Spirituality can help people heal in a number of ways. But does it have any effect on traumatic brain injury?
A recent study by Brigid Waldron-Perrine, PhD at
More specifically, she found that religion and spirituality may help improve the emotional and physical rehabilitation of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI).
TBI can increase patients’ risk for mental and physical problems, including higher levels of stress, lower life satisfaction, and being overly-dependent on others.
Dr. Waldon-Perrine interviewed 88 individuals, most of whom were African-American Christian males. After running neuropsychological tests to measure cognitive abilities, she asked them about their religious practices and then gathered information about their functional status from a significant other.
What she found was inspiring.
Participants who reported greater connection to a higher power had improved emotional and physical rehabilitation outcomes, including higher life satisfaction, lower distress, and higher functional ability.
This study didn’t use a randomly assigned, controlled procedure, so we cannot infer causality. (It may be that the men in her study had improved functioning for other reasons, but the correlation found between spirituality and healing is still interesting.)
Other researchers have also found a connection between the social support faith communities provide and faster healing.
But what is special about this study is that even after taking social support out of the equation, participants still healed more quickly.
You can find the entire study in the journal Rehabilitation Psychology.
When we help our patients connect to their higher power, whatever that may be, we may also be helping to improve their outcomes.
That’s why we’ve been working to create an exciting new resource on spirituality and healing – we’ll be announcing more soon.
Click here for a free report on a spiritual technique you can use to help patients overcome their fears and embrace change.
How has spirituality influenced your patients’ outcomes?
I find this article to reaffirm other research I have read. However this article makes a leap beyond what the research actually shows, in order to make it more politically acceptable. The study group was with 88 individuals, most of whom were “Christian” black men. Christianity is a specific form of spirituality with a belief in a Biblical God and Jesus Christ. Tio take the outcomes and generalize to a less specific, diluted faith in “spirituality” and a “belief in a higher power” is not scientifically warranted, and in fact, is poor science. While many may prefer the more diluted results, it is not accurate. Regardless of a persons, partivularly a clinicians, personal beliefs, this researvh demonstrates that a belief in the Christian God has made the difference, not just any spiritual belief. I am in favor of accuracy in science, rather than in pushing my own personal preferances in a belief system. A more diverse spiritually faithful group would be necessary to make the conclusions so general.
More articles on impact of spirituality and illness
Ruth,
Our brains are so much more powerful than most of us realize or imagine. I just finished listening to Dr. Bruce Lipton’s CD’s of The Biology of Belief . One thing he emphasizes about our body cells is that they either move toward or move away from something. We move away from something due to fear. If we move toward it and have faith in a higher power, that faith alone will help to heal whatever ails us. Examples abound, from Christian Science, John of God and myriad other healing modalities and healing testimonials.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
What if you are a card carrying atheist?
Seek the power that is within yourself. Let your clients choose to access their own higher power, spirituality, or that which is within/outside them. What is the “you” that makes you who you are, unlike anyone else? We all can believe as we choose and as a teacher and hpnotherapist, allow your clients/students to find their own beliefs.
CJ
In all the years of working with Alcohol and Drug abusers I found that the client that embraced the spirituality of the program recovered faster and were able to sustain their soberity.
What is spirituality? I have learned that spirituality is so much more than religion. Spirituality comes from our own depths; our need to express our inner beauty – our contact with the unfathomable and expressing it; by painting, dancing, writing, or any other way. Suppressing this part of ourselves leads to depression and anxiety. It is vital that psycholigists understand this, and that we – everyone treat this part of ourselves with the utmost respect and sincerity.
This is top down thinking using a biopsychosocial spiritual interactive healing model. I have used it now for several years. The recovery and healing rates are measurably much higher! We must become integrated in order to move towards healing and fullness of “Integrity and Character”.
totally agee with this.