Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God

[janterry]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/psychiatry-needs-to-get-right-with-god/

In the early days of the pandemic, economist Jeanet Bentzen of the University of Copenhagen examined Google searches for the word “prayer” in 95 countries. She identified that they hit an all-time global high in March 2020, and increases occurred in lockstep with the number of COVID-19 cases identified in each country. Stateside, according to the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of Americans prayed to end the spread of the novel coronavirus in March 2020, and nearly one quarter reported that their faith increased the following month, despite limited access to houses of worship.

These are not just interesting sociological trends—they are clinically significant. Spirituality has historically been dismissed by psychiatrists, but results from a pilot program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts indicate that attention to it is a critical aspect of mental health care.

In 2017 my multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians, researchers and chaplains created Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential and Intensive Treatment (SPIRIT), a flexible and spiritually integrated form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. We subsequently trained a cadre of more than 20 clinicians, stationed on 10 different clinical units throughout McLean Hospital, to deliver SPIRIT and evaluated the approach. Since 2017, SPIRIT has been delivered to more than 5,000 people. Our results suggest that spiritual psychotherapy is not only feasible but highly desired by patients.

(saw a video online by Bishop Barron discussing this)

[vlyons]

1. I don't call praying to an invisible god

to wave a magic wand to suspend the laws of physics and biology to make everything all better "mental health." Things cannot exist in impossible ways.

[vlyons]

10. For me, as a Buddhist

prayer is not about asking god to give stuff. It's about training my mind to have a more benevolent point of view.

[marble falls]

12. For me it is learning to be thankful in all things and to accept the blessing as it was given to me.

I don't need to know, I need to accept.

[Moostache]

16. I initially missed the forum designation...

As such, I have self-deleted my earlier comments as inappropriate to the forum.
All apologies for the over-sight.

[janterry]

17. ty!

I totally wasn't trying to be controversial. I just thought it was interesting to this forum.

[janterry]

5. I didn't post it to challenge others and their thinking

That's why I put it in the Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity Group.

FWIW, I've lived in a buddhist temple, and there were people there who did just what you describe.

I pray because I believe in the act of prayer. I've never felt the need to attach to the consequences of it. But that's just my personal spiritual practices - rooted in Catholicism. And, of course, in other traditions.

[marble falls]

11. And I agree with you 100%. Not all religious feelings were force fed. It's not a standalone ...

... aspect for most of us, but it is integrated into all aspects of living, as Buddhism teaches, as I understand what G*D wants from us.

[PortTack]

13. Here here!! Well said

[janterry]

14. did you check where I've posted this?

Here is a description of the forum:
Welcome to the Catholic & Orthodox Group. This is a safe haven group where discussions about Catholicism and Orthodoxy take place in a forum free from gratuitous attacks or derision of religion and religious beliefs. There are other places for those who really like to do that. Our focus is on the beliefs and traditions of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. For the rest, welcome, and pax vobiscum. Peace be among you.

[shrike3]

21. I'm sure you meant well, but this probably belongs in a forum, not a safe haven.

People tend not to notice where the post is and respond accordingly. For future reference.

[Raven123]

3. The fact that people responded better to SPIRIT providers who were not religiously affiliated notabl

Could it suggest that people are spiritually hungry for something our existing religious institutions have not, will not or cannot provide? I don’t know the answer, but it seems to me there is food for everyone to chew on in this article.

[marble falls]

9. Exactly right.

[janterry]

6. I think you can repost this to another forum if you want to debate it

?

I just thought it was interesting to this forum

[Scrivener7]

7. Sorry. Didn't notice the forum.

[marble falls]

8. No matter where I go, there He is. This is a good thing.

[shrike3]

18. Why is this in the C&O group, a safe haven?

Just saw your other posts re this issue and you did your due diligence. Maybe in the future if you want to post a topic that will draw non-believers, you might point out in the OP the rules of C&O. Thanks.