The implementation of prayer in college counseling centers are often scrutinized. Experiencing the loss of a loved one is regarded as one of the most difficult and stressful moments in one’s life. Grief refers to deep sorrow that is caused by someone's death and causes a wide spectrum of thoughts and emotions (Reed, 1993) to arise. Grief is detrimental to one's emotional and physical state. Losing someone you love often results in a disruption in one’s beliefs, values, and identity. During, this time emotions and memories that arise often cause pain and uncomfort leading one to seek help. Using spirituality and religion often aids one in overcoming the death of a loved one and move on from the feelings of desolation. Using prayer and religion in counseling is under scrutiny and a prayer ban has been issued because psychologists at college counseling centers were praying with their clients during therapy sessions without the knowledge of the director. A ban was placed because it is believed that prayer is not an effective form of psychological treatment.
Grief causes a wide range of emotions to arise. Guided morning can help in overcoming the death of a loved one. There are many different ways people deal with death and some find spirituality and religion to be helpful in overcoming their grief. Investigating the impact of religion on grief counseling many experiments were conducted. For instance, in a study, religious believers and nonbelievers were compared to measure the association of faith, anxiety, and grief. Scientist Feldman, Fischer and Gressis explored the concept Philosopher Georges Rey proposed regarding meta-atheism (Feldman 2016). The question being investigated in this experiment is whether people avowing some form of religious belief, as opposed to none, would experience less intense death anxiety and/or grief (Feldman 2016). The hypothesis proposed is many people believe that religious belief aids in coping with loss and moderates death anxiety because religious believers believe that their loved ones have not ceased to exist and the anxiety regarding one's own death is reduced (Feldman 2016). The empirical study investigated the relationship between certain religious beliefs and death anxiety (Feldman 2016). The experiment was conducted using an online survey of people across the United States (Feldman 2016). Participants responded to questionnaires about religious beliefs, grief, and attitudes about death (Feldman 2016). In the experiment, grief was measured in various ways and dependent on the relationship the griever had with the deceased (Feldman 2016). The experiment concluded that religion provides believers with comfort and support after the loss of a loved one and disproved Philosopher Rey’s premise of meta-atheism. In all, religious believers were able to cope with the idea of death better than non-believers and religion aided their journey in overcoming the death of a loved one.
Many times people who are suffering from depression have experienced a loss of a loved one. In a study, people suffering from depression as a result of bereavement were examined to determine the effect of religious psychotherapy (Azhar, 1995). Scientists Azhar and Verma explored the concept of psychoanalysis Freud proposed (Azhar, 1995). Freud highlighted the similarity between grief and depression and how they are both influenced by environmental factors such as the loss of an important object(s) (Azhar, 1995). Freud proposed that profound mourning contains the “same painful frame of mind, the same loss of interest in the outside world, the same loss of capacity to adopt any new object of love and the same turning away from any activity that is not connected with thoughts of him” ( Azhar, 1995). Often times when grieving people fall into depressive states due to guilt and feeling powerless in one’s own life Azhar, 1995). As a result, suicidal thoughts may emerge among survivors because they think they could be better off dead or that they should have died instead of the deceased person (Azhar, 1995). In addition, this experiment concluded that religious psychotherapy helped patients to improve faster as compared to the control group that did not receive religious counseling (Azhar, 1995). The results indicated that religious patients dealing with bereavement tend to improve faster when a religious psychotherapy is added to a cognitive behavioral approach Azhar, 1995). In all, this experiment was aimed to highlight that established psychological and psychotherapeutic methods of treating grief are not sufficient, and in order to treat patients suffering from bereavement additional psychotherapeutic technique incorporating religious sociocultural methods of healing are needed.
