Chaplain Geralyn Abbott on the Spiritual Dimension of Psychiatric Treatment

Spiritual Dimension
of Psychiatric Treatment

I am a chaplain and licensed professional counselor working at Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health, an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Westport, CT. I find that my work with patients is greatly enhanced by acknowledging and exploring the spiritual aspects of their lives. My own interest in this exploration, along with the increasing interest of psychiatric and psychological professionals in this topic, led to my Grand Rounds presentation to Hall-Brooke clinicians and community professionals. Below are some highlights from that presentation.

First, it is important to define some terms. “Religion is a formal, organized system of principles, beliefs, rituals, practices and related symbols that bring individuals closer to sacred or ultimate truth/reality…a community of individuals with similar beliefs. Spirituality is “an individual’s search for understanding of life’s deepest mysteries and most perplexing questions about what is sacred, transcendent, or of ultimate importance….not limited to the concepts encompassed by organized religions.” (1)

Most, if not all, patients have a set of beliefs that inform their attitudes and behaviors. These beliefs may be influenced by a structured religion or faith tradition, or may be in reaction to it, for example, “Why is G-d doing this to me?” It is important to discover each patient’s own way of internalizing beliefs because they may say that they follow a certain faith tradition yet their actions may speak otherwise. There are also those who say they have no faith tradition. Yet each patient has a belief system that may be influencing their illness or recovery.

This is a fruitful area of exploration with mentally ill patients because spirituality can be a source of hope and healing for the patient. Prayer, meditation, church or temple attendance and support from a faith community can be immensely helpful. This can foster hope, acceptance, serenity and peace. However, the lack of a healthy spirituality, belief system or worldview can lead to hopelessness, despair, suicide, fear and abuse.

If clinicians are willing to begin to explore this area with patients as part of therapy, it is important for the clinician first to become aware of the state of their own spirituality. We, as professionals, need to be aware of assumptions we might make about the religious or spiritual beliefs of our patients. We must present an accepting and non-judgmental stance with the patient. Also, we can take advantage of consultations with the chaplain or clergy on staff. Local clergy in the community is an underutilized resource for consultation and referral for professionals (1).

Some questions that mental health professionals may ask to begin this discussion with patients are:

The therapist’s willingness to explore this area of the patient, and offer referrals if necessary, gives a powerful gift of acceptance and may open up a new dimension of hope or help to those in desperate need.
Chaplains and clergy have been doing this work for years, but many professionals do not have access to a chaplain, or never considered consulting with local clergy. Clergy and chaplains would also benefit from consultation by being able to refer their parishioners to professionals who are willing to explore and respect the spiritual dimension in a therapeutic way.
With an increasing interest in spirituality on the part of psychological and psychiatric professionals, it is time to openly discuss the spiritual dimension of psychiatric treatment, and how we can serve the mind, body and spirit of our patients on the road to recovery.

(1) Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (Jan. 2004)

Several journals, such as Monitor on Psychology (Dec. 2003) and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (Jan. 2004) present some of the current explorations into this area.