A Model of Psychotherapy Based on the Soul and Spirituality: A Bridge Between Psychology and Religion

by Julie Ann Brock

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Psy.D. Pepperdine University 1997

Spirituality is gaining acknowledgment as an important and legitimate aspect of psychotherapy. Here is a doctoral dissertation reviewing the relevant literature and developing "a model of psychotherapy with the soul and spirituality as central constructs."

Brock found that

. . . psychologists find spirituality to be a relevant topic in psychology and that spirituality is correlated with increased mental health.

Based on this literature a model of psychotherapy was constructed consisting of the following components: (a) philosophical underpinnings, (b) a theory of personality, c) a theory of pathology, (d) a theory of change and healing, and (e) treatment. Essentially, the model proposed that: (a) the soul and Spirit are partners in evolution; (b) the soul is seeking communion, which translates into seeking full self-expression, unconditional love, and final union with Spirit; (c) suffering is a result of the personality being unaligned with the soul, experiences of loss and isolation, injury from one another, and an unfulfilled spiritual longing; (d) healing is facilitated by the personality becoming aligned with the soul and connected to Spirit; and (e) treatment involves techniques designed to integrate the soul and spirituality into therapy, align the personality with the soul, and deepen the client's connection to their soul and spirit. Therapy is designed to be a process of inner awareness whereby clients become more self-expressive, loving, soul-connected, and Spirit-united.
                                                        (dissertation abstract)

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