Thesis (S.T.M.)--Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 1982. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-119).

Religion is a vital subject. This dissertation either makes a contribution to the study of the psychology of religion, or else it is a waste of time trifling with a very vital subject. There are various phases of the psychology of religion such as the origin of religion; the phenomena connected with conversion and religious revivals; with mysticism, spiritism, occultism, ecstasy, and prophetism; with the subconscious, faith-cure, Christian Science, etc.; the interconnection of mind and body; and the growth of the religious consciousness.

Attitudinal Healing, a psycho-spiritual application of the text, A Course in Miracles, is being used throughout the world to assist people who have life threatening or chronic illnesses, as well as people who are in need of emotional or spiritual support. Attitudinal Healing may be viewed as a meta-theory that is inclusive of other psychological and spiritual thought systems. It empowers individuals to explore universal psychological and spiritual themes in nondogmatic ways. The intent of this research was to gain an understanding of how a six month study of Attitudinal Healing would affect the personal and professional lives of a group of mental health workers. A phenomenological perspective was used. In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted over the course of the study. Findings were related to each of the Twelve Principles of Attitudinal Healing. Shifts in consciousness, belief systems, and individual behaviors occurred as a result of the six month study group. These personal shifts, in turn, affected the professional lives of the mental health workers.

No description available.

The work of Jean Cocteau reveals connections, similarities and differences between him and the writers of the surrealist movement. In order to appreciate the links it is also necessary to examine the principles of Surrealism to determine the extent to which they have similar origins to some of Cocteau's own ideas. This line of inquiry leads to an examination of the part played by the work of Freud and Jung in inspiring both Surrealism and Cocteau. To a certain degree one is lead to question the association between Freud and Surrealism which has often been taken for granted and to look for the origins of surrealistic thought in more specifically French sources to which Freud also had access. Whilst it is difficult to bring about a rapprochement between Cocteau and Freud, there is a much smaller problem in comparing the work of Jung and that of Cocteau. There are striking similarities which indicate not only a divergence of thought between Cocteau and the surrealists but which also tempt one to extrapolate a direct link between Cocteau and Jung for which there is virtually no direct evidence. What is achieved in comparing the two is a greater understanding of the creative method of Cocteau, of the forces which drove him, and of his basic position as a child of the 20th century, yet as a poet of all ages. One begins also to have a clearer vision of the reasons which underlie his all important interest in mythology as a source of pure emotion and distilled poetic essence. For personal rather than artistic reasons a close rapport between Cocteau and the surrealist group is unthinkable as well as generally known, so that there is an enhanced interest not only in a direct comparison but also in comparing Cocteau with artists and poets who worked close to official movement but were not, at least for very long, part of it. Garcia Lorca is a Spanish writer in this position whose ideas and background so closely, resemble Cocteau's that it is almost surprising to find that he was at least tolerated if not completely accepted by the Surrealists; his friends Dalí and and Bunuel even joined the group formally. On the other hand Cocteau's proclaimed admiration for Garcia Lorca indicated at least some feeling in not being able to participate directly in the Surrealist experience. Comparing Cocteau with Lorca necessitates an examination of the creeds and ideals of them both, highlighting aspects of poetic power and creativity in the process. It is hoped to place in the context of 20th century thought the work of both Cocteau and the Surrealists. A continuity between the second half of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century should also be established and the manner in which the First World War acts as a watershed made clear. From the study Cocteau emerges as a more consistent and deeper thinker than he is often considered. The parallels found in the work which he presented in a variety of different artistic fields coupled with the overpowering sense of mission which begins to appear, dispel for ever the myths of the careless and carefree casual adolescent dilettante and reveal instead a conscious artist, a thinking poet, a careful craftsman and a profoundly proud human figure wrought with deep seated anxieties often masqued with flippancy. Undeniably however, consciously or unconsciously, whether or not the Surrealist liked the idea, there was an affinity between them and Cocteau which was sometimes a very close link and at others flared up into an open hostility which at least indicated that they were working in the same areas. Since it was the fashion at the time to accept the view of Freud as a scientist and a medical practitioner in the field of psychiatry, a view which he himself insisted upon, it has been felt justifiable to accept it, although nowadays he is partially discredited. The concept of the subconscious is also not considered favourably although it seemed real to Freud, Jung, the Surrealists and to Cocteau. Consequently it is desirable to work within the parameters of their imagination rather than to take the stance of modern behaviourist psychiatrists whose ideas are irrelevant to the literary uses made of the work of Freud and Jung.

The incorporation of religion and spirituality in psychotherapy has been a long-standing debate. Using in-depth qualitative interviews, this study aimed to explore psychological counsellors’ experiences of how they respond to clients’ religious and spiritual issues and the process by which they manage these responses. Researchers have mostly focussed on what psychological practitioners do to work with their client’s religious beliefs, but not on how psychological practitioners interpret their own therapeutic responses and how the meaning they attribute to these interpretations affects the process of managing their own responses. Grounded theory was used to analyse data from thirteen practicing psychological counsellors, in the UK, with varying religious and spiritual affiliations and an average of 15 practice years. Four main categories emerged from the data: Attunement, Seeing What Is Heard; Boundaried Distancing, Seeing But Not Perceiving; Impasse Distancing, Hearing But Not Seeing; Closing the Gap in Understanding and Working Through Dilemmas To Attunement. One core category surrounded all of the categories: Spanning the Gulf Between ‘Doing’ and ‘Being’, Self-reflection as Integral to Therapists’ Responses. The complex categories related to one another in a way that demonstrated how working with clients who have a similar outlook on religion to themselves, or not, existential questions can emerge which can disrupt beliefs previously accepted by the practitioner. When reflective and attuned, practitioners are motivated to ‘be’ with their clients and sometimes have to acknowledge their own inabilities and limitations. Some practitioners working with clients religious beliefs readily grappled with their own existential uncertainty, using their own experiences as a means to deepen their therapeutic contact with their client and cultivating an openness to the ineffable. Distancing strategies, such as “bracketing” were also, implicitly used, often unrecognized because practitioners had explicit preferred professional identities they wanted to maintain, with an emphasis on doing evidence-based therapy regardless of how well this fitted the client’s presenting issue. A theoretical account was developed to explain this process. Findings are discussed further in relation to the importance of practitioner competence, self-awareness, training, supervision as it relates to religion and spirituality. Recommendations for the practice of counselling psychology focus on how practitioners can manage religious therapeutic misattunement, by acknowledging their own doubts and fears and opening themselves to the quest for deep attunement between therapist and client.

