Writing Project 3
Part One
We have all heard the time old saying that water and oil don’t mix, or maybe we have tried it ourselves to see how true it is. Now have you ever wondered what else doesn’t mix? For years we have been told that it was psychology and spirituality and religion. Turns out we have been lied to for centuries, the two are actually more similar than we think and could be the future of therapeutic practices.
Now this likely raises the question of why was it believed for so long that the two did not mix? Well, historically speaking psychology has been defined as a science rather than a discipline making it difficult to associate itself with science given that science is based on concrete facts and religion is not. Rather the only connection the two had together in the past was if someone was suffering from a mental illness they were possessed and carried a weak or no relationship with God. This was actually believed for many years and is now key in teaching the history of abnormal psychology, but it has since been disproven, so no your sister who throws tantrums every hour is not possessed by a demon. It has since been found that the integration of the two allows for a holistic approach to treatment and provides a perspective that clients are often seeking.
While we have been convinced that religion and psychology are on very opposite ends of a spectrum, research suggests they may not be so far from each other. There are common themes in theology that overlap in psychotherapy- despair and hope, emptiness and vitality, and morality and meaning. With this overlap there should be no question about whether or not the two can mix but rather what we can do with this combination of practices. As time has progressed we have even seen an emergence of subdisciplines within the field of psychology that pertain solely to specific religions (i.e. Christian psychology and pastoral psychology).
Given its popularity in the states, a lot of the research we see is regarding the integration of Christianity into clinical practice. Treatments such as religious-cognitive behavioral therapy, has shown to be effective in reducing symptoms that are common in depression, anxiety, PTSD, somatic illnesses, and improving recovery post surgery. While we are seeing an increase of faith based interventions we are not seeing enough of other religions being represented. Understanding the role religion plays on mental health is crucial in both an application to treatment and understanding the struggles of your client. It is also important to consider the role that religion plays on relationships and behavior which can impact an array of aspects relative to the individual. Rather, by failing to acknowledge the role that religion and spirituality plays in this field we are doing our clients a disservice and not providing culturally competent care. Other religions have also had success implementing faith based practices into clinical practice, one of which being Buddhism.
In the last half a century, Buddhism has become further incorporated into the clinical practice of psychology inspiring treatments such as integration of cognitive behavioral therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, cognitively based compassion training, and meditation awareness. Past years have demonstrated that meditation, mindfulness, and yoga have gained a rapid following in both it’s use and those who are in support of it for mental health care practices. Did you know these activities are derived from Buddhist principles? Matter of fact, there are a number of Buddhist principles that we follow and are widely unaware of such as compassion and the “non-self.” Within psychology there are key contributions from Buddhism alone that help shape our approach to practice which are wisdom, meditation, and ethical awareness.
While I am not saying that Buddhism, any religion for that matter, is one of the same with psychology, they do share some qualities and can rely on one another to improve the well being of an individual. The overarching goal focusing on the individual ‘self’ and personal development living through specific core values. Due to the nature of Buddhism, it is rather easier to incorporate into western psychology compared to other religions. This may be due to the fact that it is more spiritual than believing in a higher power. Meditation and yoga are quite popular for stress relief or as a self care hobby, you may have even participated in either or both at least once in your life. Meditation has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of depression and improve resilience amongst those who regularly practice overall improving their mental health. It has also been associated with improved cognitive performance and a reduction in emotional distress. There are two forms of meditation that we may see used, serenity/calm and insight both of which aim to improve the individuals well being. Yoga has been selected by clinicians as an alternative to medication to assist with symptoms produced by anxiety and depression. It has also provides other health benefits that will positively impact the individual. Aside from the physical properties, yoga has demonstrated its ability to heighten consciousness and awareness. Something rather new that has been gaining popularity is the practice of mindfulness. For those of you who haven’t heard of mindfulness or have but aren’t aware of what it is, mindfulness means to be aware of what you're thinking about and why in order to be in touch with the now and to improve emotional regulation. Mindfulness now plays an important role in various therapeutic practices and has been found to be effective among various studies. Mindfulness is not subjected only to Buddhism and western psychology but also acknowledged in Chinese and Japanese Zen schools. Studies have found that mindfulness based interventions can be generalized to any population allowing it to be a useful modality for clinicians to adapt into their practice.
