prayer pscho
Skip to main content Wellbeing When Therapists Prescribe Prayer The movement toward spiritually integrated psychotherapy By Annelise Jolley November 25, 2024 | Back to Templeton Ideas The field of psychotherapy has historically regarded religion with suspicion, viewing faith as a crutch for the weak and a security blanket for those too fearful to face reality. Freud’s famous declaration that religion is “the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity” rippled out across decades. Spirituality, many psychotherapists assumed, was more likely to be a source of disorders than of healing. But the past few decades have seen a sea change in this assumption. Empirical evidence shows that religious belief and spiritual practice, from prayer to meditation to community participation, have a positive impact on mental health. Given these findings, some therapists now turn to spirituality as an ally rather than a foe in helping clients find healing. Spiritually integrated psychotherapy, as it’s ...
