Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

Throughout human history, religion and spirituality have served as fundamental frameworks for understanding existence, discovering the meaning of life, and confronting physical and psychological challenges. In recent decades, with significant advancements in various sciences, there has been a growing interest in exploring the spiritual dimensions of mental health. Consequently, spirituality/religion now holds a special place in humanities literature, particularly in psychology. Many scholars have published scientific material regarding the essential role of religion and spirituality in coping with stress and traumatic events. Spiritual psychology not only speaks of returning to psychological equilibrium but also aims for transcendent and virtue-expanding psychology.

The human need for spirituality cannot be considered just one need among others; rather, all human actions, needs, and motivations can be influenced by spirituality. The spirituality that can answer these human needs is one that is integrated and rooted in religion. In fact, the power and effectiveness of this answer directly depend on its degree of unifying capacity—a unification pertaining to the individual’s worldview, social relationships, and understanding of truth (reality).

Recent research indicates that religious spirituality plays a crucial role in promoting mental health and quality of life (Koenig, 2018). Religious spirituality, as a set of beliefs, values, and devotional practices, strengthens psychological resources such as resilience, coping skills, and a sense of meaning (Pargament, 2007). Studies have shown that faith in transcendent concepts and ethical beliefs are associated with reduced anxiety and depression, increased life satisfaction, and enhanced individual resilience (Smith & Denton, 2020).

From a theoretical perspective, religious spirituality functions as a systematic framework for emotional and behavioral regulation and can facilitate psychological developmental processes (Koenig & Larson, 2021). This interaction between psychology and spirituality paves the way for the development of evidence-based psycho-spiritual interventions applicable at both individual and societal levels.

Given the cultural and ethical significance of spirituality, future research should analyze psychological effects while also paying attention to spiritual and social dimensions to provide a comprehensive framework for psycho-spiritual interventions. Such an approach enables the scientific and practical assessment of the role of religious spirituality in mental well-being and the enhancement of meaning in human life (Koenig, 2022).

Religion and spirituality are important agents in transmitting values, beliefs, and practices related to an individual’s worldview, establishing a comprehensive framework for life that applies across a vast spectrum of human experiences and serves as the ultimate foundational value upon which human health goals and plans are built.

Spirituality is a concept with diverse definitions, ranging from secular and worldly spirituality to monotheistic and God-oriented spirituality.

Spirituality must be regarded as an undeniable, even inherent (authentic), dimension of humanity. Many psychological problems arise from the weakness or neglect of this dimension. Indeed, the most authentic human inclination is spiritual and soulful growth and the realization of true perfection, referred to as divine proximity.

In the past, spirituality was often viewed as contradictory or rivalrous with psychology, as the former emphasized the non-material aspects and inner experiences of humans, while the latter focused on scientific knowledge and behavior, ultimately reducing humans to their natural dimension and neglecting the spiritual and divine perspective.

Following this period of competition and separation, spirituality and psychology reached a point where they could align and establish a constructive collaboration. Psychology realized that many spiritual concepts profoundly impact human mental health. Conversely, spirituality leveraged psychological findings for a deeper understanding of the human mind and emotions.

The result of this interaction has been the formation of approaches that examine mental health in connection with inner meaning and values, such that today, many therapists and researchers believe that psychological growth cannot be complete without considering the spiritual dimension.

The publication of this journal reflects a deep commitment to the status of spirituality and religion, particularly religious spirituality, in the fields of psychology and humanities that can contribute to human growth and transcendence both as an effective complement to psychological interventions and as an independent field of study.

In a world where violence, bloodshed, oppression, and suffering resulting from misunderstandings and misinterpretations of reality are increasingly widespread, spirituality can serve as a bridge between intellect and emotion, science and faith, and the individual and society.

This journal seeks to facilitate the path back to authenticity, inner peace, and peaceful coexistence by elucidating the links between psychology, spirituality, and religious values whose ultimate goal is to help save humanity from moral and psychological confusion and open a new horizon for a more balanced understanding of reality and life.

This journal is published based on the policy of producing, supporting, and expanding spiritual science that, as the foundation of the humanities, endeavors to reveal the inner dimension of the human being in internal processes and social relations.