Search

This article evaluated the efficacy status of religious and spiritual (R/S) therapies for mental health problems, including treatments for depression, anxiety, unforgiveness, eating disorders, schizophrenia, alcoholism, anger, and marital issues. Religions represented included Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. Some studies incorporated a generic spirituality. Several R/S therapies were found to be helpful for clients, supporting the further use and research on these therapies. There was limited evidence that R/S therapies outperformed established secular therapies, thus the decision to use an R/S therapy may be an issue of client preference and therapist comfort. Keywords: evidence-based psychotherapy; religion; spirituality DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20626

Objective: This paper reviewed the empirical research on inquiry‐based stress reduction (IBSR; also called "The Work"), which has similarities to third‐wave cognitive behavioral approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Widely used as a self‐help intervention, IBSR has only recently been subjected to empirical research. Method: We reviewed empirical studies (published and unpublished) that examined IBSR. Results: We found 17 empirical studies (15 independent samples) that examined IBSR. Several studies reported positive changes on variables such as stress, anxiety, and well‐being. However, only three studies evaluated IBSR using randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Concerns related to treatment feasibility and cost‐effectiveness of IBSR are noted. Conclusions: There are some promising initial findings on IBSR. However, additional research employing high‐quality research designs is necessary to explore the efficacy and effectiveness of IBSR in various contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Enneagram is a typology that many clients use to understand their personality and interpersonal patterns, despite some concerns about its validity. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive and clinician‐friendly review of the extant empirical work on the Enneagram. After reviewing 104 independent samples, we found mixed evidence of reliability and validity. In terms of strengths, some factor analytic work has shown partial alignment with prior theorizing, and subscales show theory‐consistent relationships with other constructs such as the Big 5. Also, several studies found the Enneagram was helpful for personal/spiritual growth. However, factor analytic work has typically found fewer than nine factors, and no work has used clustering techniques to derive the nine types. Also, there is little research supporting secondary aspects of Enneagram theory, such as wings and intertype movement. We conclude by highlighting directions for future research and implications for clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many clients highly value religious and spiritual (R/S) commitments, and many psychotherapists have accommodated secular treatments to R/S perspectives. We meta-analyzed 51 samples from 46 studies ( N = 3,290) that examined the outcomes of religious accommodative therapies and nonreligious spirituality therapies. Comparisons on psychological and spiritual outcomes were made to a control condition, an alternate treatment, or a subset of those studies that used a dismantling design (similar in theory and duration of treatment, but including religious contents). Patients in R/S psychotherapies showed greater improvement than those in alternate secular psychotherapies both on psychological ( d =.26) and on spiritual ( d = .41) outcomes. Religiously accommodated treatments outperformed dismantling-design alternative treatments on spiritual ( d = .33) but not on psychological outcomes. Clinical examples are provided and therapeutic practices are recommended. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 67:204-214, 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]