Beyond the Couch: The Ethical Path to Integrating Spirituality in Therapy

In this episode of the Integrated Wisdom podcast, I discuss the ethical considerations that support the integration of spirituality into more traditional psychological and mental health practices.

I also shared some examples of how both Therapists and Clients can introduce discussions around spirituality to facilitate the integration of these necessary concepts into the therapeutic approach, to ensure wholistic and ethical care.

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Intro and Outro music: Inspiring Morning by Playsound

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Transcript

Tatiana: 0:00

Welcome to the Integrated Wisdom Podcast. I am your host, Tatyana Da Silva. Join me as we discuss what it means to live an integrated life and explore ways for you to create a life filled with greater meaning, peace, and connection by integrating the wisdom of spirituality, psychology, Neuroscience, Epigenetics and Energy Psychology are hoped to empower you to create deeper and more loving connections with yourself and others, whilst also paving the way for humanity at large to be reimagined and inspired to become the very best version of itself. Hello and welcome to the integrated wisdom podcast. Thank you so much for joining me for yet another week. Those of you that have been following me along now for the past year in a little bit, that this podcast has been running. Would know. That I am a registered psychologist in, based in Australia. And I am a big advocate for the integration of spirituality. Into our more traditional therapeutic approaches. For various reasons. One, because I believe that in our essence, at our core, we are spiritual beings. And most of our experiences. On earth revolve around a spiritual context. And having that be. Removed from our understanding of ourselves, our understanding of our lives. creates this emptiness or this potential for emptiness. That often is the gateway for a lot of suffering and struggle for people. So in today's episode, what I wanted to do is speak to. Why not only as therapists. So if you're listening to this podcast and you're a psychologist or a therapist that works with people in supporting them through mental health struggles, Or their needs. It is our professional imperative to be integrating spirituality into the work that we do with our clients. But if you're listening as a consumer and potentially someone who has sought therapy yourself or. Has been considering seeking therapy, I want to speak to you about why it would be in your best interest. To also think about. Requesting that a spiritual component, which whatever that means for you be incorporated into any therapeutic work that you've pursued. So first and foremost, I think the imperative that impels us as therapists to introduce spirituality or incorporate spirituality into the work that we do with people. Already is apparent in some of our ethical standards and expectations from our governing regulatory bodies. And this is true. Of all psychologists across the world. But definitely so in Australia. Our ethical guidelines. which provide us with, an expectation or standard of. Expected professional conduct. that we must adhere to. as psychologists in Australia. One of the standards that we are. Requested to consider is to incorporate the diverse needs of our clients. And those diverse needs not only include. Their cultural considerations and contexts, but also their spiritual leanings. That is a really big, important factor. That must be incorporated in the work that we do. Because it forms a part or a facet. Of the clients that we're working with. If we want to address the whole person in front of us. It is imperative that we factor in these other aspects of their being, their understanding of themselves. Their understanding of their purpose on earth, how they navigate life. and so forth. And similarly, as, as clients, when you're coming to see a therapist, you want to be addressed as a whole of you, right? You want to be able to show up as your true. Full authentic self. And I think particularly for clients who have a spiritual leaning, But, Maybe don't necessarily feel like they're entitled to, or allowed to bring that facet of themselves into therapy. That the two things should be really separate. I think it can hinder our clients ability to integrate some of the therapeutic work that they're doing, but also. I guess impact their ability to show up as their full selves. Right. And so both the client and the therapist are kind of limited by these, these very important elements being left out. Of the therapy room. So I think that's one really important thing to consider. If you're seeking therapy. Or if you're someone who provides therapy, either as a psychologist, a counselor, a psychotherapist, a mental health social worker. Um, whenever we're working with individuals who are vulnerable or trying to navigate. Challenges in their lives. Seeking to understand any spiritual elements that they wish to bring into. The therapeutic room into. The formulation of who they are as a person in this world. Is not only advised, but it's actually a professional imperative in line with our ethical standards. Recently, I ran a course that I've developed. All around guiding therapists. It's like psychologists and therapists in particular. On how to integrate. Spirituality ethically and in an evidence-based way within the therapeutic work that they do. And one of the components of the course. We're involved speaking to this. Professional imperative that is outlined in our ethical guidelines. That is actually also outlined in some of the diagnostic manuals. You know, the in more recent years, the diagnostic manuals, both the DSM. Five to tr and the ICD 11. I mean, it started with a 10, but, um, they both incorporate elements within the diagnostic assessment and the tools. That, um, factor in. The spiritual component or spiritual identity of individuals. And it's encouraged that. A lot of our, case formulations B. Including