Community Spiritual Exercises in the Catholic Religious Tradition for Effectively Promoting Mental Health among Nuns and Priests

Description

Page: 112-116

Sowmya Peyouse¹ and Nisha Kumari² (Department of Psychiatry, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai,, Tamil Nadu¹ and Department of Psychology, St. Joseph’s College for Women, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh²)

Religion, spiritual beliefs and community practices enhance the mental health of people. It helps them to cope with the stressful situations in life. Long back, it was believed that Psychiatry very less to do with spiritual practices and beliefs and they were even considered to have pathological basis. Both, Religious and spiritual practices are associated with positive mental health. Research indicates that religion and spirituality serve as valuable resources, aiding many patients in managing life’s stresses. However, there is only a limited amount of research showing how spiritual beliefs and community practices contribute to enhancing the mental health of religious people (priests & nuns). The nuns and priests in the Catholic religion, playing their roles in the religious life and rendering various community services – spiritual, social, educational medical etc. – are often exposed to high levels of emotional and psychological stress, which can adversely affect their mental health. The rising number of mental illnesses, disorders and suicides among religious men and women in India is very alarming. This cautions the religious houses (i.e. common houses where nuns and priests live in a community), formation centers, communities and church authorities to address such problems in a spiritual and religious way. However, spirituality and religion have been shown to provide significant support in promoting mental resilience, coping mechanisms, and overall well-being in such individuals. This paper explores the role of spiritual exercises or practices in religious communities that contribute to the mental health of religious men and women by offering emotional stability, purpose, community support, and coping mechanisms to mitigate the negative impacts of work-related stress. It reviews existing research, theoretical perspectives, and practical implications for integrating spiritual and religious frameworks in social work and mental health care.