Spirituality Highly Effective In Preventing Depression

Spirituality or religion, and the science of psychology have in general not been good friends, at least in Western countries. From the beginning with Freud's radical attacks on religiosity for it's censoring and punitive aspects, to the later behavioural revolution that tried to sideline everything personal about a person (let along anything as difficult to observe or quantify as religion or spirituality), religion and psychology have often been at war.

Thankfully this is changing. This article nicely summarises research that makes the religion vs psychology debate more nuanced. Formal religiosity itself is mildly protective against  depression, but in particular shared personal spirituality between a mother and daughter has a staggering 80% rate of effectiveness in protecting daughters from experiencing depression, in families that are vulnerable to depression. This rate of effectiveness is higher than any form of therapy or medication available today.

Here's the catch though. Attending church doesn't in of itself get you that benefit, which is predicated on personal relationship with a form of spirituality, not going through the motions or dogmatic adherence to scripture. Parents can make use of these insights by being supportive of an engaged with healthy spirituality in their children. But what about psychotherapists and counselors who are often the ones who are engaging adolescents who are experiencing some form of depression?

What I've taken from this is that it could be helpful to check myself in my therapeutic practice. Am I being open to my client's expressions of spirituality and religiousness, and do I make use of these strengths in the therapeutic work?