Exploring Psychological Resilience and Meaning-Making in Hindu Bhakti Practices: An Examination of Devotional Experience, Ritual Participation, and Neuropsychological Adaptation
Advanced International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research July 7, 2026 Nisha Bhardwaj
Hindu devotional (bhakti) traditions serve as a multidimensional resilience model that integrates emotional, cognitive, social, physiological, and spiritual aspects of human experience. Practices such as kirtan, japa, puja, darshan, meditation, pilgrimage, and satsang can lead to adaptive psychological functioning through emotional processing, social bonding, cognitive reframing, and neurophysiological regulation. The review also discusses the psychological roles of karma, dharma, surrender, reincarnation, and attachment to the divine in shaping responses to suffering. Neurobiological effects of chanting and meditation include stress reduction, attentional control, and neuroplasticity. The article critically notes drawbacks like spiritual bypassing, fatalism, and negative religious coping, and emphasizes culturally sensitive mental health research.