From Digital to Spiritual: The Use of Spirituality
as a Therapeutic Strategy?

by Soraya Behbehani, MA MFT

Where do you draw strength from during your most difficult time? Is there any spiritual activity that helps you through the tough times in your life? Are you interested in learning to use your spiritual resources to enhance your well-being?

As our society becomes increasingly technical and mechanical, as we are ruled more and more by our cell phones, e-mail, pagers and PDAs, and as we are spending increasing amounts of time at our computers even for social purposes, our sense of alienation as a society grows. We may have all felt that sense of loss or isolation at times. In a way we are moving forward, yet a part of us is left behind -our true sense of humanity and inner wisdom. Is that too high of a price to pay? It certainly could be if that's the part we need in order to tackle life's challenges and to enjoy a better quality of life.

In this digital era, there is a growing sense of confusion and conflict about values, standards, priorities, lack of reliable humane guideposts, and mentors. Our time is governed by technology, the speediest, the highest frequency, and the state of the art. We are constantly concerned with moving forward, and as a result we are losing the ability to live in the present and to enjoy the moment. For many, these are confusing times. Families are eroding and communities are no longer available in the sense they used to be. As people are finding their lives less meaningful they may experience a sense of emptiness, and therapists might be sought for support.

The isolation normally addressed in therapy can result from a number of sources; social, geographic, cultural factors, the breakdown of intimacy, lack of social skills and various personality types that do not invite intimacy. This is only one type of isolation. Besides the interpersonal isolation there is also existential isolation and intrapersonal isolation. Spirituality addresses all three; the search for meaning in one’s life, one's connection to the world, as well as one's relationship to oneself. For many people, spirituality is a deep source of identity as well as coping and strength. Spirituality is the source of hope within each individual. This is a true sense of hopefulness that is not brought on or interrupted by any external factors.

Throughout time and history, and according to different disciplines, the natural healing resource within each person has been defined by various names such as the Higher Self, the Soul, The Spirit, the God-Within. In psychology, this is called the Super Conscious or the Collective Unconscious. In Science-Biological Wisdom.

At the California Marriage and Family Therapist Association's 39th annual conference on May, 2003 in San Jose, California, and more recently in an extensive day-long workshop on Spirituality and Psychotherapy in Redondo Beach provided on behalf of Marriage and Family Therapist Association for continuing education, I, together with two colleagues; Dr. Lynn Wilcox and Dr. Farnaz Khoromi, spoke about "The Integration of 'Spirituality and Psychotherapy'" in clinical practice.

Each of us combines Eastern spiritual wisdom and traditional psychotherapy to speed up the therapeutic process and to help clients to create changes at deeper levels. What we propose here is a system of healing that treats the entire person, mind/body/and soul. To access the soul is to access the most untapped source of strength in the individual.

Traditionally all issues that were spiritual and religious in nature were not handled in the therapy office but were referred to the Rabbi, the pastor, or other religious figures and organizations. However, some of the most basic questions and problems we face in life have a spiritual dimension to them. Our values at core are frequently grounded on spiritual and religious beliefs. In more cases than not, they are the makeup of our world views and the underlying principles that affect our decisions and behaviors, and cannot be separated and referred out, as they are an integral part of who we are.

The modern therapist will do best not only to try and understand how spirituality and religion impact the client's life, but to use the client's spirituality as an important source of strength. The spiritual model dictates an openness on the part of therapists to the mystical experiences of clients - such as extrasensory experiences, near death experiences and visions. These may be belief systems that are different from the therapist's but they demand that therapists not ignore what at times  might be very hidden and very private dimensions of their clients. In a way psychology has overlooked perhaps the most important human dimension.

In November 2003, Newsweek magazine reported that "There's a growing belief in the medical community that what happens in a person's mind and soul can be as important to health as what happens on the cellular level, that which was abandoned from the clinic in favor of technological and pharmaceutical progress."

Twelve-step programs have been using spiritual strategies to treat and to prevent addiction quite successfully for over 70 years. When we are faced with pain greater than we can bear and our mental capacities fail us, we need something bigger and more powerful with which to deal with life's turmoil and suffering. With spiritual awareness we gain a deeper level of understanding and feel more empowered to resolve situations and break through patterns. Spiritual psychotherapy also focuses on client's strengths vs. problems and builds upon the strengths.

In my own book, "The Messenger Within: Love and Wholeness through meditation" I speak of how much is to be gained from spiritual traditions such as Sufism, to which I adhere. I suggest the accessing of natural spiritual resources in a therapeutic setting not only as a part of a coping strategy but also to enrich daily living.

Spiritual psychotherapy addresses clients’ entire being- mind body and soul. We have all experienced tension headaches, back aches and general muscle tension, when we feel stressed. The mind and the body work hand in hand. There is absolutely no way one would feel tense mentally if one were relaxed physically. If you are in a good place spiritually, you are less prone to everyday stress and can deal better. It's really simple regardless of anything else that might or might not be a problem in your life right now; if you want to feel better you need to connect to your spirituality.

Here are some ways to enjoy a better quality of life:

1) Connect to something bigger than your self to widen your perspective on life.

2) Center yourself often during the day.

3) Often remember your strengths and everything that makes you so unique.

4) Spend quality time with yourself, be a good friend to yourself and listen to yourself.

5) Meditate, journal, pray, read spiritual texts, Sufi poetry, practice your art.

6) Connect with nature, play in the yard, and walk barefoot along the beach.

7) Remember the people that you love and those who care about you,  and remember ways you have touched them and how they have touched your life.

8) When it is hard to deal, recall a time when you felt expansive, alive and energetic and adjust your vision.

9) When looking for answers, know that you have your own answers within you, first center yourself  and then you will find them.

10) Establish a real connection with your higher power.

11) Sign up for a self growth workshop with Soraya today!