Has Psychology Lost its Soul?

A loaded question that’s wide open to reasonable disagreements.  There’s no need for a verdict, only for some reflection.

After being an agnostic psychologist for 33 years I recently had an unexpected spiritual revival.  I’d been an SNBR (spiritual but not religious) person like so many others who don’t find spiritual comfort from any organized religion, but like so many SNBRs I didn’t have a clear belief system or practice.

My unbidden spiritual revival inspired me to write a second book, Handbook for Psychospiritual Healing, capturing new insights for how psychology and spirituality could be integrated for innovative therapeutic opportunities.  As I began opening the door to spirituality by inviting it into the discussion I began to see more potential for psychospiritual techniques.  Tapping into clients’ own spirituality was like inviting another therapist into the office — one they could take home with them.

But along with the growing excitement about psychospiritual therapy I experienced some awkwardness and apprehension.  In all the collegial groups I’ve participated in since 1990 there has seldom been any discussion of spirituality in therapy.  And when I began to share these new perspectives, interventions, and their impressive results I felt I was being politely indulged.  My colleagues politely respected what I shared but seemed apprehensive to embrace the topic or share their own experiences with psychospiritual therapy.  

Tired of practicing psychospiritual therapy in relative isolation, I posted an inquiry on NHPA’s listserv seeking others with a shared interest.  To my delight there was enough enthusiasm to form a new group.  I joined a second group outside of the NHPA community, so I now enjoy having regular discussions about psychospiritual therapy with a dozen colleagues.

Within the initial months of these online groups, so much exciting territory was covered.  But before each of the participants began to open and share their own experiences, the initial discussions centered on the related concerns with ethics and the licensing board.  We were all acutely aware that we were practicing outside the bounds of evidence-based and insurance-approved interventions.  

Discussing the ethical considerations of incorporating spirituality into therapy was fairly straightforward and easy to find consensus.  The thornier issue was an irrational but potent fear of licensing board repercussions.  From my extensive history with the NH licensing board I was able to assure others that psychospiritual therapy was neither unethical nor cause for licensing board concern (as long as it is not imposed).  But all therapists have been conditioned to fear the oversight of licensing board insurance company audits, and/or treatment records being subpoenaed and scrutinized.  There is a need for legitimate oversight, concerts about this should not result in throwing the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of marginal practices that might be detrimental to those we serve.  These initial discussions were groundbreaking in that they cleared the way for us to more confidently share our experiences with practicing psychospiritual therapy.

Once the door to spirituality was unlocked and opened our treatment vocabulary expanded to accommodate clients’ various spiritual orientations.  Now we are free to use terms like God, Goddess, the Divine, saviors, higher selves, inner guides, saints, angels, spirits, souls, heaven, hell, faith, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and more.  Beliefs about the afterlife, communicating with the spirit world through mediums, the significance of altered states of consciousness, mysticism, shamanism, the potential of psychedelic substances for psychological and spiritual benefits, and other ethereal subjects were now on the table.  How could we discuss these matters with those clients if we can’t discuss them amongst ourselves?

Openly talking about psychospiritual therapy has been liberating, inspiring, educational, affirming, and heart-warming with our clients and ourselves.  But these meetings also serve to monitor each other in the ways the licensing board wisely requires us to do.  

The inclusion of spirituality in psychology was emphasized by William James, father of American psychology and author of Varieties of Religious Experience, back in 1902.  Various psychospiritual therapies have come and gone since then, but over the past century the divide between psychology and spirituality has grown wider rather than narrower, lamentable for professionals and clients alike.

Many clinicians don’t realize that the APA has division 36, the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.  Its mission statement is to;

Advance psychological science on religious and spiritual life.
Promote research on how spirituality and religion influence emotion, meaning-making, behavior, and well-being.
Support clinicians in understanding the diverse spiritual frameworks that clients bring to therapy.
Encourage ethical, culturally sensitive integration of clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs into practice.
Create dialogue among psychologists, scholars, and practitioners about the role of spirituality in human flourishing.
Foster inclusivity across all spiritual and non-spiritual backgrounds.
Reduce stigma and misunderstanding around spiritual experience within psychology.

How often have you seen this mission featured in the literature and/or continuing ed programs you consume?  If we are to embrace psychospiritual therapy more openly then it needs to emerge from the overlooked shadows of our profession.  

Treating a whole person requires us to pay attention to their core values, and spirituality is a core value in many people's lives.  But if therapists are hesitant to discuss the subject, clients are unlikely to as well.  It’s not our place to insert spirituality into therapy, but we need to take the initiative of making clear that it is welcome as a part of their care.   It is entirely ethical to do so, and there is a substantial loss of potential in not doing so.

Not everyone needs to belong to a group focused on psychospiritual therapy, but hopefully everyone can belong to a group where the subject can be encouraged and embraced.  Psychology’s soul will always be available for those who welcome it into the office.

