A Psychospiritual Approach to Christian Spiritual Formation

Abstract

This research portfolio presents an integrated psychospiritual approach to Christian spiritual formation. It arose from the author’s reflection on her own spiritual journey, from her professional experience as a psychotherapist, and from the observation that psychological barriers often impede spiritual progress. While the psychotherapeutic and spirituality literature often exist in separate silos, and the two professions tend to operate in different domains, the author contends that spiritual formation/direction and psychotherapy in combination are often what is needed to bring about Christlikeness. A psychospiritual model of Christian formation is presented that integrates insights from both domains with particular attention to the rich spiritual traditions of Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic understandings of psychological wholeness and spiritual holiness. To test this integrated model, a field research project was carried out to explore the effect of an integrated, eight-session psychoeducational program with individuals whose spiritual lives were affected by trauma and unforgiveness. The findings of the study suggest that attachment theory and trauma-informed principles may help people move forward in the process of forgiveness and spiritual growth. The limitations of the study are discussed, and recommendations are made for further study on how to extend a psychospiritual approach to spiritual formation in the case of similar issues that present barriers to wholeness and spiritual transformation into the imago Christi.