Edward P Shafranske

Spiritually oriented psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Journal of Clinical Psychology February 1, 2009 Edward P Shafranske

Spiritually oriented psychodynamic psychotherapy focuses on how religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences affect a client's psychological life. Contemporary psychoanalytic theory offers multiple ways to understand the functions of religious experience. Spirituality helps address existential concerns and create personal meaning, while religious narratives provide relationship schemas and models of experiences like hope that are relevant to mental health. God images or other symbolic representations of the transcendent can evoke emotions that influence motivation and behavior. This approach uses psychodynamic techniques to analyze the functions of religion and spirituality while respecting the client's faith, exploring the psychological meaning of personal commitments without debating faith claims.