but also brings us to recognize the re-enchantment of the Gothic forest where the strangers have been encountered. This article is divided into four parts: (1) Thinking the EcoGothic; (2) Thinking Darkness; (3) Thinking Dark Sweet; and (4) Conclusion. In my reading, Van Sant’s film cautions us against the stigmatization of the Sea of Trees, exclusively challenging anthropocentrism, calls for a more nuanced aesthetic and spiritual perspective about Aokigahara.

Spiritual and religious meaning making in language and literacy studies: global perspectives on teaching, learning, curriculum and policy

PurposeIn an editorial introduction essay for the special issue on Religion, Literacies, and English Education in Global Dialogue, the editors frame papers in the special issue in dialogue with previous scholarly literature around three central lines of inquiry: How do children, youth and families navigate relationships among religion, spirituality, language and literacy? What challenges are faced by language and literacy teachers and teacher educators around the globe who seek to respond to diverse religious and spiritual perspectives in their work? And what opportunities do teachers seize or create toward this end? How are developments of language and literacy theory, policy, curriculum and ritual entangled with race and religion?Design/methodology/approachTaking an essayist, humanistic approach, this paper summarizes, interprets and comments on previous scholarly works to frame the articles published in the special issue “Religion, Literacies, and English Education in Global Dialogue” in relation to the field and in relation to one another.FindingsDenise Dávila, Matthew Deroo and Ilhan Mohamud reveal the relationships young people and families forge and navigate among spiritual literacies and literatures, digital technologies and ethnic identities. Heidi Hadley, Jennifer Wargo and Erin McNeill illuminate how teachers’ vocations, as well as their pedagogical goals and curricular artifacts, can become deeply entangled with religious and spiritual sense-making. Kasun Gajasinghe and Priyanka Jayakodi expand perspectives on both the ritualization and racialization of religion through nationalist policies surrounding national anthem performances in Sri Lanka. Anne Whitney and Suresh Canagarajah discuss how spiritual commitments, communities and experiences interact with their scholarly trajectories.Research limitations/implicationsThe essay concludes with a discussion of scholarly capacity building that may be needed for conducting research on religion and spirituality in relation to languages, literacies and English education on a global scale.Practical implicationsThe second section of the essay discusses challenges faced by language and literacy teachers and teacher educators around the globe who seek to integrate diverse religious and spiritual perspectives into their work. It foregrounds how many teachers and teacher educators work within contexts where ethnoreligious nationalism is on the rise. It highlights the need for language and literacy educators to develop curiosity and basic knowledge about diverse religions. Further it calls for teacher educators to engage with teacher candidates’ religious identities and sense-making.Social implicationsBecause it considers religious and spiritual sense-making in relation to language and literacy education, the social implications of this work are significant and wide-reaching. For examples, the paper questions the conceit of secularism within education, pushing readers to consider their own spiritual and religious identifications and influences when they work across religious differences.Originality/valueThis paper identifies, interprets and assesses current threads of work on religious and spiritual sense-making within scholarship on languages, literacies and English education.

Caring for COVID-19’s patients, an opportunity for spiritual transcendence in volunteer nurses: a content analysis study

ABSTRACT Nurses are living in unprecedented times and the first-line against the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses see controversial issues and face different complications that lead to work-life conflicts and compromise patient safety. Finding volunteer nurses is a fantastic adventure in such a situation. This study attempted to analyze volunteer nurses’ experiences and factors influencing care in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. A qualitative descriptive study was applied from Jun to May 2021 in four different hospitals in Iran. Data was collected by Semi-structured interviews (N:13) with an open-ended question until data saturation. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Birjand University medical and science and was conducted in achievement of the moral standards in terms of voluntary participation, the confidentiality of data, anonymity, and verbal informed consent. Two main themes obtained were “A faith-based approach” and “Care, an opportunity for spiritual transcendence.” Five categories are “Belief in a divine destiny,” “Transformation of life meaning”, “spiritual hedonism”, “Wise self-sacrifice”, and “Sacred Defense” and ten subcategories were extracted that indicated volunteer nurses’ perspectives during the COVID-19 outbreak. Cultural and individual factors lead to making decisions in nurses. Themes indicate that spiritual perspectives, ethical issues, and religious points of view are factors that can influence willingness, commitment, and function of nurses. Spiritual transcendence is one of the most valuable humanistic situations that manifest for nurses than normal circumstances. It is pivotal for senior educational and clinical managers to identify, develop, and strengthen the capacity of nurses with such a vision to recruit them in high-responsibility departments, and know-how to transfer these perspectives to the next generation of nurses.

