Dear Gerry, First, let me say that I appreciate this honest, sober and substantive effort to discuss a topic of general intellectual interest. This kind of a thing is rare on Goanet. Not the general interest part, but the honesty, sobriety and substance.
Second, the topic of spirituality and brain function is something on which I happen to have hands on experience, having conducted experimental research on EEG and ERP correlates of spiritual practices such as meditation, and published original ideas on brain basis of subjective experience. I am very much familiar with the material presented in the papers you have cited. To make a long story short, the fact that a spiritual practice is correlated with physical and chemical changes in the brain does not mean that spirituality is helpful as a treatment for any condition. Any human activity produces physical and chemical changes in the brain. Brain function is the essential mechanism underlying our very existence as sentient behaving organisms. Finally, let me address the points listed by you based on my own understanding, knowledge base, and attempts to obtain evidence, or lack thereof, in support of them. A) Not just mental health professionals, but many other types of professionals have to face occupational stress. But I submit to you that the kind of stress that is the cause of most psychological problems is the one that is faced by every person who raises a family, has to make ends meet, has deep personal relationships, and bears the burden of personal and financial responsibilities. B) I agree. C) Not true. Harvard University merely has some physicians and researchers who are investigating the role of spirituality in health. Their research studies have not shown conclusive results, as far as the beneficial effects of spiritual practices in treating any specific mental health condition, is concerned. They also tend to hold some lectures and symposiums on this subject from time to time. This kind of activity also happens at other universities, including my own. But this does not mean that spiritual training or guidance is part of medical education and practice today. D) The incidence of murder-suicides among mental health professionals is also negligible. E) There is no evidence that spirituality helps mental health professionals cope with occupational hazards. It is also unethical to impose the spiritual beliefs or practices of any religion on believers of other religions and on non-believers, especially in the secular workplace and professional setting, and in institutions supported by tax payer funds, subject to the constitutional separation of Church and State. F) This statement is not borne by facts because there is no evidence that the murder-suicide rate in Catholic priests is less than that in mental health professionals. Furthermore, murder-suicides most often take place in the context of close family relationships, house-hold problems, and love and sexual affairs. Indeed, one study concluded that murder-suicides were committed most often by elderly couples with failing mental and physical health, and pathologically possessive men who were estranged from their wives or girl friends. Other studies have re-affirmed the fact that murder-suicides invariably occur in a private home involving family members. The latter issues and the stresses that come from family problems, and love and sex (please see point A above) are obviously not applicable to Catholic priests at all. Murder-suicides also take place today in the context of religious terrorism and spiritual cult movements. So spirituality or the corrupted version of it certainly works to the disadvantage of these people and the rest of society in these cases. G) Please see the refutation of this above. Therefore, the rest of your speculations do not rest on any solid fact-based foundation from the standpoint of medical education and mental health practice. We also know from the child sex abuse and other scandals of the past that the spiritual and moral beliefs that you mention have not had much potency in curtailing crime among the clergy. If you carefully review and critically assess the latest available literature on the psychology of spirituality you will find that the only real benefit that it provides is in the realm of social cohesiveness, fellowship and camaraderie. Spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation might also promote a relaxed and peaceful state of mind, which other simple relaxation and mindfulness techniques can also replicate. Cheers, Santosh --- On Tue, 8/9/11, Gerald Fernandes <cdoger...@yahoo.co.in> wrote: > > My dear Santosh, > If I could request you to be good enough to re- read the > original post on the Subject you just might find yourself in > agreement with me that the post tried to make the following > prepositions/points: > A) That mental health professionals are subject > to occupational stress and hazard. > B) That mental health professionals may > themselves be in need of help/mechanism by which they could > cope with the stress inherent in their profession. > C) That Harvard Medical School in the U.S.A has > accepted “spirituality” as a tool/adjunct in/of > psychiatry. > D) That the incidence of Murder-Suicides in > Catholic priests is almost negligible. > E) That “Spirituality” be considered as a > part of Continuing education programmes for mental health > professional so as to equip them to better cope with their > occupational hazards. > F) That,Perhaps ,something in the training of > Catholic priests helps them to better cope with stress > related to murder-suicides as compared to mental health > professionals. > G) That , perhaps, that something could be > distilled into being put to use in the training/continuing > education of mental health professionals. > Now, to the discussion. It appears that your main > reservation relates to point F & G. I have tried to > point out in subsequent responses that Spirituality could be > based on any religion/belief, contrary to your assertion > that Spirituality has no place in modern science. To set the > discussion on a flight path , I have at your insistence on > “peer-reviewed” data provided you with details of the > role of”Spirituality” in mental health. Nay, I have gone > so far as to include a paper that begins with a working > definition of “Spirituality” and another paper that > records the “chemical , functional and morphological > changes in the brains of Buddhist practitioners practicing > medition. The said paper also provides empirical data about > Buddhist practitioners having allegiance to different > processes of meditation showing dissimar brain imagery/EEG. > I have carried out an extensive search of murder –suicide > cases reported on the internet, and cases of > murder/suicides are rarely,if any, attributed to Catholic > priests. Could this be attributable to the pro-life posture > of the Catholic faith and the Canon law as applicable in > the case of Catholic Priests that would denude them of > their priestly faculties ,if they take human life? Can > this be attributable to the teaching of the Catholic faith > ,that holds HOPE as a great virtue,in such a major fashion > that Suicide is loss of Hope --a sin that is almost > incapable of being forgiven. BELIEF SYSTEMS PLAY A MAJOR > ROLE IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE,AND AS SUCH ALSO IN PSYCHIATRY. I > have in my response also shown the role of beliefs in > underpinning various systems of Psychiatry like > Freudian,Jungian and Rogerian. The role of beliefs in > Jainism in this context would also be interesting to study. > I am told that in the Science and Art of Management a tool > called “bench-marking” is very often utilized to > understand an Organisation in a particular critical > parameter of success. Other Organisations then learn from > the studies and” benchmark” themselves to make a gap > analysis in their own performance ,and then try to implement > ‘practices” of successful Organisations. Concepts like > "continous improvement" are also part of Management. > The Catholic Church is organized. It is also ,perhaps ,the > longest surviving Organisation till date in human history. > It has weathered personages , events, > disease,revolutions,governments,internal schism but > “magically’ still continues to exist and function as an > Organisation. There appears to be nothing wrong from > learning provided by such Organisational dynamics, just as > much as there is nothing objectionale to learning from other > relevant open sources. > Should you find yourself in concurrence with the Summary > and “frame of reference” I have provided ,do let me know > or else do let me know your reservations/points of > departure. We could then discuss fruitfully. I believe that > discussion and dissent should provide “light” for our > way, rather than “heat’ to warm the cockles of > extremists. > With every good wish, > Gerry >
