Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy for Trauma

Recent years have brought broader awareness and openness to talking about traumatic life events. Survivors of these events often experience spiritual struggles in the course of healing. Likewise, in helping clients process trauma, therapists too may struggle with spiritual questions such as why people suffer.

In this book, readers will learn how to apply spiritually oriented practices within their own setting, approach to therapy, and client populations. They will also learn how to work with the ethical challenges trauma treatment can pose to their own competence and world view.

This book describes empirical research and provides case studies showing its application to sexual abuse, partner violence, and trauma resulting from war and natural disasters.

Features:

• Provides concrete advice for psychotherapists who feel uncomfortable with raising spiritual issues or discussing them when they come up.

• Illustrates how to adopt a spiritual orientation in each stage of therapy—assessment, establishing working alliance, meaning making, and change.