This paper was presented at the
National Seminar on
Indian Psychology: Theories and Models
SVYASA, Bangalore,
December 26 - 28, 2007
 

Does spirituality help in keeping oneself healthy?

Maneesha Singh & Neena Kohli — University of Allahabad, Allahabad

The objective of this empirical study was to explore the role of spirituality in keeping oneself healthy. Health is a multidimensional concept that includes physical, psychological and social factors. Spiritual becomes as important as physical, psychological and social when we talk about health in totality. So, the effort has been made to understand this relationship. A sample of 15 individuals (11 women and 4 men) participated in the study. Their age range was 35-55 (mean age 45) years. Interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed. Results show that spirituality brings mental peace, joy, love, faith, discipline in life, forgiveness, happiness, feeling of bliss and satisfaction which can improve one’s health. This study has implications for the future research to explore the concept of spirituality in relation to health.

Email the author, Ms. Maneesha Singh, at m.singh019@gmail.com