Unusual but sound minds: Mental health indicators in spiritual individuals

Abstract

Previous research has linked certain types of modern spirituality, including New Age and Pagan, with either benign schizotypy or insecure attachment. While the first view emphasizes a positive aspect of spiritual believers' mental health (benign schizotypy), the second view emphasizes a negative aspect, namely the unhealthy emotional compensation associated with an insecure attachment style. This study addresses these two conflicting views by comparing a sample of modern spiritual individuals (N = 114) with a contrast group of traditional religious believers (N = 86). Measures of schizotypy and attachment style were combined with mental health scales of anxiety and depression. We further assessed death anxiety to determine whether modern spiritual beliefs fulfilled a similar function as traditional religious beliefs in the reduction of existential threat. Our results support a psychological contiguity between traditional and modern spiritual believers and reinforce the need to de-stigmatize spiritual ideas and experiences. Using hierarchical regression, we showed that unusual experiences and ideas are the major predictor of engagement in modern spiritual practices. Anxiety, depression variables, and insecure attachment were not significant predictors of spirituality or correlated with them; on the other hand, the results show that spiritual believers report high social support satisfaction and this variable predicts involvement in modern spirituality. Further, spiritual practices were negatively correlated with and negatively predicted by death anxiety scores. Overall, the results strengthen the association between modern spirituality, good mental health, and general well-being.

Engagement in a Community-Based Integral Practice Program Enhances Well-being

“…paradigm described as integral, spiritual teachers, psychologists, health care providers, and theorists have noted that attending to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of being in an integrated fashion, particularly in the context of community, may be optimal for achieving psychological well-being (Aurobindo, 1993;Engel, 1977;Farias, Underwood, & Claridge, 2013;Ferrer, 2003;Ginting, Naring, Kwakkenbos, & Becker, 2014;Koenig et al, 2014;Leonard & Murphy, 2005;Schlitz et al, 2005;Short, 2006;Wilber, Patten, Leonard, & Morelli, 2008).…”

Modelos de personalidade e a diferenciação entre experiências anômalas saudáveis e patológicas em contexto religioso

“…Algumas pessoas podem apresentar experiências e sentimentos fenomenologicamente semelhantes a sintomas psiquiátricos sem, no entanto, apresentar todo o aspecto disfuncional e desorganizado de um transtorno mental (Alminhana et al, 2016;Claridge, 2010;Day, Peters, 1999;Farias, Underwood, Claridge, 2013;Peter et al, 2016;Shofield, Claridge, 2007). Um exemplo são as chamadas "experiências anômalas" (EAs), que se desviam de explicações comumente aceitas da realidade, tais como "experiências fora-do-corpo", "visões e curas espirituais", alegações de "telepatia" ou "mediunismo" (Cardena, Lynn e Krippner, 2004).…”

“…Algumas dessas experiências podem oferecer sentido e promover a saúde mental de muitos indivíduos, quando ressignificadas em contextos religiosos e/ou espirituais (Claridge, 2010;Farias et al, 2013). Por outro lado, algumas vezes tais experiências configuram risco para transtorno mental grave e a Psicologia, especificamente a P s i c o l o g i a d a R e l i g i ã o , p o d e a v a n ç a r n a c o m p r e e n s ã o e n a p o s s i b i l i d a d e d e diferenciação entre indicadores saudáveis e patológicos.…”

Spirituality or religiosity: is there any difference?

“…In contrast, in a much smaller study, Farias et al 7 compared modern spiritual individuals (n=114) with traditional religious believers (n=86) in England. The authors found anxiety, depression, and insecure attachment were not significant predictors of spirituality.…”