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Religions
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Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spirituality and Mental Health in Secular Societies
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Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spirituality and Mental Health in Secular Societies

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2025) | Viewed by 1486

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Johnny Ramírez-Johnson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mission and Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA 91182, USA
Interests: mission research; research methods; cultural psychology; practical theology; ethnography; human development; anthropology; sociology of religion; psychology of religion; congregational and social research
Prof. Dr. Héctor Luis Díaz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Social Work, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Interests: values and ethics; spirituality; religion; mental health; theories of human behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Description Summary:

The proposed Special Issue aims to provide current theories and approaches that define the key concepts and describe the role of spirituality in the promotion of mental health in various secular countries or societies. This will be an interdisciplinary special journal issue, given that multiple professionals and disciplines are concerned with the promotion of mental health. Such professions and disciplines include psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, counseling, pastoral care, and chaplaincy. Articles may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Theoretical or conceptual articles related to definitions of spirituality.
  • The relationship between religion and spirituality.
  • How spirituality, broadly defined, can promote and sustain mental health.
  • Secular or non-religious approaches to the promotion of spirituality.
  • Empirical or phenomenological studies related to the previously listed axes.

Scientific Background:

Current definitions of spirituality clarify the distinctions and connections between religion and spirituality. Such definitions acknowledge spirituality as a universal dimension of human experience and development that may be independent from religious beliefs or organized religions. These definitions are based on cultural theory, practice models, research, and various mental health professions regarding spirituality. They also address contemporary mental health practices, as mediated by the interconnections between spirituality and global perspectives.

Spirituality is a dimension of human experience with distinct characteristics, as follows:

  1. It focuses on the search for meaning, purpose, morality, and well-being as part of both collective and individualistic epistemologies.
  2. It takes place within the context of relationships with oneself, other people, other beings, the universe, and the ultimate reality, however we understand it.
  3. It is concerned about centrally significant priorities.
  4. It involves a sense of transcendence, experienced as deeply profound, sacred, or transpersonal.

Interdisciplinary approaches to spirituality and mental health integrate concepts and methods from various fields to understand the complex relationships between spirituality, religion, and mental well-being. Some key approaches include:

  1. Psychology of religion: Examines the psychological factors influencing religious experiences and behaviors.
  2. Spiritual care in healthcare: Combines chaplaincy, counseling, and medicine to address patients' spiritual needs.
  3. Positive psychology: Focuses on spiritual strengths, gratitude, and mindfulness to promote mental well-being.
  4. Transpersonal psychology: Explores spiritual and transcendent experiences in personal growth and transformation.
  5. Anthropology of religion: Studies on the cultural and social contexts of spiritual practices and mental health.
  6. Neuroscientific study of spirituality: Investigates neural correlates of spiritual experiences using neuroimaging techniques.
  7. Integrative medicine: Combines conventional medicine with complementary therapies like meditation and yoga.
  8. Pastoral counseling: Blends spiritual guidance with psychological insights to support mental health.
  9. Spirituality and philosophy: Examines fundamental questions about meaning, purpose, and existence.
  10. Cultural psychology: Analyzes diverse cultural expressions of spirituality and mental health.

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 it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Johnny Ramírez-Johnson
Prof. Dr. Héctor Luis Díaz
Guest Editors

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
  • religion
  • mental health
  • psychology
  • social work
  • marriage and family therapy
  • counseling
  • pastoral care
  • chaplaincy

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  • 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 (3 papers)

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11 pages, 1219 KiB  
Article
The Church and Academia Model: New Paradigm for Spirituality and Mental Health Research
by Marta Illueca, Samantha M. Meints, Megan M. Miller, Dikachi Osaji and Benjamin R. Doolittle
Religions 2025, 16(8), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16080998 (registering DOI) - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 69
Abstract
Ongoing interest in the intersection of spirituality and health has prompted a need for integrated research. This report proposes a distinct approach in a model that allows for successful and harmonious cross-fertilization within these latter two areas of interest. Our work is especially [...] Read more.
Ongoing interest in the intersection of spirituality and health has prompted a need for integrated research. This report proposes a distinct approach in a model that allows for successful and harmonious cross-fertilization within these latter two areas of interest. Our work is especially pertinent to inquiries around the role of spirituality in mental health, with special attention to chronic pain conditions. The latter have become an open channel for novel avenues to explore the field of spirituality-based interventions within the arena of psychological inquiry. To address this, the authors developed and implemented the Church and Academia Model, a prototype for an innovative collaborative research project, with the aim of exploring the role of devotional practices, and their potential to be used as therapeutic co-adjuvants or tools to enhance the coping skills of patients with chronic pain. Keeping in mind that the church presents a rich landscape for clinical inquiry with broad relevance for clinicians and society at large, we created a unique hybrid research model. This is a new paradigm that focuses on distinct and well-defined studies where the funding, protocol writing, study design, and implementation are shared by experts from both the pastoral and clinical spaces. A team of theologians, researchers, and healthcare providers, including clinical pain psychologists, built a coalition leveraging their respective skill sets. Each expert is housed in their own environs, creating a functional network that has proven academically productive and pastorally effective. Key outputs include the creation and validation of a new psychometric measure, the Pain-related PRAYER Scale (PPRAYERS), an associated bedside prayer tool and a full-scale dissemination strategy through journal publications and specialty society conferences. This collaborative prototype is also an ideal fit for integrated knowledge translation platforms, and it is a promising paradigm for future collaborative projects focused on spirituality and mental health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spirituality and Mental Health in Secular Societies)
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16 pages, 315 KiB  
Article
Spiritual Loving and Mental Health: A Schelerian Perspective
by Kobla Nyaku
Religions 2025, 16(7), 941; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070941 - 21 Jul 2025
Viewed by 296
Abstract
In this paper, I question what the relationship between psychology and spirit would mean for mental well-being if the ideas of the human being and the notion of spirit are viewed from the perspective of Max Scheler’s philosophical anthropology. Scheler provides a view [...] Read more.
In this paper, I question what the relationship between psychology and spirit would mean for mental well-being if the ideas of the human being and the notion of spirit are viewed from the perspective of Max Scheler’s philosophical anthropology. Scheler provides a view of the human being and of spirit that differs radically from the generally held views, and his philosophical anthropology provides intellectual nourishment. This approach means that I do not look at spirituality as a religious activity or technique, but rather as a dimension of what constitutes the human being, and I explore how this view of spirituality is related to mental health. This paper is therefore divided into two parts. In the first part, I provide a summary of Scheler’s view of five ideologies of the human being in the history of Western philosophy that he identified, pointing out what he saw as their shortcomings. Next, I examine Scheler’s own philosophical anthropology that views the human being as the meeting place of the interpenetrating movements of spirit and impulsion, and as ens amans—a loving being. After that, I explore Scheler’s notion of spirit and personalism, drawing attention to the crucial role of what he describes as the dimension of spirit in his anthropology. In the second part of this paper, I explore the basic theories of well-being—hedonism, desire theories, and objective list theories—and question what a reading of spirituality as the participation in the movement of love would mean to addressing mental health. I conclude that spirituality should not be viewed as just another source of practices and techniques that could enhance human mental health. Rather, spirituality should be understood as a human being’s execution of the act that constitutes the core of his or her being. Spirituality viewed as the execution of the spiritual act of love—spirituality as loving being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spirituality and Mental Health in Secular Societies)
17 pages, 518 KiB  
Article
Measuring Spiritual Wellbeing—Seeking a Valid, Reliable, and Usable Measure
by Nigel Pegram and Rebecca Loundar
Religions 2025, 16(6), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16060685 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 458
Abstract
As part of an industry-based research partnership, the research team were asked to recommend a measure of spiritual wellbeing to assess client spiritual health and wellbeing and to determine programme efficacy. Existing measures were determined to be unsuitable for various reasons, including use [...] Read more.
As part of an industry-based research partnership, the research team were asked to recommend a measure of spiritual wellbeing to assess client spiritual health and wellbeing and to determine programme efficacy. Existing measures were determined to be unsuitable for various reasons, including use in a multi-faith environment. The researchers developed a new Spiritual Wellbeing Scale, extending Fisher’s four domains to six distinct domains. For theoretical reasons, this tool assesses both importance and state. This paper introduces the instrument and assesses its psychometric properties. The assessments show the instrument to be both valid and reliable for a diverse population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Spirituality and Mental Health in Secular Societies)
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