validating promoted spiritual experience

Conditions: Addiction; Psychiatric Disorder

Summary: this pilot study of 16 patients will demonstrate a specific psychologically focused intervention to affect a spiritual aspect of psychological health and will measure (1) its effects on general distress, depression, anxiety and well-being; (2) healing and psychological impact beyond that accounted by usual personality factors; (3) its effect in correlation to measures of spirituality; (4) with neuroimaging, possible biological changes associated with this intervention. a. objectives 1. pilot a psychological intervention that impacts a "spiritual" level. 2. measure efficacy improving well-being beyond explanation by usual personality factors. 3. identify biological changes with neuroimaging. b. hypotheses / research question(s) studies demonstrate a healing effect beyond usual psychological and medical health to include a "spiritual" aspect with added experience of wholeness and well-being. benefits are beyond just symptom relief but methods to achieve this are not well-defined. this study will provide a specific intervention and measure psychological and neuroimaging effects of the intervention. hypotheses of specific results (see study instruments below) 1. dass-21-shows significant decrease in depression, anxiety and overall stress. 2. pcl-5 - shows decrease 5-10 points (5 points=response, 10 points=clinically meaningful). 3. nih-heals - shows significant increase overall and in all 3 factors. 4. wemwbs - shows increase of greater than 3 points, considered "meaningful change." 5. contingencies of self-worth scale-shows significant global increase, positively correlated with increase in mysticism scale scores with post-intervention total above standardized mean. 6. a relevant portion of outcome improvement on dass-21, nih-heals, and aspires will not be accountable by personality factors measured by neo-ffi-3. 7. aspires-shows significant increase in transcendence, no change in religious sentiments. 8. neuroimaging-shows reduced activity in spl, tpj, mpfc, and ipl (see research significance).

following irb approval, recruit 16 patients from a male residential addiction treatment program for a 10-session intervention. 8 subjects will be given pre and post intervention psychological assessments and pre and post fmris. another 8 subjects will serve as a control group and will receive the pre and post (without intervention) psychological assessments at the same time as the previous group and will then be the next 8 subjects to receive the intervention after completion of the first cohort. they will have mris before their intervention and post-intervention, thus serving as their own control group. the behavioral intervention occurs with a beginning 3 hour group introduction done by dr. chatlos followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour group sessions. the subjects' intervention will be recorded for further manual development. the intervention is a cbt- based psychotherapeutic process that occurs in a group setting with two cohorts of 8 subjects each. it will occur in an introductory 3-hour session followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour sessions. in this process, self-worth (self-confidence, self-esteem, self-competence) and dignity (reason, compassion, courage) as operationally defined are strengthened through an interpersonal, psychological process including mindful self-awareness training, attitude transformation with self-compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, and opens to a new level of awareness. this awareness opens to spiritual / numinous features of connectedness, vitality, wholeness, meaning, and serenity that are predicted to be associated with greater well-being and relief of anxiety and depression symptoms.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * recently admitted (within 3 months) male patients of a residential addiction treatment program that has a 6 month average duration. * age 21 or older. * volunteer for the study after a brief introduction. exclusion criteria: * no psychosis, no suicidal ideation or psychiatric hospitalization in past 3 months. * usual mri exclusionary criteria detailed in irb

Keywords: spirituality neuroimaging cbt self-worth dignity