Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
1.3
0.6
Journals
Religions
Special Issues
Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness...
share announcement

Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 3870

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lisa Miller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Interests: spirituality; spiritual development; clinical psychology; religion; lifespan; psychopathology; mental health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue we welcome original articles on methods for the cultivation of spirituality that support the growth of spirituality per se, as well as those that impact mental health and wellbeing. The interventions studied may span from treatment, to prevention, wellness, and to formation. This Special Issue welcomes innovative articles that, through the context of intervention science, reveal conceptual understandings of the nature and impact of lived spirituality.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Lisa Miller
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • spirituality
  • spiritually supportive intervention
  • spiritually supportive treatment
  • wellness
  • spiritual support
  • treatment
  • prevention
  • awareness
  • wellbeing

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 379 KiB  
Article
Christian Beliefs About Salvation: Measurement and Associations with Mental Health and Well-Being
by Anthony Edward Rose and Timothy B. Smith
Religions 2025, 16(6), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060757 - 11 Jun 2025
Viewed by 195
Abstract
Religious beliefs influence many behaviors and perspectives relevant to well-being and mental health. In Christianity, beliefs about how one attains salvation may be particularly relevant to psychology, but limited scholarship has considered cognitive aspects of religiosity. This study developed and evaluated a new [...] Read more.
Religious beliefs influence many behaviors and perspectives relevant to well-being and mental health. In Christianity, beliefs about how one attains salvation may be particularly relevant to psychology, but limited scholarship has considered cognitive aspects of religiosity. This study developed and evaluated a new measure of Beliefs about Salvation (BAS) that assesses affirmations of salvation (a) by God’s grace alone and (b) by God’s grace after human repentance/ordinances, as understood by different Christian denominations. We examined the association of the BAS with three measures of mental health and six measures of influences on religiosity. In a sample of 1556 predominantly members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Protestant Christians, which traditionally hold distinct views about the roles of divine grace and human works/ordinances necessary for salvation, the BAS data demonstrated evidence of reliability and validity in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with two subscales, faith and works. Neither BAS subscale was significantly associated with the other variables measured in this study, except for religious legalism, which was negatively correlated with faith and positively correlated with works. Additional analyses indicated that six measures of influences on religiosity were moderately associated with one another and tended to be more strongly associated with mental health than religious involvement, with spiritual transcendence being the most strongly correlated with well-being. Psychological research can benefit from evaluating multiple aspects of religiosity, including inquiry about the psychological influence of specific religious beliefs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 544 KiB  
Article
A Love Supreme: Love’s Associations with Well-Being, Anxiety, Depression, and Spirituality
by Fabio Cezar De Souza Marcovski and Lisa Miller
Religions 2025, 16(6), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060741 - 9 Jun 2025
Viewed by 208
Abstract
In this study, we explored how people experience love and how these experiences are linked to their overall mental health, well-being, and spirituality. A total of 1499 U.S. adults completed a survey that measured six different aspects of love. Using Latent Profile Analysis [...] Read more.
In this study, we explored how people experience love and how these experiences are linked to their overall mental health, well-being, and spirituality. A total of 1499 U.S. adults completed a survey that measured six different aspects of love. Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we found evidence in support of four distinct profiles: High Love, Above-Average Love, Below-Average Love, and Low Love. The High Love group, which was characterized by particularly strong feelings of religious love, reported the highest levels of life satisfaction, gratitude, and positive emotions, as well as the lowest levels of anxiety and depression. The Above-Average Love group showed moderately high levels of love with some emphasis on spirituality, while the Below-Average Love and Low Love groups experienced lower overall levels of love and spiritual connection, along with poorer mental health outcomes. Our findings suggest that a deep sense of love—especially when it involves a connection to a higher power—may be a crucial factor in promoting mental health and life satisfaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 279 KiB  
Article
Should I Share: Patients’ Reflections on Disclosing Past Life Memories in Psychotherapy
by Rotem Meidan and Ofra Mayseless
Religions 2025, 16(6), 728; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060728 - 5 Jun 2025
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Spirituality has gained increasing legitimacy in psychotherapy; however, certain spiritual experiences, such as past life memories, remain marginalized in clinical settings. These experiences often arise outside therapy and may hold deep existential meaning for individuals, yet patients frequently hesitate to disclose them in [...] Read more.
Spirituality has gained increasing legitimacy in psychotherapy; however, certain spiritual experiences, such as past life memories, remain marginalized in clinical settings. These experiences often arise outside therapy and may hold deep existential meaning for individuals, yet patients frequently hesitate to disclose them in conventional psychotherapy for fear of being pathologized. This qualitative study examines how individuals who experienced past life memories outside therapy decided whether to share them during psychotherapy, how therapists responded, and how these responses influenced the therapeutic process. Fifteen participants who had undergone conventional psychotherapy were interviewed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The findings reveal that participants perceived their experiences as vivid and transformative, yet many refrained from sharing them due to concerns about stigma and clinical judgment. When disclosures occurred, therapist responses ranged from validating to dismissive, at times resulting in iatrogenic harm affecting the therapeutic alliance and patients’ willingness to continue. Participants expressed a desire for therapeutic spaces that could respectfully engage with spiritually meaningful experiences. The study introduces the concept of Spiritual-Psychoeducation as a potential framework for supporting the integration of such narratives in therapy. These findings suggest a need for expanded clinical sensitivity to anomalous spiritual experiences, divine gifts within the therapeutic process, as meaningful elements of psychological healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
