Object-relations and spirituality: revisiting a clinical dialogue.
Antagonism and separateness has characterized the relationship between psychotherapy and religion/spirituality throughout the history of psychology, beginning with Freudian psychoanalytic theory. Recently, however, spirituality, broadly defined as a transcendent relationship with a higher being, has begun to reemerge as a central concept in therapeutic work. There is fertile ground for exploring how spirituality can be enfolded into psychotherapeutic practice, particularly from an object-relations standpoint. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to examine points of convergence and divergence between spirituality and object-relations theory and explore the integration of spirituality with object-relations therapy, with the hope of replacing historical antagonism with thoughtful and intentional integration.
Gurney
Andrea G
AG
Department of Psychology, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, USA. gurney@westmont.edu
Rogers
Steven A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006694:Holistic Health; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D019455:Self Psychology; D029181:Spirituality