Religious and spiritual struggles and mental health: Implications for clinical practice

Abstract

This chapter reviews the growing literature on religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles and their implications for clinical practice, with a focus on people with psychiatric problems. The empirical literature indicates that R/S struggles: (a) take a variety of forms that reflect tensions and conflicts around the sacred; (b) are not uncommon among people with psychological problems; (c) are robust predictors of poorer mental health; (d) may be a cause and/or effect of psychological problems; and offer the potential for positive psychological growth and transformation, depending on how they are understood and handled. Practical recommendations are then offered to help psychiatrists draw on basic clinical skills to assess and address R/S struggles in treatment. Specifically, this chapter considers how practitioners can help patients name and normalize their struggles, accept and reflect on these conflicts, and access R/S resources that offer potential resolutions to their struggles.