this, this facet, because sometimes that element can not only help us understand a little bit more. The nature of. The presentation of the client, but also how we can guide them towards the right therapeutic tools. And how we can help them navigate that process towards healing and, I guess self-efficacy. And so that was a really interesting conversation. You know, in with the participants in the group, for many, it was quite a surprise. In fact. That they were discovering that this was something that we're actually not only allowed to do professionally, but also we're almost expected to do. But also, it felt very, very encouraging because as I've come out of my own shell and have embraced my own fears, Um, judgment for my spiritual leanings and fear of professional repercussions. And I have discovered for myself that there is actually. Not only mechanisms that allow us to do so, but actually encourage us to do so. I've been finding more and more therapists and psychologists Who also have these spiritual leanings and these deep, deep yearning. To be showing up as their full, authentic selves, into the therapeutic space to be able to incorporate their spiritual essences, but also create a safe space for clients to feel safe, to bring that to the room as well. And so I know that like knowing that there are professional guidelines that support us. In being able to do this can give us that extra level of reassurance. In permission, I suppose. to be able to do that. In, in a professional and ethical way. One thing that's really sad. And this is very unique to our Australian listeners. Is a lot of these limitations seem to be almost. exclusively. emphasized here in Australia, we seem to be lagging behind. The rest of the world where. Having a spiritual component to the way that therapists and psychologists work with clients. Is much more widely accepted and expected overseas. you know, there, there are many. degrees and higher qualifications in countries like the US in. In the UK, uh, even in parts of south America, parts of Europe. Where it's it's more widely accepted or available. There are courses available that incorporate the spiritual nature. Of life. That's the incorporate spiritual concepts into a therapeutic structure, or however you, we would weave it into more traditional therapeutic modalities. and that our training. Psychologists and therapists. On. How to, how to do that in a way that feels safe for our clients. But also, you know, authentic. And in Australia, there's still so much fear. W sadly. and I think part of that is because we're, we're kind of lagging behind a little bit. And so. Firstly, it's important to understand. That there is almost a professional imperative. Or expectation. That we would factor in. The spiritual facets of our clients. and that there are ways to, to introduce spirituality. Ethically. And in an evidence-based way. to the work that we do with our clients. But also there are many clients out there who want to be talking about their spirituality or some of them talk, want to talk about their spiritual experiences. But they're scared to bring it into the room with us. Right. They're scared to bring it into the room for fear of being thought crazy. Particularly clients who probably have. High levels of sensitivity. They might have some medium ship. Um, and I have had a lot of really, um, Remarkable and. Transformative spiritual experiences or interactions. But not. I don't really know where to put it, how to, how to address it. And so in creating a space where we give people permission to bring these questions into the room. To talk about their experiences free from fear of judgment. Or, you know, negative repercussions. It's so important. I write for a client to be able to come into the room and talk about some of their experiences and not fear being scheduled into a mental health facility. To know that someone's going to show up for them and just listen and hold space. For their, for their experiences. It's really important. It's part of our ethical requirements. And so, for those of you who are listening as therapists, psychologists, and who wants to start opening that door for their clients, creating. That space that gives them permission. To bring their spiritual selves into the room. A couple of questions that you might wish to ask them. To start that conversation. Right to give them that permission. Is potentially a question, like what role does spirituality or a faith have in your life, if any. Or are there any spiritual religious beliefs that you think are important for us to include in our work together? Questions like that. Are really important to create that space of. Permission and safety for clients to talk about these aspects of themselves. If they choose to, should they choose to if they don't, of course, if it doesn't have any bearing in their life or self identity, Then, of course we wouldn't include that. and we wouldn't force it on them because again, part of our ethical, imperatives or expectations are that we, we, we matched where the client is at, right. That we work with. Their own beliefs in. And cultural experiences. But I think it's important that we ask that question almost as a, as a default, because if you're not asking that question, we could potentially be missing a lot of really important information about the client. And giving a greater level of depth and richness to the work that we're doing with them. And as clients, if you're listening to this and you've, you're either in therapy currently, or you, you know, at some point you think you might want to have some therapy. You can, you can. Bring it to the table. You can ask your therapist, you know, is it possible for us to. To incorporate some of my spiritual or religious beliefs in the work that we do. Like I like my spirituality is really important to me. How can we incorporate it into the work that we're doing? Right. So, I guess I just wanted today's episode to really start to lay this path. That points to the way in which. The way forward for mental health for, um, the world at large