From the 1970s the emergence of religion and spirituality in psychoanalysis is a unique development, given its traditional pathologizing stance. This research examines how and why ‘sacred psychoanalysis’ came about and whether this represents a new analytic movement with definable features or a diffuse phenomena within psychoanalysis that parallels developments elsewhere. After identifying the research context, a discussion of definitions and qualitative reflexive methodology follows. An account of religious and spiritual engagement in psychoanalysis in the UK and the USA provides a narrative of key people and texts, with a focus on the theoretical foundations established by Winnicott and Bion. This leads to a detailed examination of the literary narratives of religious and spiritual engagement understood from: Christian; Natural; Maternal; Jewish; Buddhist; Hindu; Muslim; Mystical; and Intersubjective perspectives, synthesized into an interpretative framework of sacred psychoanalysis. Qualitative interviews were then undertaken with leading experts focusing on the lived experience of contemporary psychoanalysts. From a larger sample, eleven interviews were selected for a thematic narrative analysis and from within this sample, six interviews were then the focus of a reflexive intersubjective analysis, utilizing psychoanalytic techniques. This research concludes that three forms of sacred psychoanalysis can be identified embracing a generic framework for theoretical and clinical understanding; a framework for intersubjective presence; and a framework for spiritual/sacred encounter.

Religious leaders are at the forefront of religious faith and considered to be the gateway between humankind and God in all things, from matters of a spiritual kind, to the psychological. Whilst religious leaders may be acquainted with the spiritual realm, how do they perceive their engagement with the psychological? Furthermore, how do they manage the psychological distresses that they encounter given their pivotal position within the community? This empirical study explores how religious leaders experience the psychological distress of their congregation using the methodological approach of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Eight religious leaders gave an account of their experiences through semi-structured interviews, the transcripts of which were then analysed implementing IPA protocol (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009). Four superordinate themes emerged from the data: ‘expectations of religious leadership’, which explored the participants’ experiences of the expectations placed upon them and their role; ‘proficiencies and limitations within the role’, which explored how the participants understood their professional remit in regard to providing psychological support; ‘the interconnectedness of religion and psychology’, which provided an insight into the participants’ experiences of the overlap between the fields of psychology and religion, and their contribution to each other; and ‘personal implications of religious leadership’, which explored the psychological impact of the religious leadership role on the participants. The four themes were discussed in relation to the religious leaders’ encounters with psychological distress. For most participants this was an external encounter, but reports of personal psychological distress were also presented. The findings have implications for Counselling Psychologists who work with religious individuals entering into therapy, and in particular those with religious leadership status. This study explores the link between religion and psychology from the perspective of those integral to this phenomenon, yet who appear to have received little empirical consideration. The findings are discussed in the light of previous research. The quality and limitations of this study are also considered, alongside proposals for future research.

The psychological impact of Jewish family purity laws is under-researched, particularly within the United Kingdom. This study gives women who observe these rules an opportunity to be heard, and contributes to the multicultural literature enhancing counselling psychologists’ understanding of ethnic minorities. The study explores in depth the experiences of women who observe Jewish family purity laws. Through a qualitative research design, the study aims to elucidate the deep meaning of the women’s experiences and the implications for their current lives, so that they can be supported efficiently through counselling psychology. The data was collected from eight observant orthodox Jewish participants who had been married for between one and five years. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather information from the participants. This was followed by an analysis of the data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The four superordinate themes that emerged from the data were: The Power of Dissonance, conveying feelings of anxiety, pressure and guilt while bound be these rules; The Emotional Juxtaposition, describing paradoxical feelings of monotony and excitement within their martial relationship; The Phenomenon of Relational Space, exploring paradoxical findings covering closeness, distance, invasion and space; and last, Desire for Attachment, referring to the desire for meaningful relationships with G-d1 and their spouses. Existing literature is drawn on to evaluate the findings, and the limitations of the study are outlined, together with the implications for research into, and clinical practice of counselling psychology. Emphasis is placed on the need to offer therapy that empowers clients to take control of their lives and make informed choices on the basis of their own decisions and desires, rather than those imposed on them by anything else. The study concludes with recommendations for future research.

Contextual theories of language and experience have been introduced in religious studies at the end of the 1970's to undermine the thesis of a common core in mystical experiences. / A brief review of the essential arguments of W. T. Stace and S. T. Katz is presented. We will then examine how the most consequential attempts to extract intelligible models from the mystics' testimonies have been reflecting, to a large extent, the philosophical assessments of science. We will justify the approach of modern psychology in the general endeavor of erecting an integrated epistemological model of human awareness, since this approach is better positioned to respect both the subjective contribution of the subject and the revised concept of objectivity in empirical methodology. / We will discuss the psychological process known as "cognitive alternation" or "cognitive adaptiveness" and its role in the creative process, and examine how this process reveals the essential structural orientation of consciousness.