Using Spirituality in Psychotherapy

The Heart Led Approach to Clinical Practice

Alexandra Dent

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9780429638381
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Using Spirituality in Psychotherapy: The Heart Led Approach to Clinical Practice offers a means for therapists to integrate a spiritual perspective into their clinical practice. The book provides a valuable alternative to traditional forms of psychotherapy by placing an emphasis on purpose and meaning.

Introducing a new spiritually-informed model, Heart Led Psychotherapy (HLP), the book uses a BioPsychoSocialSpiritual approach to treat psychological distress. When clients experience challenges, trauma or attachment difficulties, this can create blocks and restrictions which result in repeated patterns of behaviours and subsequent psychological distress. Based on the premise that everyone is on an individual life journey, HLP teaches clients to become an observer, identifying the life lesson that they are being asked to understand or experience. The model can be used whether a client has spiritual beliefs or not, enabling them to make new choices that are in keeping with their authentic selves, and to live a more fulfilled and peaceful life.

Illustrated by case studies to highlight key points, and including a range of practical resource exercises and strategies, this engaging book will have wide appeal to therapists and clinicians from a variety of backgrounds.

Part 1

Introducing a spiritual perspective into psychotherapy

Chapter 1

Spiritual work with clients

Be drunk with love, for love is all that exists.

Rumi

This chapter discusses a transpersonal approach within psychotherapy and explores some of the different meanings of spirituality and the soul. Guidance is then provided on how you can explore your own spirituality before introducing these ideas with your clients. The benefits of working spiritually with clients is discussed, which also includes accessing additional, positive spiritual resources. Heart Led Psychotherapy (HLP) is introduced as a new spiritually informed therapy that has two working models: the first is a Heart Led (HL) model that can be used with any client regardless of their spiritual beliefs, the second is a Heart and Soul Led (HASL) model that can be applied to those clients open to the concept of a soul. The key spiritual concepts for both models are also detailed, which include the idea that life is an individual journey in which challenges, traumas, and attachment/relationship difficulties can provide opportunities to understand and experience life lessons in order to find self-love and live a more authentic life that is in keeping with the heart and soul.

Transpersonal psychology

Transpersonal psychology is now seen as the Fourth Force in Psychology, where psychology has moved from a behavioural, to a psychoanalytical, to a humanistic, and finally a transpersonal approach. Walsh and Vaughan (1993, p. 203) defined this as:

experiences in which the sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans) the individual or personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, psyche or cosmos.

Caplan (2009, p. 231) suggested:

Transpersonal psychologists attempt to integrate timeless wisdom and modern Western psychology and translate spiritual principles into scientifically grounded, contemporary language. Transpersonal psychology addresses the full spectrum of human psychospiritual development – from our deepest wounds and needs, to the existential crisis of human being, to the most transcendent capacities of our consciousness.

Although Watts (2018) questioned the term transpersonal and whether it does actually relate to something beyond the personal and individual, Siegel (2018) advocated that the aim is to help individuals go beyond the healing of their trauma through an awakening process so that they can achieve their highest potential.

What is spirituality?

You may be wondering why it is necessary or desirable to work using a spiritual or transpersonal dimension. From my own personal experience, as well as working with clients, I have come to realise and appreciate that incorporating spirituality into clinical work can not only access and utilise positive resources for an individual, but it can potentially facilitate a transformative process that allows healing possibly at a multi-dimensional level. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recognised the importance of spirituality on quality of life (WHOQOL, 2006). Recommendations are now provided within many different professional bodies including psychiatry, psychology, and counselling on how to address spirituality with clients and there is also a growing formation of professional specialist spiritual interest groups for clinicians.

Let me explain what I mean by ‘spirituality’ in HLP. I think this is an important point to establish early on, because people have different views and opinions and this can make it extremely difficult to find a unanimous agreement on a definition.

The Oxford Dictionary defines spirituality as:

The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.

Teilhard de Chardin, a French idealist philosopher and Jesuit priest, described us as spiritual beings that have human experiences. Sulmasy (2002, p. 25) referred to spirituality as:

An individual’s or a group’s relationship with the transcendent, however that may be construed. Spirituality is about the search for transcendent meaning. Most people express their spirituality in religious practice. Others express their spirituality exclusively in their relationship with nature, music, the arts, or a set of philosophical beliefs or relationships with friends and family.

Like Sulmasy, HLP encourages spirituality to be all embracing and inclusive and doesn’t segregate any particular religious beliefs. Instead it is open to the acceptance that there is something beyond the physical, cognitive and emotional experiences in this present situation and lifetime. In Buddhism, this is sometimes referred to as a consciousness. Others refer to this as God, Buddha, Mohammad, Spirit etc. Siegel (2017) referred to a Divine energy or Divine cosmic consciousness from above, which can be integrated with energy from Earth and the Divine essence or souls within individuals. Steve Taylor (2017) describes the spiritual journey as a form of awakening. In order to stay awake, one must first start leaving a state of sleep by keeping their eyes open and staying in the moment. We are possibly all referring to the same thing, just with different terminologies.

In reference to spirituality, I personally believe in a Divine Source that is the true source or energy of infinite unconditional love and that when our soul, or our Divine essence, aligns with and embraces the Divine Source, we have the potential to reach a place of bliss or Dharma. There are many ancient and Indian religious meanings of Dharma and no single-word translation exists. Wayne Dyer has publicly spoken and written extensively about Dharma as being where everything in life has a purpose. He referred to Dharma as what you live by, an inner calling within one’s heart, which becomes clear when you truly align yourself with the Divine Source (Dyer, 2013). People have reported different ways to connect with their own personal spiritual faith, for example through meditation, faith, prayer, healing, our environment and nature, music, poetry and literature, art, people and relationships.

At HRH Prince Harry’s wedding on the 19 May 2018, Bishop Michael Bruce Curry addressed two billion viewers with a powerful sermon entitled ‘Love is the only way.’ His sermon beautifully illustrated how to get a simple yet profound message to billions of people around the world. He discussed how we were made by a source of love and incorporated many inspirational quotes, including Martin Luther King Jnr’s famous speech about the importance of love, where love has redemptive powers to help make a new world.

Being open to everything

I don’t define myself as belonging to a particular religion or group. I have certainly experimented throughout my life in the search of finding a group or organisation that fits with my belief system. I was bought up a Catholic and this was a big part of my life until I went to university. As my spirituality widened and I questioned some of the Catholic viewpoints, I tried other religions and spiritualist and meditation groups. I do believe that there can be a great deal of comfort and support in belonging to a particular church or spiritual group, especially in time of need or distress. However, despite this, I have recently found my peace in accepting that there isn’t one group or organisation that encapsulates my spiritual understanding; perhaps this allows me to remain open to the variety of beliefs different individuals have? I have also noticed that I have had spiritual experiences not only through meditation but also through contact with certain individuals, nature, places, and activities, for example dancing, gardening, and yoga.

I am open to the belief of God, Jesus, Angels and Archangels, Buddha, all of the Ascended Masters (spiritually enlightened beings who underwent spiritual transformations during their incarnations as humans) who have gone before us, as well as many other belief systems too. So, if I am working with someone who believes in God, I am comfortable utilising their own beliefs in the work we do if appropriate. The same applies to someone who may be Muslim or Buddhist. As long as I am open to working with their belief system and hold on to the basic principles of acting in a loving, compassionate manner, I can work with whatever anyone brings. This doesn’t preclude me from working with someone who has no spiritual belief system, as I don’t see it as my role to try and convert individuals to any point of view. We are all allowed our own beliefs and I am highly respectful of this. I have to hold on to the position of being accepting and open, and when appropriate, curious to understanding a client’s spirituality and beliefs without judgment or criticism. I always work with what is true to them.

The soul

Spirituality can, but doesn’t have to, believe in the presence of a soul, although I personally do believe in this. Again, like spirituality, it is difficult to scientifically prove or find a universally accepted definition of a soul. However, there is an understanding within the many different religions and philosophical studies that a soul is an incorporeal essence of a living being. In The Mother (1972, p. 247), it is defined as:

The divine spark that dwells at the centre of each being; it is identical with its Divine Origin; it is the Divine in man.

In his description of soul-centred psychotherapy, Powell (2018, p. 73) refers to the soul as ‘the manifestation of spirit through form,’ suggesting that everything has a soul, but that humans are more advanced to include self-consciousness or ‘awareness of awareness.’ Tomlinson (2012) refers to the soul as a pure spirit energy, which holds all the memories and experiences from each incarnation. To me, the soul is an immortal, invisible energy, the Divine within us that originated from the Divine Source of unconditional love. I believe the soul is connected to our higher selves and carries our infinite memories, experiences and knowledge.

