There is a spiritual awakening within all countries and cultures. Australia is no exception within the area of this spiritual awakening. The emergence or inclusion of an holistic model into the framework of modern society would greatly facilitate the ability to integrate spirituality and life within the individual’s narrative story. By this means, a greater degree of meaningful experience and dialogue would narrow the gap between spiritual belief and everyday life. Each person is driven by a range of hierarchical meaningful needs – survival, security, self-esteem, love, self-expression, intellectual and spiritual fulfillment. Spirituality encompasses the values, beliefs and guiding principles by which we live. Wellbeing and health must embrace the whole person.
Embracing the client (the whole person) requires the psychotherapist to use both their training and their personal resources in purposeful and effective ways. Hearing the story of the client is paramount. Validating their story – hearing their words and engaging with the words of their heart – offers the psychotherapist the opportunity to create abstract conceptualisations of that story. In essence, this process enables the therapist to witness the story. By being deeply attentive to the client, the whole story of the whole person is shared. This presentation Explores the practical implications of the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy. It considers the ethical implications of such integration, and provides experiential strategies to support more holistic outcomes.