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Marieta Pehlivanova, PhD; Marina Weiler, PhD; J. Kim Penberthy, PhD, ABPP; and Philip J. Cozzolino, PhD
Most of the US population—nearly 80%—endorse spiritual and/or religious beliefs. How can these beliefs be applied to psychiatry?
COMMENTARY
“Who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakes.” —Carl Jung
We are in the middle of multiple seemingly never-ending existential crises. We are struggling to find balance in any given moment that urges us to seek new resilience-building interventions. Old tricks no longer work. Psychotropic drugs have limited success in alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders, and they generally fail to help individuals feel happy or in control of their lives. Psychotherapy offers some help, but very few can afford it or even find qualified providers. Brain stimulation devices like electroconvulsive therapy or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation also offer limited and short-lived success in improving long-term mental health outcomes. Clearly, something is missing from our approach to mental and emotional well-being. Although the interest in psychedelics turned minds toward mystical spiritual experiences, even the enthusiasts do not think that anybody can be on a perpetual mind-altering psychedelic intravenous drip to escape the reality of today.
Marieta Pehlivanova, PhD; Marina Weiler, PhD; J. Kim Penberthy, PhD, ABPP; and Philip J. Cozzolino, PhD
Here, we present an article that reminds us all of a long-forgotten good friend of every human: our soul. Could we argue that many problems we experience in modern times are due to this disorienting disconnection? Our patients confirm.
Most of the US population—nearly 80%—endorse spiritual and/or religious beliefs.1 Our patients want their physicians and mental health providers to understand their spiritual beliefs in relationship to their health and well-being. A brief assessment of spirituality and a basic cultural competence should be a part of our routine clinical assessment, as it connects us to our patients on a deeper level. Clinicians in the past were concerned with their patients’ overall well-being, including spiritual domain. A healthy spiritual life was an essential pillar of the overall well-being construct—on par with mental, emotional, physical, environmental, and social aspects.
But along the way, we forgot that psyche from psychology translates from the Greek roots as the “study of the soul” and psychiatry translates as “healing of the soul.” As logic took over, medical providers shifted their attention to the brain, hormones, and the chemicals that play a role in mood regulation. Drugs, brain stimulation, and neuroscience took over. Spirituality and the soul were relegated to the periphery, mostly chaplaincy, or removed entirely. And we have suffered for it by being disconnected from our souls and the souls of our patients.
Meanwhile, individuals are desperate to attain some control over their stressful lives and reduce their reactivity to the increasingly unsafe and unstable world around us and to feel connected to a higher consciousness that helps them navigate the challenges of life. Instead of looking out for help, it is time to look within ourselves and empower our ability to heal through our connection with our soul. Even better, our souls can connect on that other etheric and heart level: heart to heart, soul to soul. This feels different, more meaningful, deep, personal, respectful, desirable, and peaceful.
In this issue of Psychiatric Times, we present
Dr Lavretsky is a professor in residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. She is also on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.
References
1. 8 in 10 Americans say religion is losing influence in public life. Pew Research Center. March 15, 2024. Accessed June 16, 2025.
2. Division of Perceptual Studies. University of Virginia School of Medicine. Accessed June 16, 2025.
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