Spirituality and Narrative in Psychiatric Practice: Stories of Mind and Soul

For people with mental illness, spirituality and faith are closely connected with questions of relationship, transcendence, and finding meaning and purpose in life - questions best approached by way of narrative (or story). In clinical practice, narrative can provide a means of exploring the ethical and professional dilemmas that are encountered when spiritual and/or religious concerns are in evidence. Narrative has been recognised as important in both medicine and theology, and now it can be employed as a framework for addressing spirituality and religion in clinical psychiatric practice, encompassing addictions, liaison and forensic psychiatry, and spanning all ages and cultures. This book breaks new ground by using narrative to explore the importance and challenge of spirituality in clinical psychiatric practice by including narrative excerpts and case illustrations to show how spiritual concerns can be included in a range of psychiatric treatment options. It also explores the ethical and professional dilemmas spirituality still raises in mental healthcare. There are contributions from patients, chaplains, and leading psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.