The aim of this qualitative research project was to investigate the phenomenon of spirituality within occupation as encountered by six people who have all experienced mental illness. A Heideggerian phenomenological philosophy was utilised as the theoretical background. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with each participant, which were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a hermeneutic, circular process. Eight themes arose from the investigation. Firstly, the experience of spirituality is diverse and each person has his or her idiosyncratic understanding of what spirituality is. Secondly, spirituality is experienced as a journey that changes across time. The third theme notes that spirituality is vitally important to the study participants, so much so, that participants??? spirituality saved them from suicide and filled their lives with meaning and purpose. The fourth theme is recognition that there are ???spiritual occupations??? that are designed to directly access one???s spirituality. Fifth is that spirituality is a form of being which provides the meaning to purposeful doing and that therefore spirituality can make even ???ordinary??? occupation spiritually meaningful. Theme six is that spirituality is not only important on an individual level, but that social and community dimensions of spirituality are also essential. Theme seven finds that mental illness provided the ???wake-up message??? that ???called??? each participant to a spiritual life. The final theme is that spirituality helps the participants cope with living with mental illness. The thesis concludes that spirituality is an indispensable part of each participant???s life. Spirituality has both irrevocably changed participants??? lives and allowed them find personal meaning in their lives that is life-sustaining and life-enhancing. The findings also reveal that spirituality can be related to occupation both theoretically and practically. Given that spirituality was found to be life-saving and life-sustaining and that it can be conceptualised as an essential dimension of occupation, it is argued that spirituality is an issue of high importance to occupational therapists. However, since some occupational therapists may not feel comfortable or knowledgeable enough to discuss spirituality in practice (Collins, Paul and West-Frasier 2001; McColl 2000) it is noted that this topic area forms an emergent frontier for occupational therapy. As a pioneer area of practice, further research and investigation into this fascinating and mysterious realm is recommended. / thesis (MApSc(OccupationalTherapy))--University of South Australia, 2003.

In current discussions about contemporary forms of spirituality, consideration is given to the question, ‘what is spirituality?’ and to exploring the range of associated beliefs and practices. Common to most discussions is the acknowledgement that the term spirituality is ambiguous and does not represent any one finite quality or thing, but rather, is a wide and somewhat identifiable set of characteristics. Some commentators suggest that contemporary spirituality, characterised by its separation from institutional forms of religion, and represented by the hallmark expression “I am spiritual, but not religious”, is an increasing phenomenon in Australian society. In view of this, there are several debates about the merits of a spirituality without explicit links to religion (in particular Christian traditions) and whether a personal spirituality can hold any real depth or purpose, or whether it just perpetuates a superficial, narcissistic focus of the self. This kind of critique pays little attention as to how spirituality, and the associated beliefs and practices, are developed and applied in an everyday sense, and how this impacts on the lives of those who subscribe to their own sense of spirituality. In this thesis, I shift the focus from analysing the merits of a personalised spirituality to exploring in depth some of the lay understandings and purposes underlying contemporary forms of spiritual practice. The primary concern of my thesis is to describe this phenomena of spiritual life as experienced by eleven younger Australian women aged 18-38 years inclusive, who considered themselves ‘spiritual’ women, yet do not necessarily identify with a particular religious denomination. At its core, and as a phenomenological study, the thesis undertakes a theoretical exploration of consciousness and the apprehension and formation of belief, meaning, and identity. Held central, and alongside the phenomenological methodology, is the feminist notion that every woman is the centre of her own experience, that any interpretations and understandings of women’s spirituality, must start with the personal. The empirical stages of research therefore focus on an exploration of the women’s personal understandings, experiences, interpretations and translations of spirituality to uncover the location and application of spirituality in everyday life. A primary factor explored throughout the thesis is the intersection between emotional experiences, meaning and purpose, and notions of spirituality. It is my assertion that grief, crisis and trauma, and the more general emotional experiences arising from everyday life, can be a driving force to embark on an exploration of the spiritual; inform personal constructions of spirituality; and provide a basis for the articulation of that spirituality, with a central purpose of alleviating emotional pain. Thus, my main thesis contention is this ‘new’ form of spirituality, as experienced and practiced outside of religious institutions, was expressed by the women in this research as a conscious and pragmatic resource applied, and developed in relation to, the various events and experiences of everyday life, and in relation to the ongoing process of developing and locating a sense of self and identity.

Thesis (M.N.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-131).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Feb. 6, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-103).

Zugl.: Linz, Univ., Diplomarbeit

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / CD has title: Appendix B, the song self. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-298).

Thesis (doctoral)--Humboldt-Universiẗat, Berlin, 2007. / Mixed media. Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-298) and index.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Ethnomusicology and Musicology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 372-386). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR29325