People are actively engaged in a life-search for meaning and this search can lead them to take a spiritual perspective of themselves and the world in which they live. Some find this a spiritual journey-a journey towards an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of their being; or the deepest values and meanings by which people live-through art, music or religion. The ultimate purpose of our spiritual journey is to be an enabling meaning to be found and given for self and others. In Tibetan Buddhism,the ultimate intention and purpose of our personal and spiritual journey is to be of service and benefit to all beings and to bring all beings to 'enlightenment'. Enlightenment is the ultimate step on our journey, whereby we go beyond our everyday consciousness to serve a 'greater whole', where we are in touch with our ultimate, true nature- the essence of our being. We can think of this journey to enlightenment as a journey both for personal mastery and beyond it.

Jewels for the Journey: Spirituality, Values and Mental Health gathers together personal and professional contributions from mental health professionals, carers and mental health service users and survivors.  It addresses the stigma that can surround both mental health and spirituality and explores the place of the spiritual in mental health care, teasing out its implications for research, education, training and good practice

Gloria presented to The Forum on 14th December 2016…     This book is based on the research project I carried out for my PhD (University College London). I set up a study to explore the conceptualisation of deep sadness and consequent help-seeking behaviour using several qualitative methods to gather data amongst 57 practising Catholics in different religious pathways (lay theological students, priests and contemplative nuns and monks) in different parts of Spain.

The research experience was very intense and fulfilling, and writing this book gave me the opportunity to provide a detailed depiction of the participants’ narratives and ways of life, to reflect on the findings and to synthesise the lessons learned along the way which could be used in mainstream psychiatric practice.   The paperback book (and on Amazon Kindle) may be seen/ordered

This new book contains 18 chapters by inspirational writers with great expertise in their field of work, and spans palliative care in both child and adult care, and care for those with dementia.  The book also looks at all the issues surrounding end of life care, and the leadership required to provide an excellent service.  Edited by Peter Gilbert.  Royalties from the book go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and St Richards Hospice.

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See also http://www.pavpub.com/p-617-spirituality-and-end-of-life-care.aspx

Spirituality is a crucial but sometimes overlooked aspect of mental well-being and psychiatric care. This book explores the nature of spirituality, its relationship to religion, and the reasons for its importance in clinical practice. In this comprehensive and evidence-based text, the authors discuss the prevention and management of illness, as well as the maintenance of recovery. Different chapters focus on the key sub-specialties of psychiatry, such as psychotherapy, child and adolescent, learning disability and substance misuse.

This book is an invaluable reflective tool for health care and religious professionals, as well as managers and policy makers seeking to improve the spiritual care of today's diverse patient populations

Drawing on narrative, postmodern, and other therapeutic perspectives, this book guides therapists in exploring the creative and healing possibilities in clients' spiritual and religious experience. Vivid personal accounts and dialogues bring to life the ways spirituality may influence the stories told in therapy, the language and metaphors used, and the meanings brought to key relationships and events. Applications are discussed for a wide variety of clinical situations, including helping people resolve relationship problems, manage psychiatric symptoms, and cope with medical illnesses.

Are religious practices involving seeing visions and speaking in tongues beneficial or detrimental to mental health? Do some cultures express distress in bodily form because they lack the linguistic categories to express distress psychologically? Do some religions encourage clinical levels of obsessional behaviour? And are religious people happier than others? By merging the growing information on religion and mental health with that on culture and mental health, Kate Loewenthal enables fresh perspectives on these questions. This book deals with different psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, manic disorders, depression, anxiety, somatisation and dissociation as well as positive states of mind, and analyses the religious and cultural influences on each.

A practical guide for health care practitioners, exploring the nature of spiritual need and the provision of spiritual care. Spiritual care is presented in the context of a holistic approach to care in a multi-faith society, distinguishing between religious and spiritual care and needs.

Using a critical evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary mental health practice, Swinton explores the therapeutic significance of spirituality from the perspectives of both carers and service-users, looking at mental health problems such as psychotic disorder and depression, Alzheimer's disease and bipolar disorder.

Modern medicine has been staggeringly successful in delivering better health and longer lifespan. But in the developed world doctors are still struggling to treat chronic, often lifestyle-related killers such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Physicians also have little in their armoury to cope with the huge increase in immune system problems such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Millions of people are turning to alternative therapies, feeling that they provide the relief medical science cannot deliver. Only a handful of these therapies have been properly tested so many scientists dismiss them as nonsense.

Health care professionals who endeavour to work holistically face a number of questions about spirituality. What is meant by `spirituality' as opposed to `religion'? What is its specific relevance to health care practice?

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This accessible book provides answers to these questions and offers a model for personal and professional development. Gillian White sets out a framework within which health care professionals can discuss spirituality and equip themselves to respond appropriately to the spiritual concerns of their patient in daily practice.