What is it about?
This scoping review summarizes what is currently known and recommended for addressing adverse religious/spiritual experiences (e.g., religious trauma, spiritual abuse, religious harm) in therapy. It provides suggestions for therapeutic approaches, goals, and interventions. It also highlights the gaps in this research, including a lack of process and outcome research, as well as a need for expansive discussions about intersectionality, ethics, and therapist training in this area.
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Why is it important?
The ways we address adverse religious/spiritual experiences in therapy has received little attention in academic literature. In order to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed, and multiculturally sensitive care, further research on the needs of this population in therapy, and "what works" in therapy, are crucial first steps. The aim is to promote healing and flourishing so that clients may have the relationship they want with religion and spirituality.
Perspectives
I was encouraged that this manuscript received the American Psychological Foundation 2023 Steven O. Walfish Award. This is my first article on this topic, and I intend to keep researching how to address these concerns in therapy. I hope this review sparks further reflection and conversations among therapists, encouraging self-reflection of their own attitudes toward this topic, and how that might show up in a therapeutic exchange.
Lauren Zaeske
University of Kansas
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Addressing harm from adverse religious/spiritual experiences in psychotherapy: A scoping review., Practice Innovations, March 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pri0000237.
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