Jewish forms of spiritually integrated psychotherapy in Israel.

Abstract

T he past 3 decades have seen a surge of renewed interest in blending religious traditions and spiritual doctrines and practices into modern psychology for the purpose of understanding and cultivating the human psyche (Miller

Veiling and unveiling: Caution in explicitly integrating Jewish spirituality in psychotherapy in Israel.

“…We used a qualitative research methodology that allows for an open exploration without prior expectations (Denzin & Lincoln, 2008). This study is part of a larger mixed-methods research project that investigated Jewish forms of spiritually integrated psychotherapy in Israel (Mayseless et al, 2023). This specific research project on Jewish psychotherapy is itself part of a larger multinational research project on the integration of spirituality in psychotherapy (Richards et al, 2023).…”

“…During the past two decades, a growing number of licensed (certified) psychotherapists in Israel have begun to integrate Jewish spirituality in their clinical practice (Mayseless et al, 2023), although it is not part of formal, established academic studies of psychotherapy in Israel or the “mainstream” psychotherapeutic milieu (Jacoby, 2005). Cultural sensitivities and tensions in Israeli society regarding religion, spirituality, and Judaism, as well as the disparity between Jewish spirituality and psychotherapy, both in psychotherapists’ training and in the general current Western discourse, set considerable challenges for these psychotherapists (Mayseless et al, 2023).…”