Spirituality and well-being: a religious man in psychotherapy

Romanian historian Mircea Eliade (1907–1986) coined the term homo religiosus, “religious man.” He believed that the development of all that is contained within human nature is possible through the use of the inner resource, which religious beliefs are. In his work he emphasized that since the dawn of time, man has been immersed in the reality of myths, archetypes, fairy tales and rituals, thus maintaining contact with the sacrum, manifested in various ways in religious traditions. 

Who Am I, and Where Do I Come From?

The source of the suffering of modern man is often the problem with identity. The question “Who am I” is asked by many people. Self-determination is a further stage, and before it happens, a person in the period of adolescence seeks confirmation of themselves in their loved ones. Lack of time or lack of the ability to show feelings, and often the confusion of parents themselves causes that a generation of people cut off from their roots is growing. Globalization, the deeper integration of states, often causing the disappearance of national consciousness, works as a roller of universalism, flattening differences and shaping man – a citizen of the world, entangled in the dictates of misunderstood tolerance, which requires the adoption of the worldview presented by the strongest social group at a given time.

Opium For The People

Karl Marx saw religion as a means of relieving suffering (opium), but at the same time intoxicating the masses and preventing man’s pursuit of happiness. A similar rhetoric was adopted by Vladimir Lenin – his attitude toward religion can be explained, however, by a general aversion to aristocracy associated with a strong connection with religion, that is, the bourgeoisie, who together with the church oppress the working class. 

Even earlier, the conflict between the revolutionaries and the clergy in France, which was to end with the introduction of the religion of reason, effectively limited the influence of the Church in one of the most significant Christian states in Europe. 

After World War II, the idea of a united Europe was born again thanks to Robert Schuman, a French politician and twofold prime minister of the country. As a foundation for building the unity of the Old Continent, he adopted Christian values. On the other hand, the later designed European flag, on which there are twelve stars, is, according to the author Arsène Heitz himself, a reference to the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle. 

Today, however, Europe is increasingly cutting itself off from Christian ideas, trying to replace this element of human identity with the artificially created postmodern idea of self-sufficiency and, again, modern universalism. 

Spirituality Beyond the Philosophy of Evidence-based Research

A team of scholars from the Jagiellonian University, the AGH University of Science and Technology as well as the Kraków University of Economics conducted a study showing that Catholics with a high level of religious involvement declared more positive health behaviors and presented a better health state in relation to less religious people.

Numerous American studies indicate that a strong identification with one’s religion favors health-promoting behavior and has a positive effect on well-being. Prayer, and belonging to a religious community, positively correlate with a sense of coherence (that is, a sense of meaning, agency and predictability of reality) and general mental health.

Apart from the consideration of the fact of the existence or non-existence of a higher power, faith itself and the practice of religious rituals seem to have a positive impact on the quality of human functioning.

These studies, as one of many on similar matters, are not intended to present a religious lifestyle as the best, but they show that the faith so often criticized today may have the potential to become a means to achieve human well-being. 

Different Definitions of Health

The biomedical definition of health is the absence of a disease from the nosological  (focusing on the description of symptoms) point of view, with the omission of subjective feeling. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1946 complemented this definition with the concept of subjective well-being. So the importance of the individual’s feelings in determining his or her level of health has been taken into account. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) adopts spiritual health, that is, “the sets of rules, behaviors and ways of achieving inner peace and balance related to religious beliefs and practices,” as one of the categories of proper functioning.

The presence of the spiritual dimension in these definitions makes it worth devoting attention to the spiritual sphere of man and treating the individual holistically; it should not even be overlooked. 

Religiousness and Spirituality

It is necessary to mention that religiousness is a narrower concept than spirituality. In psychology and sociology, it is “the attitude of man or a social group towards the dogmas, precepts, and customs of a given religion, which manifests itself by the assimilation of these principles, their acceptance, and consistent conduct with them.” From the point of view of Christian theology, this is: “the moral virtue of showing God the reverence due to him through inner worship (adoration, trust, love), as well as through external worship (sacraments, prayer, asceticism).” Therefore, religiousness is one of the manifestations that may or may not occur in order to discuss the phenomenon of spirituality on a phenomenological level. 

Spirituality is a very difficult concept to define. It can be used to describe that these are feelings, beliefs and actions that concern the transcendent aspects of the world and its most perfect forms. This keynote therefore presents a very wide spectrum which may include numerous human activities or behaviors aimed at satisfying the needs arising from this area. Satisfying them is one of the factors that positively affect human health, and its understanding as a continuum (as opposed to a binary biomedical model) is presented by the three-dimensional concept of Keyes and Waterman. Taking into account the factors involved in this assumption that affect health, such as emotional well-being, and spirituality expressed through religiousness, according to research, correlates positively with them. 

An Answer to an Important Question?

Questions about the meaning of existence, of “Who am I?”, “What purpose does my life have?”, ”Why do I exist?” are a symptom of reflexivity, and the search for answers seems to fuel the development as well as the suffering of the modern Western man in equal measure. When the longest period of prosperity in the history of civilization allowed us to meet the basic needs of the lower order, we began to search for an immaterial reality that has a tremendous force of attraction. It is in this dimension, it seems, that we look with hope for opportunities for fulfillment and happiness. On our way, there are numerous “offers” of contact with the desired world. The paradox, however, is that by striving for well-being that allows us to focus on our inner life, we lose out on this life. The questions are: can we have everything? Is it possible to live in prosperity and well-being at the same time? Is it a utopia, or maybe the longed-for Paradise?

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