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SPIRITUALLY INTEGRATED PSYCHOTHERAPY UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE SACRED. Kenneth Pargament, New York: Guilford, 2007. Pp. 384, Pb, $38.00.
Kenneth Pargament begins this work by giving a brief rational for spiritually integrated psychotherapy. The rationale includes the importance of spirituality among many along with the desire to have this dimension included in the therapeutic relationship. Despite these preferences along with research linking healthy spirituality with greater health and a sense of well-being, however, many psychologists leave spirituality out of the conversation, whether due to feelings of uneasiness or lack of preparation from their schooling, which may cause them to be less than effective during treatment. This disconnect, Pargament argues, must be addressed.
Part two begins by framing the spiritually integrated approach as one that can be used with a broad authence, including clients and therapists from "diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds" (p. 21). With this in mind Pargament defines spirituality as "the search for the sacred" (p. 32). This discussion is followed by a description of several sacred dimensions and qualities we, as humans, share (e.g., the search for significance, intimacy, etc.), ways individuals hold on to the sacred (e.g., prayer, ritual, relationships etc.), and how spiritual coping mechanisms may help in times of stress.
While mainly outlining positive mechanisms Pargament clearly points out how spirituality can become...