Spirituality and Therapy: The Three Domains of Spiritual Health

Whether you consider yourself agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, Latter-Day Saint, atheist, Evangelical Christian, Catholic, or, as journalist A.J. Jacobs humorously defined himself, “Jewish in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant,” this article is for you.

In the previous article of this series we (1) recognized the resurgence of spirituality in the realm of psychotherapy and healthcare, (2) identified a pragmatic need for trained psychotherapists in areas of spiritual and religious competencies, and (3) provided basic tips on how to find a licensed clinician to help work through issues of faith in a therapeutic setting. This article will help provide clarity for the term “spiritual health” when setting goals, as well as provide some initial recommendations on how to enhance your spiritual health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) have recognized the significance spirituality plays in overall health and wellness going as far as to state, “Health ultimately depends on the ability to manage successfully the interaction between the physical, spiritual, biological and economic/social environment.” (Protection and Promotion of Human Health, Chapter 6.3). However, the question remains, how are we to define spiritual health?

I personally appreciate Dhar, Chaturvedi, & Nandan’s (2011) definition of spiritual health:

“Spiritual health is a state of being where an individual is able to deal with day-to-day life in a manner which leads to the realization of one’s full potential, meaning and purpose of life, and happiness from within… Spiritual health is a state of health reflected through three domains- Self-Evolution, Self-Actualization and Transcendence.” …(read more)

Originally published by Utah Valley Health and Wellness