In order to answer the
question, ‘should there be a link between spirituality and psychiatry’, one
must first look at a human being. Every person has one spirit; he or she also
has one psyche. His or her spirit is not separate from the psyche. Every human being is unique. He or she is always one entity or a whole with a
spirit and a psyche.
In terms of an academic pursuit
regarding the nature of the spirit and the nature of the psyche or the question
of linking spirituality and psychiatry, these are separate realms of inquiry
and scientific discovery. Spirituality and psychiatry have an existing link,
although it may not be recognized.
To argue that there is no
existing link between the spirit and the psyche, essentially divides the human
being into two parts, instead of perceiving them as being part of the same
whole. It also suggests that the link can be broken. To suggest that there should
not be a link between spirituality and psychiatry, also argues that the spirit
and the psyche are completely separate entities.
Can one separate the soul and
the spirit? Not really, although it appears that there are many attempts to
deal with them separately.
A closer examination of the
words spirit and spirituality, as well as a comparison of psyche and
psychiatry, will shed further light on the subject.
The English word spirit (from Latin spiritus "breath") has many differing
meanings and connotations, all of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the
material body. The spirit of a human being is thus the animating, sensitive
or vital principle in that individual, similar to the soul taken to be the seat of the mental,
intellectual and emotional powers. The notions of a person's "spirit"
and "soul" often also overlap, as both contrast with body and both are imagined as surviving the
bodily death in religion and occultism,[1] and "spirit" can also have
the sense of "ghost",
i.e. manifestations of the spirit of a deceased person. The term may also refer
to any being imagined as incorporeal or immaterial, such as demons or deities, in Christianity
specifically the Holy Spirit experienced by the disciples at Pentecost.
(1)
Spirituality can refer to an
ultimate or immaterial reality;[1] an inner path enabling a person to discover the
essence of their being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people
live.”[2] Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are
intended to develop an individual's inner life; such practices often lead to an experience of connectedness with a
larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with other individuals or
the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine realm.[3] Spirituality is often experienced as a
source of inspiration or orientation in life.[4] It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or experiences
of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world. (2)
Becoming more aware of what the
spirit represents and what spirituality involves is important. It also allows a
closer look at their significance, in relationship to the psyche and
psychiatry.
Look at the words, psyche and
psychiatry, in the same way.
In psychoanalysis and other forms of depth psychology, the
psyche (pronounced /saki/;
etymology: Greek ψυχ psykhe "soul, mind, breath, life"[1])
refers to the forces in an individual that influence thought, behavior and personality.[2] The word is borrowed from ancient
Greek, and refers to the concept of the self, encompassing the modern ideas of soul, self, and mind. The Greeks believed that the
soul or "psyche" was responsible for behavior. A psyche in mythology
means a butterfly. (3)
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders—which
include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual disorders. The term was first coined
by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808. It literally means the
'medical treatment of the mind' (psych-: mind; -iatry: medical treatment; from
Greek itrikos: medical, isthai: to heal). A medical doctor specializing in
psychiatry is a psychiatrist.(4)
Should there be a link between
spirituality and psychiatry?
In conclusion, one must argue
that there are links between the two realms. There is also the realm of
the unknown knowledge, evident in each case. This also suggests that as human
beings, we have yet to discover how to link the two realms properly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(psychology) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatry
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