Psychospiritual Therapy

After being an agnostic psychologist for 33 years, I recently had an unexpected spiritual revival. I had long been an SNBR (spiritual but not religious) person—like so many others who find no spiritual comfort in organized religion—yet, also like many SNBRs, I lacked a clear belief system or practice.

This unbidden spiritual revival inspired my second book, Handbook for Psychospiritual Healing, which captures new insights about how psychology and spirituality can be integrated for innovative treatments. As I gradually and tentatively introduced these ideas to receptive clients, the potential of this integration became clear. Tapping into clients’ own spirituality was like adding another therapist to the room—one they could take home with them.

But along with the growing excitement, I also experienced awkwardness and apprehension. Across all the collegial groups I’ve participated in since 1990, discussions of spirituality in therapy have been rare. When I began sharing my new perspectives, interventions, and their impressive results, I often felt politely indulged. My colleagues listened respectfully but seemed hesitant to embrace the subject or to share their own experiences with psychospiritual work.

Tired of practicing psychospiritual therapy in relative isolation, I posted an inquiry on the NHPA listserv to see whether there might be others who shared this interest. To my delight, the response was strong enough to form a new group. I joined a second group outside the NHPA community as well, so now enjoy regular discussions about psychospiritual therapy with a dozen colleagues.

In the first months, both groups explored exciting new territory. But before participants felt comfortable sharing their own experiences, the conversations first centered on subjects of ethics and licensing-board concerns. We were acutely aware that we were practicing outside the narrow bounds of evidence-based, insurance-approved interventions.

Discussing the ethical considerations of incorporating spirituality into therapy was fairly straightforward, and consensus was easy to achieve. The thornier issue was the persistent, irrational—but potent—fear of licensing-board repercussions. Based on my own history with the New Hampshire board, I was able to reassure others that psychospiritual therapy is neither unethical nor cause for concern, as long as it is not imposed or done without consent. Still, we had all been conditioned to fear licensing boards, insurance audits, and the possibility of treatment records being subpoenaed and scrutinized. While legitimate oversight is necessary, such concerns should not lead us to throw out the “baby” of spirituality with the “bathwater” of marginal or inappropriate practices. These early discussions were groundbreaking, in that they cleared the way for us to more confidently explore and share our experiences with psychospiritual therapy.

Once the door to spirituality was unlocked and opened, our treatment vocabulary expanded to accommodate clients’ varied spiritual orientations. Now we are free to use words like God, Goddess, the Divine, saviors, higher powers, higher selves, inner guides, saints, angels, spirits, souls, heaven, hell, faith, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and more. Beliefs about the afterlife, communicating with departed spirits through mediums, the significance of altered states of consciousness, mysticism, shamanism, the potential of psychedelic substances for psychological and spiritual benefit, and other ethereal topics are now all on the table. How can we discuss these matters with our clients if we cannot discuss them among ourselves?

Open conversations about psychospiritual therapy have been liberating, inspiring, educational, affirming, and heart-warming—for our clients and for us. These meetings also serve a practical purpose: helping us monitor our work in the ways the licensing board wisely requires.

The integration of spirituality and psychology was emphasized by William James—father of American psychology and author of The Varieties of Religious Experience—as far back as 1902. Various psychospiritual approaches have come and gone since then, but over the past century the divide between psychology and spirituality has widened rather than narrowed, to the detriment of professionals and clients alike.

Many clinicians are unaware that the APA has Division 36, the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Its mission is to:

• Advance psychological science on religious and spiritual life.
  
  

• Promote research on how spirituality and religion influence emotion, meaning-making, behavior, and well-being.
  
  

• Support clinicians in understanding the diverse spiritual frameworks clients bring to therapy.
  
  

• Encourage ethical, culturally sensitive integration of clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs into practice.
  
  

• Create dialogue among psychologists, scholars, and practitioners about the role of spirituality in human flourishing.
  
  

• Foster inclusivity across all spiritual and non-spiritual backgrounds.
  
  

• Reduce stigma and misunderstanding around spiritual experience within psychology.
  
  

How often do you see this mission highlighted in the literature or continuing-education programs you consume? If psychospiritual therapy is to be embraced more openly, it must emerge from the overlooked shadows of our profession.

Treating the whole person requires attention to their core values, and spirituality is central to many people’s lives. If therapists hesitate to discuss the subject, clients are unlikely to raise it themselves. While it is not our place to inject spirituality into treatment, we must take the initiative to inquire and make clear that spirituality is welcome when relevant to their care. It is entirely ethical to do so—yet there is tremendous lost potential when we do not.

Not everyone needs to join a group focused exclusively on psychospiritual therapy, but hopefully everyone can belong to a group where the subject is encouraged, respected, and embraced.

~ Michael Kandle, Psy.D.