7 Benefits of Spiritual Health
What does “spiritual” mean?
Spiritual is translated as “Adhyatma” in Sanskrit, referring to the study of the Soul. Holistic health may be defined as a combination of spiritual health with total health in which religious services could be an important component. This is a bit more than that of behavioral medicine and psychosomatic medicine that have been developed in the last centuries and reached full acceptance within the various medical modalities.
Spiritual Health can also be defined as a high level of faith, hope, and commitment in relation to a well-defined worldview or belief system that provides a sense of meaning and purpose to existence in general, and that offers an ethical path to personal fulfilment which includes connectedness with self, others, and a higher power or larger reality (Hawks et al. 1995).
7 Benefits of Spiritual Health:
1. Finding Purpose and Meaning: Exploring questions of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater than oneself through spiritual practices can enhance overall well-being and resilience, aiding individuals in coping with stress and challenges.
2. Stress Reduction: Spiritual activities like meditation, prayer, and mindfulness foster relaxation, reducing stress levels and promoting inner peace. These practices positively impact mental and physical health alike.
3. Community Support: Spiritual communities offer a sense of belonging and social support crucial for overall health. Such support networks diminish feelings of loneliness, elevate mood, and provide practical assistance during times of need.
4. Encouraging Healthy Habits: Spiritual beliefs often align with values promoting health and well-being, influencing dietary choices, exercise routines, and avoidance of harmful substances. Engaging in spiritual practices can inspire individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles.
5. Building Resilience: Spirituality provides a framework for understanding and coping with life's challenges, including illness, loss, or trauma. Spiritual beliefs offer solace, instill hope, and provide perspective during difficult times, enhancing resilience.
6. Enhancing Emotional Well-being: Spiritual practices foster qualities like gratitude, compassion, and forgiveness, which are linked to improved emotional health. These practices cultivate positive emotions, strengthen relationships, and foster greater happiness and fulfilment.
7. Mind-Body Harmony: Many spiritual traditions emphasize the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. Practices such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong promote this connection, leading to improved physical health, mental clarity, and overall vitality.
Research on the relationship between spiritual health and positive health outcomes
Research studies concluded that the spiritual dimension is related to meaning and purpose in life, concern and caring for others, and commitment to a god or larger force. Optimal spiritual health may be considered as the ability to develop our spiritual nature to its fullest potential. This would include our ability to discover and articulate our own basic purpose in life, learn now to experience love, joy, peace and fulfilment and how to help ourselves and others achieve their full potential.
The observed physical and emotional health outcomes are the end product of a causal chain of relationships that begin with the spiritual components of meaning and purpose in life and connectedness with self, others, and a larger reality. As such, placing more emphasis on the spiritual dimension as a potentially important factor in influencing health behaviors and outcomes (which then largely influence physical and emotional health outcomes) may merit greater attention among health promotion professionals (Hawks et al. 1995).
It is possible that enhanced spiritual health might be associated with a variety of improvements among those who are ill, it may also be useful as an important approach for enhancing wellness and preventing disease among those who are not ill (Hawks et al., 1995).
Conclusion on the role of spiritual health:
It remains important to bring awareness about the role of spiritual health in providing holistic health and global health. Poor spiritual health may increase the risk of poor mental and social health, and thus ultimately of poor physical health, leading to diseases via the involvement of the autonomic nervous system as well as by other pathways.
Overall, spiritual health can play a significant role in promoting overall health and well-being by addressing the multifaceted needs of individuals and fostering a sense of harmony and balance in their lives.
The Innsaei Health approach:
BodyTalk Therapy is an effective way of allowing one to be in spiritual alignment with oneself. It is a journey of self-discovery through your symptoms and pain. Through un-learning belief systems and removing filters that keeps one stuck in a state of disease and illness, our health improves. Each BodyTalk session allows one to gain wisdom about oneself by understanding why the body chose to behave in a certain way.
Book a BodyTalk session with Xin Hui from Innsaei Health today to embark on a journey to gain this wisdom and tap into your life’s greatest potential whilst gaining health benefits at the same time.
