In the face of escalating mental health concerns, there exists a paradoxical disconnect between established treatments and the prevailing perspectives within the mental health industry. A wealth of scientific evidence has illuminated the profound connection between faith and religious practices and enhanced mental well-being, reduced prevalence of depression, and diminished incidence of suicidal behaviors, substance abuse, and alcohol-related overdoses. Despite this compelling evidence, spiritual needs are often neglected in healthcare settings, and the spiritual beliefs held by mental health professionals diverge from the majority of the population in the United States. This cultural blind spot, intertwined with the notions of ‘lived experience’ and ‘unconscious bias,’ may be inadvertently compromising the efficacy of mental health interventions.
The author of this article, Carrie Sheffield, draws upon her personal experience of healing through the integration of faith and therapy, highlighting the indispensable need for the mental health field to reconsider its approach and embrace the transformative power of spirituality. She posits that the ‘lived experience’ of faith’s positive impact is conspicuously absent in contemporary mental health discourse, and this oversight may be inflicting significant harm upon patients.
Intriguingly, research indicates that atheism correlates with emotional suppression. If a fundamental aspect of mental health treatment entails fostering healthy emotional processing and expression, it is worth questioning whether therapists who do not subscribe to a belief in a higher power can fully comprehend the profound emotional force that spirituality carries.
Sheffield’s own journey of healing, as chronicled in her memoir ‘Motorhome Prophecies: A Journey of Healing and Forgiveness,’ serves as a poignant testament to the transformative power of integrating faith into mental health treatment. She advocates for a holistic approach that she terms ‘prayerapy,’ which seamlessly blends prayer and therapy. She has also experienced profound benefits from deep healing and deliverance prayer ministries, which involve praying over specific traumas to facilitate rewiring of the brain through neuroplasticity.
Sheffield’s story is far from an isolated case. The mental health industry is at a critical juncture, where it must reassess its approach to integrating spirituality into therapy and other treatment modalities. The well-being of our society hinges upon this essential shift.