If the reader would like to explore more about a soul’s journey then I would recommend Newton’s Journey of our Soul (2011) and subsequent publications. Like Newton, I see myself first and foremost as a soul. In essence, I believe I am a soul first that is housed in a physical body that has emotions, sensations, and beliefs. In this lifetime I happen to be a female, but that doesn’t mean that I have always been reincarnated as a female. I believe my soul holds all the information and memories of my past lives as well as challenges and traumas that I have experienced. Believing in a soul, or the concept of re-incarnation however, is not essential nor a pre-requisite for working spiritually with individuals.

Exploring spirituality within yourself

If you are interested in using a spiritual approach with your clients, it is important for you to be open to the concept of spirituality and be comfortable in your own beliefs without feeling the need to force these onto anyone else. If you are new to the topic of spirituality and interested in discovering how to live a more spiritual life, I would highly recommend watching Wayne Dyer’s film called The Shift. It portrays how to live a more authentic life and how opportunities can present themselves to open up to this concept. This is a lovely film to recommend to clients too.

As your own spiritual awareness increases, so will your ability to identify signs or opportunities with clients that allow the topic of spirituality to open up. Practicing mindfulness will strengthen your awareness within clinical work and this is discussed in Chapter 4. Mindfulness practice has been reported to increase a sense of trust and closeness with others (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Daniel Siegel (2010) suggested that engaging in mindfulness allows therapists to attune and resonate with their clients. Therapists using mindfulness have been shown to bring these skills into their clinical work, which can strengthen the therapeutic relationship (Aggs & Bambling, 2010). Laszlo (2009) discussed a ‘biofield,’ which is described as a universal energy field that extends beyond the body, environment, time, and space. Siegel (2013) conducted a heuristic research study investigating the impact of spiritual resonance between therapists and clients in order to explore the energetic interaction that can occur. She described spiritual resonance as:

Vibrational patterns of greater cosmic wholeness experienced through soul awareness; inclusive of all forms of resonances; not component based; and transmitted multidirectionally in the energy field between therapist, client, Divine Source, and Earth.

(2013, p. 49)

During the process of resonance, it is suggested that one moves beyond the egoic mind to access a higher presence, cosmic energy, or Divine force, which can be very transformative and healing when working with clients. If you are interested in exploring a spiritual journey, or perhaps you are already embarking along this path, you may start noticing your intuition develop, this may take the form of physical sensations, a sense of knowing, inner hearing and seeing. These are all symptoms that I have experienced and that have also been reported elsewhere (e.g. Braud & Anderson, 1998; Siegel, 2013).

Spiritual questions to explore within yourself

Below are some important questions to ask YOURSELF before starting this work with your clients. If you are used to meditating then this can also be a process you can use to explore your answers and notice how they make you feel. There are no right or wrong answers with any of these questions, just what is true to you at this given stage in your life journey. Explore these questions with an openness and acceptance and without judgement or criticism to yourself or others.

1. How would you define your spiritual beliefs?
2. Did you grow up in a spiritual or religious environment?
3. What are the views of your parents or significant people in your life?
4. How do other people’s spiritual beliefs impact on you?
5. Do you believe in the concept of a soul?
6. What do you believe happens when people die?
7. Do you believe in past lives?
8. What is your understanding of why we are here?
9. Do you believe there is a higher source of unconditional love or energy that we all have the potential to align with if we choose?
10. Do you believe in spiritual guides, guardians, Angels, Archangels etc.?
11. How have your spiritual beliefs impacted on your daily life and journey so far?
12. Do you believe that we meet people during a lifetime in order to learn, teach or heal one another?
13. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason or that it is just a coincidence or luck?
14. Do you feel that you want to be able to achieve things but feel a block in the way of doing this?
15. Do you live life through your heart or soul or through your ego?
16. Do you find yourself getting into repeated patterns of behaviour with situations or other people?
17. Are you able to identify something positive within a challenge you experience?
18. Are you busy ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’?
19. Do you meditate or nurture yourself?
20. Do you find it easy to be compassionate and non-judgemental to yourself and others?

As you ask yourself these questions, try to determine whether they are based on generational learning or from experiences you have had, or people you have encountered in your own life. The more understanding you have about yourself and the more experience you have on your own spiritual journey, the more open and receptive you will be to others. As your confidence and spiritual understanding in exploring these questions within yourself increases, so does your intuition in how best to tailor the topic to your client. One poss...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of figures and tables
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• PART 1: Introducing a spiritual perspective into psychotherapy
• PART 2: Preparation for Heart Led Psychology
• PART 3: Heart Led Psychotherapy (HLP)
• PART 4: Case studies
• PART 5: Resources
• References
• Index