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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Religious Chanting and Self-Related Brain Regions: A Multi-Modal Neuroimaging Study
Published on: May 31, 2024
Religion and spirituality
Everett L Worthington1, Joshua N Hook, Don E Davis
1Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. eworth@vcu.edu
Psychotherapy integrating religious and spiritual (R/S) perspectives significantly improves psychological and spiritual outcomes. These R/S-accommodated therapies show greater benefits compared to secular alternatives, enhancing overall patient well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology and Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Religious Studies
Background:
- Growing recognition of the importance of religious and spiritual (R/S) beliefs in clients' lives.
- Need for psychotherapists to integrate R/S perspectives into secular treatment modalities.
- Previous research indicates potential benefits of R/S-accommodated therapies.
Observation:
- A meta-analysis of 51 samples (N=3,290) examined outcomes of religious accommodative therapies and nonreligious spirituality therapies.
- Comparisons were made against control conditions, alternate treatments, and dismantling designs.
- The study specifically analyzed both psychological and spiritual outcomes.
Findings:
- Patients receiving R/S psychotherapies demonstrated significantly greater improvement in psychological outcomes (d = .26) compared to secular alternatives.
- R/S psychotherapies also yielded superior spiritual outcomes (d = .41) compared to secular treatments.
- Religiously accommodated treatments showed an advantage in spiritual outcomes (d = .33) over dismantling-design alternatives, but not psychological ones.
Implications:
- Findings support the integration of religious and spiritual elements into psychotherapy for enhanced client well-being.
- Therapists are encouraged to consider R/S factors in treatment planning and delivery.
- Clinical examples and recommended therapeutic practices are provided to guide practitioners.
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