Spiritual Response to COVID’19 Crises - Indian Vedic Perspecti

The present research is aimed at focusing on the impediments that have caused the present pandemic COVID’19 and the possible measures to overcome those impediments from the perspective of spirituality – Indian Vedic Perspectives. It is a mixed method study based on primary and secondary source of information using observation, discussion, and survey methods. A random sample opinion was raised using structured questionnaire on a five point scale in validating the findings as measures to coping with COVID crises. Mean, Standard Deviation, and Correlation measures were used. Majority of respondents (70% and above) have shown their agreement with a mean response of 4.14 on a five point scale about all the scriptural injunctions as measures to cope with COVID’19 crises. A moderate degree of positive association was found between spirituality as best means of recouping back from COVID crises and COVID’19 crises management based on Indian Vedic Scriptural Injunctions. Findings state that the path of perfection gives the strength of life to conquer any kind of material problem whether it is an economic or non-economic in nature. Spirituality can help us to overcome COVID crises as it is the most auspicious thing on this planet of earth. It can be presumed that the spirituality is one of the best ways of managing the COVID crises.

Internalized homophobia: A spiritually integrated psychotherapeutic approach using the principles of complex thinking

This article describes the construction and application of a complex spiritually integrated psychotherapeutic model for assessment and treatment of internalized homophobia. Homophobia is a complex phenomenon because it includes multiple dimensions: personal, interpersonal, institutional, cultural, political, social, and historical. Internalized homophobia is a mental health problem that affects the subjectivity of 2SLGBTQ+ people. The model explained in this article is a product of the integration of principles from psychoanalytic psychotherapy, 2SLGBTQ+ affirmative framework, narrative therapy, and spiritually integrated psychotherapy. The integration is facilitated by the principles of complex thinking. This article emphasizes the problem of internalized homophobia and the coming out process from a spiritual perspective.

The perspective of spirituality of patients with new hematological cancer and their families. An exploratory qualitative study

For patients with newly diagnosed hematological cancer spirituality constitutes an important aspect. Spirituality refers to a person's attachment to what inspires and grounds him/her as well as to associated beliefs, values, and existential experiences, be they religious or not. However, these aspects are not systematically and regularly determined and integrated into the care of patients with hematological cancer. To describe the perception of spirituality among patients with newly diagnosed hematological malignancies and their loved ones. This qualitative descriptive study employed semi-structured individual interviews with patients and their loved ones and the completion of three questionnaires concerning spiritual well-being, quality of life and symptom burden. A total of 10 patients and six family members were included in our study. Three types of spirituality emerged from the interviews: religious, connecting, and non-religious spirituality. These perceptions are part of the backdrop of this disease whose sudden onset requires the mobilization of resources such as family support, coping strategies, resilience, and hope. Beyond the physical consequences, hematological malignancies induce profound changes in patients and their loved-ones regarding their values and beliefs. Encouraging moments of self-expression such as addressing notions of spirituality and supporting patients in their personal cultural practices are important supportive measures that nurses can adopt into their practice.

Missionary. Existential. Spiritual. Perspectives for the work of the Church after the pandemic

This article explores opportunities for Church action after the pandemic, from three different perspectives: missionary, anthropological and spiritual. The missionary perspective; using an existential-analytical approach, should contribute to the Church becoming less focused on herself and more committed to in its mission for the good life. From an anthropological perspective, Church work is directed to the human being as the image of God and pleads for anthropological aspects to be taken into account in the shaping of Church practice. With the spiritual perspective, the plea is made for Church activity after the pandemic to open up spaces in which human beings, in the experience of their worthiness to love, understand and learn to love themselves without measure and without conditions.

