Religious or spiritual problem? The clinical relevance of identifying and measuring spiritual emergency

Title
Religious or spiritual problem? The clinical relevance of identifying and measuring spiritual emergency
Publication Date
2019
Author(s)
Harris, Kylie P
Rock, Adam J
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1430-3745
Email: arock@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:arock
Clark, Gavin I
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Association for Transpersonal Psychology
Place of publication
United States of America
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/52217
Abstract

Spiritual emergency (SEY) is a type of religious or spiritual struggle that has been associated with physical and psychological health problems as well as providing a unique opportunity for growth. The SEY construct provided the impetus for the development of a diagnostic v-code that exists within the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). However, clinicians are failing to utilize the code due to a lack of understanding and knowledge. This article discusses the clinical relevance of identifying religious and spiritual problems and presents an overview of the SEY construct. We discuss attempts to identify religious and spiritual problems in a clinical setting and distinguish them from psychopathology. A systematic review of recent research aimed to measure SEY is provided, along with an outline of its limitations and suggestions for further empirical inquiry. Given the expanding number of positive health benefits associated with healthy religiousness and spirituality, facilitating this potential outcome for those experiencing more pathological forms of religiousness and spirituality should be of paramount importance to mental health professionals.

Link
Citation
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 51(1), p. 89-118
ISSN
0022-524X
Start page
89
End page
118

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