freely is the need to start incorporating the spiritual facets of people and the spiritual context in which life happens. In a subsequent episode, I'm going to start doing a little bit of a series. Where I start talking about some of the evidence that we can draw on as well. That allows us to feel really grounded and safe in having these conversations that we can provide some, some, some research that supports and, backs up what we're saying and why it's important to incorporate into the work that we do. There is an abundance of evidence of research. That's been running for decades now. That's been pointing to the fact that having spirituality or having a spiritual practice. Has. Vast benefits for clients. Both on a mental health perspective, but also a physiological perspective. It helps with their physical health. With immunity with a whole host of different processes in a person's body. So it's important, both again as therapists, but also as consumers that we start taking into account. or introducing and incorporating. The spiritual nature of our clients. Right start having these conversations. Those of you that have been following along have heard me say multiple times, we're going through a crisis of meaning in the world right now. And I genuinely believe it. I know that I'm not the only one because there are more and more other people who are. Standing up and vocalizing this need for the world to start to incorporate spirituality more decisively for us to return to the spiritual essence of who we are. Right. Researchers like Doctor Lisa Miller. Who's a clinical psychologist in the US and has done. an incredible job. Building a body of evidence that points to the neuro-biological benefits. Of having a spiritual practice. You know, there are so many researchers out there doing this work. And it's not by accident. we really are at a time when having these facets be brought back into. The forefront of our understanding of people. All of our understanding of life, what gives our life meaning and purpose? What makes it possible for us to keep going. Even in the face of adversity. So much of that boils down to, or can be helped by. Our understanding of the spiritual context in which everything happens. And so moving forward, I'll be sharing much more on these things as well as continue to highlight some of my peers. Other, psychologists and therapists who are really open to talking about their own spiritual journeys and how it's enhanced their personal lives, but also their work, with their clients. So you can stay tuned for some more of these conversations. But, if you're a therapist listening to this and you've got some fears around. Potentially bringing spirituality into your work, you know, fear of professional repercussion, reach out to me. What are some of those fears? You know, if I can speak to any of them in more directly, I would love to be able to do that because I really want to empower other psychologists, other therapists, working with individuals. To feel. Really, Positive and confident in working with their spiritual essence and the spiritual essences of their clients. So reach out to me, you can always email me at hello@integratedwisdom.com.au. Any questions, any experiences that you may have had. Positive or negative, If you're someone who already incorporate spirituality into the work that you do with your clients. I'd love to hear from you. Again, if you've got fears, I'd love to hear from you as a therapist, but also if you're someone listening to this podcast, who's either already had therapy. Or have some fees around, you know, wanting to incorporate spirituality. Into bringing it to your therapist, reach out. And I'd love to hear from you some questions that you might have. What is some information that I can provide to you? That will help you feel more confident to do so, or, you know, what are some resources that you might be looking for? That I can point you to in subsequent. Episodes to help you all along this journey. Again, you can always email me at hello@integratedwisdom.com.au or you can also find me on Instagram. At. Integrated underscore wisdom. So you can reach out to me in either place. I'd love to hear from you. So that's all I've had for you for this week. I will back in a fortnight. We're currently doing fortnightly episodes at the moment. Just in order to maintain. My aunt's sustainability and in wellbeing needs. And just going through. Uh, phase of some personal demands, which meant that I had to pull back a little bit from the weekly episodes or so we'll be doing them fortnightly. And the next episode is going to be another soulful chat. With a D colleague of mine. So I hope you all have a lovely couple of weeks. Thank you all for listening in for your ongoing support. If you haven't already subscribed to the podcast saying. I invite you to subscribe to the, to the podcast, leave me a review and a rating. So I know. What's landing. What's what you need more of, but also so that he can form the algorithm to push this content out to more people that may benefit from it. If there are people in your lives that you feel could really benefit from some of these conversations, I really invite you. to share it with them. So I thank you again, hope you all have a lovely week and I'll speak to you next time. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Integrated Wisdom. It is my sincere wish that today's episode may have intrigued and inspired you to reclaim your power and step into becoming more fully integrated spiritual beings. New episodes are published every second Wednesday and I hope you'll continue to join us as we dive deeper into what it means to live an integrated life. So if it feels aligned to you, I invite you to hit subscribe and share it with others who you feel may benefit too. You may also find me on Instagram at integrated underscore wisdom. Remember each moment is an opportunity to embrace your divine potential and create a world that is more frequently inspired. So for now, stay connected, stay inspired and keep shining your light into the world.