Covid-19 Sürecinde Yaşlı Bireylere Yönelik Dini-Manevi Destek Hizmetlerin Gereksinimi

“Yaşlılık” konusu, sosyal bilimlerin başlıca araştırma konuları arasındaki yerini almıştır. İnsanlığın hızlı yaşlanma süreci, birçok ülkenin başlıca sorunları arasında yerini alırken, Türkiye’yi de oldukça endişelendiren sorunların başında geldiği görülmektedir. Özellikle içerisinde yaşanılan bu Covid-19 sürecinin yaşlı bireylere yönelik endişeleri daha da artırdığı gözlemlenmiştir. Yaşlı bireylerin sosyal sorunları, Pandemiye yönelik kısıtlamalar, yaşlı bireylerin sürdürülebilir yaşam şartlarını zorlaştırmış, dini-manevi destek ihtiyaçlarını daha da arttırmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı; dünya genelinde artış gösteren yaşlı nüfusun mikro, mezzo ve makro düzeyde toplumsal bir sorun olarak algılatılmasının, dini-manevi gereksinimlerinin göz ardı ediliyor olmasının evrensel temel insan hak bildirileri, anayasa ve yasalar anlamında oldukça yanlış bir tutum olduğuna dikkat çekmektir. Bu bağlamda Covid-19 sürecinde yaşanan hassas durumlar dikkate alınarak, sosyal hizmet disiplini dâhilinde yaşlı bireylere sunulması gereken hizmetlerin dini-manevi destek hizmetleri çerçevesinde sunulmasının gerekliliğini ortaya koymaktır. Covid-19 sürecinin bütün insanlar için geçici bir süreç olduğu ve yeniden “Normal Yaşam”a dönülebileceği umutlarının korunmaya çalışıldığı görülmektedir. Bu süreçte yaşlı bireylerin dini-manevi perspektifte ele alınan psikolojik sorunlarının “Etkinlik (Aktivite)”, “Rol Bırakma” ve “İlişki Kesme” teorileri çerçevesinde dezavantajlara dönüştürülmemesi oldukça önem arz etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, holistik bir yaklaşım olarak yaşlı bireylerin bütün sosyal ilişkilerinde kendi kendilerine yetebilme ve rollerini bırakmama yönünde dini-manevi destek hizmetlerinin daha etkin sunulmasının gerekliliği oldukça önem arz eden eklektik bir yaklaşım olarak görülmektedir.

The Practice of Burning Votive Paper in Vietnamese Buddhist Temples: A Study on the Spiritual Dimension and Buddhist Perspective

Every year, the Vietnamese people reportedly burned thousands of tons of votive paper in the hope of pleasing the dead and getting spiritual peace in mind and material rewards. The discourses surrounding the practices lay great emphasis on burning votive offerings, or the excessive forms of this practice as superstitious. Findings from the study of burning votive paper in Vietnamese Buddhist Temples reveal that the practice has become associated with wastefulness, fire hazard, and environmental concerns. For this reason, the present study firstly traces the origins of votive paper burning of the ancient people. Secondly, the study focuses on its introduction into Vietnam as an act of worship in Vietnamese folk tradition and its current negative impacts. Finally, the author then tries to analyze based on Buddhist perception on life and death in order to reject this practice as its incompatibility with Buddhism. Despite the fact that a single case does not aim at generalization, research outcomes raises -some viewpoints of the relevant agencies on the practice of burning votive paper that contribute to the protection of the spiritual tradition and natural environment of Vietnam. Received 6 th December 2021; Revised 18 th February 2022; Accepted 17 t h March 2022

Psychometric Evaluation of the Spiritual Perspective Scale in Palliative Care Nurses in China.

This study aimed to translate the Spiritual Perspectives Scale (SPS) into a Mandarin Chinese version (C-SPS) and evaluate its psychometric properties among 154 palliative care nurses from twelve community healthcare centres in Shanghai, China. Exploratory factor analysis suggested two factors (spiritually related activities and spiritual beliefs), accounting for 67.49% of the total variance. The Cronbach's α of the total C-SPS score was 0.89, and its split-half coefficient (Spearman-Brown reliability coefficient) was 0.72. The C-SPS showed consistently acceptable psychometric properties of reliability and validity. It can be used to evaluate the level of spiritual perspectives of nurses in China.