26 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study
by Christopher E. Peck, Timothy B. Smith and Jamila Mastny
Religions 2025, 16(6), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060723 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 471
Abstract
The majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life that is influential to their well-being. However, individuals vary widely in how they conceptualize spirituality, which often stems from and overlaps with their conceptualizations of [...] Read more.
The majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life that is influential to their well-being. However, individuals vary widely in how they conceptualize spirituality, which often stems from and overlaps with their conceptualizations of God or so-called “God image”. Examination of people’s experiences of spirituality and conceptualization of God can enable psychologists to improve their understanding of individuals’ core personal experiences. This study evaluates both spirituality and God image, as well as the relationship between these two constructs, using qualitative hermeneutic analysis of interviews with 63 adults (51% women, 49% men, aged 18–75) from a midwestern U.S. university town. Substantial overlap characterized participants’ descriptions of spirituality and God. Participants tended to either view spirituality in relational terms or as an abstract concept, with the latter conceptualization being distanced from personal experience. Religious concepts and personal experiences were integral to most participants’ descriptions of both spirituality and God. The results emphasize the importance of addressing contextual worldviews about spirituality, inclusive of personal experiences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
15 pages, 252 KiB  
Article
Spiritual Growth and Mental Health Gains: Benefits of Awakened Awareness for U.S. College Students at Three-Month Follow-Up
by Abigail Crete, Suza C. Scalora, Elisabeth J. Mistur, Micheline Anderson and Lisa Miller
Religions 2025, 16(6), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060674 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 395
Abstract
Previous research has documented broad benefits of spiritual intervention programs, including improved spirituality and ameliorated mental health symptoms. However, long-term follow-up examinations of such interventions have yet to be conducted. This study reports on changes in psychological and spiritual variables from posttest to [...] Read more.
Previous research has documented broad benefits of spiritual intervention programs, including improved spirituality and ameliorated mental health symptoms. However, long-term follow-up examinations of such interventions have yet to be conducted. This study reports on changes in psychological and spiritual variables from posttest to 3-month follow-up in a sample of U.S. undergraduate students. N = 84 undergraduate students ages 18–25 (M = 19.75, SD = 1.6; 69 female, 11 male, and 4 nonbinary) received Awakened Awareness for Adolescents (AA-As), a spirit–mind–body (SMB) intervention composed of 8 weekly 90-min sessions, and completed measures of spirituality (spirituality, spiritual growth, spiritual decline, and Awakened Awareness) and mental health (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress) at posttest and again at 3-month follow-up. Paired-sample t-tests revealed maintenance of spiritual improvements (Awakened Awareness, spiritual growth, and relational spirituality with the Higher Power) with the exception of reversal of spiritual decline and significant ongoing improvements in clinical measures in the months following posttest. Additionally, we observed a moderating effect such that changes in spiritual decline after posttest were associated with follow-up posttraumatic stress. An ongoing lived transcendent relationship with the Higher Power, Awakened Awareness, and spiritual growth appears to offer sustained protection at three-month follow-up against depression and symptoms of trauma. Our findings support the efficacy of AA-A as well as the need for ongoing SMB wellness resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
20 pages, 2401 KiB  
Article
Zen Meditation and Aromatherapy as a Core to Mental Health: Studies in Vietnamese Monasteries
by Joanna Różycka-Tran, Khanh Ha Thi Truong, Klaudia Teresa Bochniarz, Stanisław Radoń and Quan Anh Tran
Religions 2025, 16(4), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040497 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 1342
Abstract
(1) Background: Meditation, originally stemming from the Buddhist tradition, has been the subject of extensive psychological research, with a growing body of literature exploring its effects on various mental and physical health aspects. (2) Methods: This article consists of two studies conducted in [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Meditation, originally stemming from the Buddhist tradition, has been the subject of extensive psychological research, with a growing body of literature exploring its effects on various mental and physical health aspects. (2) Methods: This article consists of two studies conducted in two Vietnamese Buddhist Monasteries. Study 1 investigated brain activity during Zen meditation among monks and nuns (N = 16) and a control group of non-practitioners (N = 3). Study 2, conducted on nuns (N = 13), explored the effects of meditation experience and essential oil inhalation on brainwave activity, with two measurements taken during short meditation sessions separated by inhalation. (3) Results: Study 1 showed that monks had higher alpha and theta activity during meditation compared to non-meditators. Moreover, advanced practitioners could transition from beta waves during mind-wandering to alpha waves within short 5-min sessions, indicating their ability to dynamically regulate brain activity even in brief meditative states. Study 2 found no significant differences between nuns with varying meditation experiences but revealed a significant decrease in theta wave amplitude after inhalation. (4) Conclusions: Together, these studies deepen our understanding of neural activity in advanced meditation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality as Core to Mental Health and Wellbeing; Cultivating Awareness in Interventions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop