Spirit, Science, and Health: How the Spiritual Mind Fuels Physical Wellness » (New Edition)

THOMAS G. PLANTE is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Santa Clara University and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has authored, edited, or co-edited 10 books, and more than 100 chapters and journal articles. Widely known in the popular media, Plante has been featured in TIME, People, USA Today, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report. He is series editor for the Preager series, Abnormal Psychology.

CARL E. THORESEN is Professor Emeritus of Education and Psychology, and, by courtesy, Psychiatry/Behavioral Science at Stanford University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Spirituality & Health Institute at Santa Clara University. Thoresen has worked in the field of Counseling and Health Psychology for more than 30 years. A Founding Fellow for the Society of Behavioral Medicine, he served on an Expert Panel for the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences, focused on spirituality and health. His many awards include the John Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, election to Fellow status in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Psychological Association, and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.

From meditation to reciting mantras or praying, spirituality is more and more often being recognized for its beneficial effects on health. In this volume, a team of experts from across disciplines including psychology, medicine, nursing, public health, and pastoral care offer reader-friendly chapters showing the state of the art in understanding this connection. Chapters include attention to special populations such as youth, HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, and those in hospice care. Contributors, all members of the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University, aim to use the scientific understanding of the spirituality/health connection to promote better health for the general public. One focus of this volume is to show easy ways to incorporate spiritual practices in an environment that is often multicultural, multi-religious, stressful, hurried, and secular.

Foreword   Albert Bandura     vii
Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xiii
Overview, Assessment, and Modeling
Spirituality, Religion, and Health: What's the Deal?   Carl E. Thoresen     3
Prayer and Health   Kevin S. Masters     11
A Few Good Measures: Assessing Religion and Spirituality in Relation to Health   Peter C. Hill   Katie J. Kopp   Richard A. Bollinger     25
How Does One Learn to Be Spiritual? The Neglected Role of Spiritual Modeling in Health   Doug Oman   Carl E. Thoresen     39
Meditation
Meditation: Exploring the Farther Reaches   Shauna L. Shapiro   Roger Walsh     57
The Eight-Point Program of Passage Meditation: Health Effects of a Comprehensive Program   Tim Flinders   Doug Oman   Carol Lee Flinders     72
Mantram or Holy Name Repetition: Health Benefits from a Portable Spiritual Practice   Jill E. Bormann   Doug Oman     94
Spirit and Action
Compassion and Health   Amy B. Wachholtz   Michelle Pearce     115
The Calling Protocol: Promoting Greater Health, Joy, and Purpose in Life   Diane E. Dreher   Thomas G. Plante     129
SpecialPopulations
Religion/Spirituality and Health in Adolescents   Sian Cotton   Daniel H. Grossoehme   Joel Tsevat     143
Spirituality and Cancer   Allen C. Sherman   Stephanie Simonton     157
Spirituality and HIV/AIDS   Heidemarie Kremer   Gail Ironson     176
Spirituality at the End of Life: Issues and Guidelines for Care   Kathryn Z. McNichols   David B. Feldman     191
Ethical Issues
Spirituality, Religion, and Health: Ethical Issues to Consider   Thomas G. Plante     207
About the Editors and Contributors     219
Index     223