Against the background of the steadily growing interest of the general population in spiritual guidance and practices, the aim of this publication project was to produce a comprehensive, scientifically based reference work on all questions relating to the possible problems and crises that can arise in the context of spiritual development, orientation and practice.
Spirituality and health
Book project "Spirituality and spiritual crises. Handbook on theory, research and practice"
The handbook Spirituality and Spiritual Crises addresses the following key questions
- How did the topic of “crises of spiritual development” and the concept of “spiritual crisis” develop in the history of psychology? Which actors were involved and what were their positions and motives?
- What is the current social and health science relevance of the topic?
- What manifestations of clinically relevant problems and crisis-like processes of spiritual development are there?
- How can such clinically relevant problems be classified in terms of diagnosis and differential diagnosis?
- Which individual and contextual factors predispose to problematic processes in the context of spiritual development and practice, and which protective factors can be derived from this?
- What theoretical models and scientific-empirical findings are available on the subject?
- What general procedures are indicated for supporting people with such problems and what specific clinical treatment concepts have been developed for this?
- What institutional and other resources are available for understanding and dealing with spiritual crises (clinics, counseling centers, networks, online resources)?
- How is the topic of the spiritual crisis reflected in the context of society as a whole?
Project management
Dr. Liane Hofmann
Details & Struktur des Handbuchs
- HerausgeberInnen: Liane Hofmann & Patrizia Heise
- 528 Seiten, 33 Kapitel, 7 Sektionen
- 31 AutorInnen aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen und Anwendungsfeldern
- Verlag: Schattauer / Klett- Cotta
- Finanziell gefördert durch das IGPP
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Zielgruppen
Der Band wendet sich insbesondere an die folgenden Zielgruppen:
- PraktikerInnen der psycho-sozialen Versorgung und Gesundheitsberufe, die Klienten in spirituellen Krisen begleiten, mit spirituell/religiös orientierten Klienten arbeiten, die spirituelle Dimension in ihrer Arbeit mit Klienten einbeziehen möchten (Psychotherapeuten, klinische Psychologen, Psychiater, Berater, Seelsorger …).
- Anbieter von ganzheitlich ausgerichteten Ansätzen der Psychotherapie, von psycho-spirituellen Methoden oder bio-energetischen Verfahren: z.B. Yoga-Lehrer, Meditationsanleiter, Körpertherapeuten, Personen die mit psycho-spirituellen Methoden arbeiten;
- Personen mit wissenschaftlichem Interesse am Thema, Wissenschaftler, die zu Spiritualität und spiritueller Entwicklung forschen;
- Angehörige und Laien, die Menschen in spirituellen Krisen begleiten;
- Interessierte Laien, Personen mit spiritueller Orientierung, Betroffene.
Specifics of the volume
- Aims to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic of spiritual development and its crises;
- Systematic processing of the entire spectrum of relevant issues;
- Covers a wide range of topics, from the development of theories and scientific findings to practical application and social perspectives;
- Overview of relevant theoretical models, empirical findings and treatment approaches on the topic of spiritual development and its crises.
- The first handbook and multi-author work on the subject in the German-speaking world;
- In order to take into account the specific religious-cultural, social and health policy framework conditions, for the first time experts from German-speaking countries are represented, as well as international authors;
- Up to date, scientifically sound and oriented;
- Thematizes experience-based, trans-denominational spirituality; spirituality in the sense of consciousness development (versus focus on Christian religiosity, faith-oriented, traditional religiosity, religion-psychological approach)
- Different perspectives are taken into account: different theoretical perspectives, specialist areas and social groups that usually operate separately are represented; aims to do justice to the complexity of the topic and to create synergy effects;
- For the first time, a broad spectrum of tried-and-tested and established approaches to support and treatment in this area is presented in detail.
- Proceeds from a standpoint of paradigmatic openness, methodological pluralism and ontological agnosticism
Public relations
Video podcast about the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mGUC0WuAWM&feature=youtu.be
Interview Radio Evolve (April 2017): https://www.evolve-world.org/de/podcast/spirituelle-krisen
Excerpts from reviews
“The book impresses with its thorough and detailed treatment of the many different aspects of the subject. At the same time, it is extremely pleasant to read thanks to the emphatically sober, scientific and ideology-free approach of the various authors.”
Christian Roesler, Psychotherapeuten Journal, 06.2018
“It is not only the quality of the contributions that is convincing, but also the fact that the editors have succeeded in integrating two and a half dozen experts from the various related sciences into a coherent fabric. …. Seekers of meaning and spiritual wanderers who draw from the reservoir of traditional and newer spiritual paths and practices would do well to know where they can get expert help to classify and integrate what they have experienced. This book has everything a reference work should have. Its findings belong to the basic equipment of those who accompany people on their developmental paths in an educational, counseling and psychotherapeutic capacity.”
Alfons Limbrunner, Info3, 3/2017, p. 55
“What initially seems remarkable, namely that this volume was published by a major German medical publisher and thus claims to find its place in the local mainstream psychotherapy landscape, reflects both the search for an (overdue) compatible scientific discourse and a quiet paradigm shift in everyday therapeutic practice in recent decades.”
Dr. Ursula Lenz Bücker, Analytical Psychology, 2/2017, p. 453
“While science primarily uses external experience to access the world, spirituality chooses the path of inner experience,” says psychologist and philosopher Harald Walach. In this book, both areas of experience come together in a well-founded examination. In doing so, it paves the way for spirituality to no longer be seen as the antithesis of everyday life or as an escape from it, but rather as a natural movement in consciousness that more and more people are making. An essential step from demarcation and pathology to a new cultural dynamic.”
Nadja Rosmann, Evolve, 10/2016
“When the editors say that this anthology is intended to remedy a lack of fundamental works (XI), the reviewer can confirm that the wealth of competently prepared material is undoubtedly highly suitable for this purpose. In any case, the comprehensive handbook offers enough material to take a well-founded stand against the trivialization of the numinous (74).”
University lecturer Dr. Michael Peintinger, Institute for Medical Ethics and Ethics in Health Care, Vienna, 7.4. 2017
“These examples should suffice to show that this book covers a broad spectrum of spiritual topics and does so in a stimulating, exciting way. What is particularly noteworthy, however, is that there are books that legitimize the spiritual treatment aspect by pointing to it: Religious people live longer, are healthier, happier. It is therefore worth looking into spirituality. Religiosity and spirituality are seen in their “for the sake of”, their pragmatism, and thus miss their own point. On almost 500 pages, this book breathes an attitude of respect and specific appreciation of spiritual questions, so that the intrinsic value of spirituality beyond any pragmatism becomes visible!”
Mag. DDr. Franz Sedlak 12.10. 2016; Austrian School Portal
“This work is rightly called a ‘handbook’. It offers a compact insight into and overview of the current findings of the human and social sciences on the subject of ‘spiritual crises’.”
Sabine Petritsch, Catholic Church of Styria, 14.01.2017