Love affair in the Dutch Reformed Church

As a community of silence, solitude and prayer, and a place of learning and formation the Andrew Murray Centre for Spirituality (AMCS) is a remarkable institution in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). In this article it will be studied from the perspective of spirituality, understood as an academic discipline. The leading question is how the AMCS can find its own way of learning as distinct from the learning in seminaries and local communities of the DRC. The chapter starts with an insider’s perspective of the AMCS which provides the context for the research question. Based on Waaijman’s distinction of three main forms of spirituality, the AMCS will be considered as a school of spirituality in the Reformed tradition. The connection between Andrew Murray and Bernard of Clairvaux will guide the further exploration of a truly authentic way of learning of the AMCS within the Reformed tradition.

Consciousness, Analytic Idealism and Buddhist Foundations: Exploring Non-Materialist Ways of Connecting Eastern and Western Spiritual Perspectives

Contemporary approaches to explaining the connections and reconciling perceived differences between spiritual and scientific interpretations of reality have tended to accept mainstream interpretations of physics, cosmology and biology. The resultant putative combinations of ideas-seeking to equate materialist with non-materialist worldviews-display anomalous, artificial and deeply problematic features. Instead of accepting the validity of scientific materialism-expressed in accounts offered, for instance, by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, and, in a more secular context, Deepak Chopra and Fritjof Capra-the central thesis of this paper is that it is more plausible to question the foundations of materialism and argue for an idealist interpretation of both science, reality and spirituality as suggested in recent work by Bernardo Kastrup, Steve Taylor and Donald Hoffman. After exploring the central claims of these new interpretations of idealism-and their principal critiques of scientific materialism-arguments that such perspectives offer a richer, more cogent and more parsimonious method of linking Eastern and Western worldviews than the flawed materialist perspectives will be explained and justified.

Reciprocal Union in St. Thérèse of Lisieux Story of a Soul - Sheldon R. Tabile, O.Carm.

This paper takes a spiritual perspective on St. Thérèse of Lisieux's Story of the Soul. The central focus of this study is on the text's portrayal of God and St. Thérèse of Lisieux as partners in a reciprocal relationship. The reader's ability to read becomes sharper as he explores the soul's receptivity, reciprocity, responsiveness, and responsibility in response to God's action. In spiritual reading, the emphasis is on identifying the ongoing relationships in the text. Readers are given knowledge of reciprocal union in this manner: the soul completely surrenders to God, and He fully submits to them in this relationship.

An online survey to describe pharmacy student spirituality and spiritual care perspectives

IntroductionLittle is known about student pharmacists' perspectives of spirituality and spiritual care (SC) in pharmacy education and practice. The purpose of this study was to examine student pharmacists' perspectives about spirituality and incorporating SC in pharmacy education and practice. MethodsStudent pharmacists were recruited from two private pharmacy schools in California, one religiously-affiliated and one non-religiously affiliated. A faculty member at each school invited student pharmacists via email or through Zoom (Zoom Video Communications) chat to complete the 37-item online survey through an embedded link. The investigator-designed survey was comprised of 22 items inquiring about spirituality and SC as well as several items assessing demographic and religious characteristics. ResultsParticipants included 470 student pharmacists (87.2% response rate) who were 28.9 ± 5.7 years old on average. Half of the respondents (50.5%) attended the non-religiously affiliated university. Most of the respondents were female (67%), Christian (67.8%), spiritual (79.2%), and religious (75.2%). They “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that: “understanding patients' spiritual beliefs is an important part of pharmacy practice” (83%), “I would pray with my patients as a pharmacist” (54.8%), “it is appropriate for a pharmacist to have spiritual or religious conversations with patients” (52.9%), and “it is appropriate for a pharmacist to pray with and for patients who request it” (66.9%). These beliefs were positively correlated with self-reported religiosity and spirituality. ConclusionsMost students considered themselves spiritual and religious and felt that spirituality and learning about SC were important. The respondents' SC perspectives were associated with their religiosity and spirituality.