Sudden death and bereavement affect one's psychological well-being as well as the quality of family relationships. In a study regarding bereavement, the experiment focuses on the impact on one's psychological well-being as well as examines the effects of using coping resources in alleviating grief symptomatology and reducing detachment (Reed, 1993). In this study, data were collected from medical examiner recorders and mail-back surveys from family members of victims of suicide and accidental deaths in the United States (Reed, 1993). Survivors were asked to describe a past bereavement experience and then report how they reacted to their loss and their current thoughts, emotions, and social experiences (Reed, 1993). The results were not statistically significant indicating that most grief-stricken survivors are more detached from family than those who are the least grief-stricken (Reed, 1993). In addition, the death of a family member is regarded as one of the most difficult and stressful moments in one's life. Grief often causes breaks in familial ties and often leads to divorce or separation among parents who have experienced the loss of a child (Reed, 1993). Religion is often used in aiding in the development of grief and is important in promoting psychological well being and reducing the symptoms of bereavement (Reed, 1993). For instance, organized religion helps promote interactions with others as well as support (Reed, 1993). And religious participation may enhance one's well‐being by bolstering self‐esteem and lead to a new awareness of oneself (Reed, 1993). Religious ideology also provides a sense of existential certainty that protects individuals and provides them with an understanding of life-events such as death. In all, religious ideologies function as a psychological resource that helps people cope with the effects of negative life events such as death.
The relationship one has with the deceased is detrimental in understanding the person's grief and helping them overcome their sorrow. For instance, a study investigating the impact of stillbirth and neonatal death on parental religiosity, spirituality and any religious affiliation including atheism sheds light on the immense grief parents face when losing a child (Bakker, 2013). Stillbirths and very common in the USA and the long-term effects on parents and family members are unpredicted (Bakker, 2013). Stillbirths and neonatal deaths are valued less or receive no social recognition due to their short lifespan and in fetal anomalies, the baby’s death is presumed to be for the best and unworthy of grief (Bakker, 2013). The death of a child in its early life is also regarded as fate and often construed as pregnancy loss or reproductive loss which dehumanizes and undervalues the existence of the child (Bakker, 2013). Currently, the internet is a method many parents turn to, to cope with the loss of their child (Bakker, 2013). Content analysis of posting on a website for baby loss revealed four reoccurring themes: religious disorientation, religious reorientation, changed relationships with others, and a quest for meaning (Bakker, 2013). When losing a child parents often undergo a cognitive process involving a “redefinition of normal” where one's strongly held set of assumptions about the world and self-are reexamined and modified (Bakker, 2013). Parental grief is always evolving and parents desire to keep their babies memory alive is often seen as morbid/ unhealthy and often regarded as the parent's refusal to accept their child's death. In addition, religion is helpful in coping with the loss of a child yet, religion may also be damaging to one coping with the loss of a loved one (Bakker, 2013). After, the loss of a child many parents experienced rancor and a crisis or disturbance in their religious lives (Bakker, 2013). This signified that many parents faith was weakened. Yet, a few described the loss of their child as a result of a personal weakness (Bakker, 2013). In addition, many parents experienced religious reorientation and a quest for meaning (Bakker, 2013). The loss of a child helps parents through religious disorientation and reorientation and reevaluating their religious assumptions and beliefs. In all, the loss of a baby impacts religiosity and parents perception of God.
Religious belief may provide believers with comfort regarding grief. Nonetheless, one can not assess that religious belief is the cure to grief. In a clinical grief-counseling context, it may be beneficial to employ the use of religion in coping with grief influenced by the loss of a loved one depending on the patient's belief system. In the empirical studies mentioned above, religion helped the patients overcome grief and the loss of a loved one. However, more work needs to be done in investigating the influence of religion and counseling.
The implementation of religion in grief counseling is effective in helping patients overcome their grief. In the empirical studies mentioned above, one can conclude that religion is beneficial and aids in grief counseling. Therefore, the ban issued should be lifted because using prayer and religion is an effective form of psychological treatment of grief. Banning the practice of using religion in grief counseling hinders the therapeutic process. As well as hinders psychologists from helping patients establish a proper resolution to their grief. In the four articles, the data collected showed that incorporating religion in grief counseling is beneficial if the patient approves of it. Using religion helps one cope with the death of a loved one and provides them with the support and answer to death. In addition, religion helps one cope with the idea of death by eliminating the idea that one simply ceases to exist. Despite, the claims that religion can be helpful it can also be detrimental because it does not allow one to move on completely. However, the person will come to the conclusion that the person is no longer with them even when implementing the use of religion. Also, the four empirical studies investigated different aspects of grief and looked at different relationships the patients had with the deceased. Lastly, one must take into consideration the patients want and respect their religious belief. In conclusion, religion helps in grief counseling and the prayer ban should be lifted.