Spirituality and mental illness

By EMILY WAITT- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

(Editor's note: Sister Nancy Kehoe, RSCJ, Ph.D., gave a lecture March 27 at Siena College in Loudonville titled, "Wrestling with Our Inner Angels: Spirituality and Mental Illness," tied to a book she wrote on the topic. A psychologist who teaches at Harvard Medical School's Cambridge Health Alliance, Sister Nancy is also director of Expanding Connections, a consultation service for healthcare agencies on addressing the spiritual needs of clients. She is a Religious of the Sacred Heart and leads a faith-based support group for individuals with mental illness and their families. Her talk was co-sponsored by Siena and the diocesan Consultation Center in Albany. "The separation between mental illness and religion/spirituality has a long history," Sister Nancy noted. "Those who live with mental illness also experience the stigma attached to their illness, which increases their suffering.")

I attended the incredible lecture by Sister Nancy Kehoe. Sister Nancy offered eye-opening insights into the connection between spirituality and mental illness. She explored what spirituality means to those in the psychiatric and psychology worlds, and why it is often avoided when treating mental illness.

Her lecture emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between spirituality and mental illness. Sister Nancy has worked tirelessly over the years to share her lessons and stories of those who have benefited from an understanding of the connection of spirituality and mental illness.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) intern through Sage Graduate School, this lecture had a profound professional, educational and spiritual impact on me. Most importantly, Sister Nancy's practices on expanding the connection between spiritual and mental illness could benefit people on a national level.

Sister Nancy's lecture allowed a glimpse into the innovative way she has integrated spirituality into the treatment of mental illness.[[In-content Ad]]