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| Spirituality and Refugee
Mental Health II: The Resiliency of
the Spirit and Untying the Psychic Knots (Islam)
Panelists: Abdul Basit, Ph.D., University
of Chicago Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and President, American
Islamic Association of Mental Health Professionals; and R. Sarah Shoaee,
Ph.D., Center for Multicultural Human Services, Falls Church, VA Moderator: John J. Tuskan, R.N., M.S.N.,
SAMHSA/CMHS, Refugee Mental Health Program, Rockville, MD Doctors Basit and Shoaee discussed how
faith and religion can be incorporated in the healing process of
traumatized refugee populations. Although they focused on the principles
of the Muslim religion, they stressed that all religions and faith in a
Supreme Being can play an integral role in recovery. Learning about the
Islamic faith plays a vital role in the resettlement process of Muslims. Dr. Basit focused on two central themes for
the workshop: why use spirituality in mental health services and the
differences between Islam and Western values. In the past, psychiatry was
considered a branch of medicine that had no relationship to faith and
spirituality. Yet there is a striking similarity between the two, he said.
Both spirituality and psychiatry are by nature enablists. "Good"
psychiatry is based on the quality of the relationship between the client
and the doctor. Similarly, spirituality is the quality and the depth of
the relationship between the individual and his/her Supreme Being. At
times, this relationship is deepened by an inter-connected relation to the
Sufi, a Muslim mystic. Therefore, the areas for success are two-fold. A
professional psychiatrist not only needs strong formal training in the
field, but a disposition that promotes trust. To extrapolate even further the
similarities, both assume that there is a broken or incomplete soul or
psyche. The processes strive to heal the soul. The way in which they
deliver the healing process varies slightly. On the one hand, religion is
a system of faith or belief in a superhuman power to whom reverence and
worship are due. It can be as simple as an experience of the Holy.
Psychiatry on the other hand is essentially the treatment of mental
disorders. However, the two fields deal with the same underlying problems.
Hence, both require that the counselor provide guidance. The ability to
help individuals is not exclusive to psychiatry. In the medical world, religion has
sometimes been regarded as a vestige of the pre-scientific era. But now
there is a growing body of evidence proving that spirituality has a
tremendous healing power. Only now is the Western medical establishment
changing its attitude. Historically, Western medicine tried to rid itself
of spirituality and be treated as pure science. As research and evidence
mounts that the two complement one another, many psychiatrists are taking
on a more holistic approach. In the more prosperous societies, chronic
illness such as hypertension, arthritis and depression are prevalent, and
the need for a mind-body treatment grows. Chronic illnesses that strain
the relationship between mind and body cannot be cured by psychiatry
alone. Dr. Basit cautioned against misinterpreting
Christian values for Western values. They are not mutually exclusive. In
truth, the Islamic approach differs only slightly from Judaism and
Christianity. All forms of religion are psychological tools to face the
world. Religion acts as an anchor point to one's life, and all the
uncertainties and difficulties involved with it. A preeminent Western
theologian noted that the "West had a genius for practical and
concrete phenomena of life coupled with a kind of tone-deafness toward the
role of the metaphysical in world history." In summary, Western society is secular and
glorifies the individual. Islam provides a humane approach to people
without attaching a social stigma. Islam does not endorse a value-free or
atheistic approach in psychotherapy. The Western ideals emphasize
cognitive aspects and stresses that knowledge is tantamount to a cure.
Islam's perspective is that the individual must have a change of heart for
a healthy body and soul. The West learns and applies coping techniques;
Islam demands that the individual place faith and trust in God and control
the desires of the soul. Dr. Shoaee, herself a refugee, has called
upon the Islamic faith to assist her clients. She is quick to point out
that in her personal life, religion has played an integral role. At the
time she arrived in the Washington area in 1986 (she had recently fled
Iran as a refugee), she lacked social networks and was lonely. She went to
a local Christian church and met a woman pastor who invited her to join
the church women's group. Despite her Muslim faith, the Christian women
embraced her. At that point she realized there were many avenues to God. In her professional endeavors, Dr. Shoaee
stresses that spiritual healing is in addition to and not in lieu of
psychiatry. Her program incorporates her formal educational training with
aspects of Islam that will be beneficial to the client. First, she
conducts a medical safety assessment. In doing so, she rules out any
possible organic problems for the disorder or ailment. The second phase
evaluates the client's level of faith, individual personality, and level
of acculturation, keeping in mind the client's age and gender. During the
inquiry she examines the psychological state of the individual, the
developmental stages of the person's life, and the ethno-cultural and
family structure of the client. Throughout the process there is always a
recognition that the individual is a full "person" and that no
separation between the mind and the body exists. Hence, the service must
bring about the wholeness of the individual as instructed by the Qur'ân.
Only then will the individual feel safe, integrated, and serene. Therefore
to understand pain, which is a negation from well-being and harmony with
God, the healing process requires a return to a state of equilibrium. Whereas the West has separated spirituality
from psychiatric methods, the Qur'ân instructs and requires individuals
to seek medical help when necessary. This is one of the preventative
measures to ensure harmony and well-being. Once again, we see the
complementing roles for each aspect of mental health services. Alone,
neither can be sufficient conditions for healing but both are necessary
conditions. A participant concluded by saying that in terms of providing mental health, the West must be taught to understand religion's role and not marginalize it. A prime example would be the Voodoo religion of Haitians. Many Haitians will claim they hear voices. In the West this statement would be an indictment of one's need for psychotherapy; yet this is a common occurrence and must not be misconstrued for psychotic behavior. Source: |