Research Article
Object-relations and spirituality: Revisiting a clinical dialogue
Andrea G. Gurney,
Steven A. Rogers,
Corresponding Author
Andrea G. Gurney
Westmont College
Department of Psychology, Westmont College, 955 La Paz Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108Search for more papers by this authorAndrea G. Gurney,
Steven A. Rogers,
Corresponding Author
Andrea G. Gurney
Westmont College
Department of Psychology, Westmont College, 955 La Paz Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Antagonism and separateness has characterized the relationship between psychotherapy and religion/spirituality throughout the history of psychology, beginning with Freudian psychoanalytic theory. Recently, however, spirituality, broadly defined as a transcendent relationship with a higher being, has begun to reemerge as a central concept in therapeutic work. There is fertile ground for exploring how spirituality can be enfolded into psychotherapeutic practice, particularly from an object-relations standpoint. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to examine points of convergence and divergence between spirituality and object-relations theory and explore the integration of spirituality with object-relations therapy, with the hope of replacing historical antagonism with thoughtful and intentional integration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 961–977, 2007.
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