Traditional Islamic spiritual meditative practices: powerful psychotherapies for mental wellbeing.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2025 Farah R Zahir, M Walid Qoronfleh 8 citations
Spiritual meditative practices from the Islamic tradition, such as dhikr and Quran recitation, have historically demonstrated efficacy as treatments for addiction and anxiety. While rigorous empirical research in epigenomics and neuroscience has confirmed that religious and spiritual experiences impact psychology and physiology, Islamic practices have received less scientific attention compared to traditions like mindfulness. A millennium and a half of historical data supports their use as psychotherapy, and they show potential for integration into modern mental health treatments for people of all faiths. Listening to Quranic recitation and forms of dhikr therapy are noted for ease of administration and uniformly positive results, though more empirical studies are needed to translate them into modern complementary and alternative medicine.