Given what we know about the principles of Buddhism that we have already implemented into psychology and their effectiveness we should push for more. The practices mentioned above are known as Buddhist-Derived Interventions (BDI), a part of a larger group of modalities that are based upon Buddhist principles. By including these practices clinicians are becoming more culturally competent by accommodating Asian populations especially those who have migrated to the states. In doing so we are also bridging the gap that exists in the field when it comes to the lack of diversity. Religion is apart of our intersecting identities so it is crucial that we acknowledge the role that it plays.
Moving forward, integration of Buddhist derived interventions should be utilized more in practice. Much of the current research uses populations from the United Kingdom so prospective studies should aim to examine its strength here in the United States. However, that is not to invalidate the effectiveness that has been found to date. The integration of other religions should also be considered. Given the diverse population of the United States considering its population of migrants, acknowledging other religions in our practice will in a way ‘de-westernize’ psychology in a way that it is more applicable. Further research into Islamic psychology and its implementation can be a useful avenue based upon the success of BDI. The timely manner in which they are incorporated should be moderated. It is important to first evaluate the effectiveness of these arising modalities and their implementations to avoid unsubstantiated interventions.
Part Two
To align with the objectives of this course, I decided to take a step away from the traditional genres of writing that I am accustomed to and went a rather casual route for this assignment. A blog post felt best suited for the message I aim to convey and the audience that is to be reached. The versatility of blogs allows me to provide academic information in a consumer friendly format that is available to everyone. There is also no need to remain professional in my application of certain ideologies but rather allows for creative freedom. The formatting conventions for blog posts are rather simple, no large bodies of text, incorporate multimedia, consistency of new material, and avoid making errors. Blog posts are meant to be engaging and easy to read, it is important for authors to captivate their audience within their posts to maintain a steady following. However, drawing in readers comes before the content of the text but rather from the title alone so having a catchy title is important. Citations for this genre are a bit different compared to how they are used in other formats, instead hyperlinks are used within the texts. The hyperlinks are often linked to a single word that is a part of the information that they are referring to. To maintain the stylistic and format conventions I ensured to follow the key parts of a blog that are listed on the Duke website. I also compared my writing to other blogs to not only gain inspiration but to see where my errors may be in following this genre. Previously mentioned, there is a versatility to how blogs can be used. As a result of a blog’s accessibility, there is a vast audience that can be reached using this genre. Based upon the author's intentions, it can be as broad or as niche as they prefer. Blogs can be used for personal, academic, and professional purposes. Oftentimes we find that blogs try to reach one specific audience, to engage a certain community in order to build a sense of unity and familiarity. Other blogs may simply be to add to public knowledge and or discourse. While planning this assignment I had a rather difficult time selecting the audience that I wanted to engage. Upon discussing it with classmates during the ‘bring what you have’ workshop, I was able to narrow down both my writing genre and audience. This could have gone in multiple directions but I ultimately decided upon my audience being skeptics of the incorporation of religion and spirituality in clinical practice more specifically clinicians themselves. Although that is my intended audience, they are not the only people that I hope to reach. I also partially intend for a second audience, those interested in alternative modalities of therapy for both clinicians and prospective patients who feel traditional treatments are not effective and or fitting to their needs. I want to write to the skeptics in the field because I too was in the position of believing that religion/spirituality and psychology do not mix and know a few professors who share the same position. Upon applying to grad programs that are religious institutions that have religion integration in their curriculum and doing research into the application of R/S I can now see its benefits. There is a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of its integration along with the various modalities that can be utilized. This deficit is due to the fact that it is not present in typical curriculums for master and doctoral level programs with the exception of Christian universities. Even then, it is often limited to solely one religion failing to acknowledge the use of other religions therefore not cultivating clinicians that are culturally competent enough to assist those with R/S backgrounds and or preferences. My interest in the second audience is to reach people who may be hesitant to begin therapy and to expand the services that clinicians offer to their patients. Many people are opposed to CBT or more commonly known as ‘talk therapy’ because it feels invasive and or a waste of time. Getting people to know that there are other options out there may motivate them to seek the help that they need in a way that is more fitting for them. This is important for clinicians as well because it allows for them to gain training in new areas and serve a wider variety of individuals.