Page 106 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 6
P. 106
Christian Psychotherapy
Friedemann Alsdorf (Germany)
Comment to
“The Role of Spirituality in
Treatment and Recovery of
Addiction”
The sociologist Jorma Niemelä reports on his
field research regarding the question of what
influence spirituality (here of a protestant Chri- Friedemann Alsdorf, Graduate
stian character) has on treatment and healing in psychology,psychotherapist
of addicts. To this purpose he conducted, on and supervisor DGSv. Af-
the one hand, qualitative interviews with 34 ter short periods of work in
persons. On the other hand, he categorised psychiatry and a special needs
19 Christian institutions for addict assistance school there followed eight-
(above all the Finnish Blue Cross) according to and-a-half years of responsi-
different concept types, conducting a more de- bility in addiction therapy as
tailed analysis of four of them with participant part of Teen Challenge. Since
observation and client interviews. 1997 at the IGNIS Academy,
leader of the social therapy
The individual interviews showed that it is not area (offering addiction coun-
unusual for “a sudden overall change”, such as selling, group therapy, social
e.g. a conversion experience, to lead to healing. work and supervision) and
In this context, interview partners reported re- contact person for the icp, the
duced craving and new possibilities in dealing Institute for Christian Psycho-
with problems. Persons who thus successfully logy, Therapy and Pedagogics
became abstinent tended to see this more as the in Switzerland. Director of
result of inner reform than as a change induced studies at the ICP-IGNIS Tu-
by rules and laws. torial Center.
friedemann.alsdorf@ignis.de
In examining the institutions run entirely by
Christians, Niemelä employs a typification of
decisive importance for understanding his sub-
sequent material, a typification which could In view of a widely-observable political pres-
also be of interest for other examinations: he sure on Christian institutions to provide faith-
compares institutions working with profes- based assistance only as an option, Niemelä’s
sional therapeutics with those which are more research results should cause ears to prick up:
intended to provide practical help in everyday institutions working “optionally” apparent-
life and then goes on to the further distinction ly produce no religious changes, and faith was
between those in which religious help is offered perceived by clients as neither relevant to daily
only optionally and those where it is a core ele- life nor a resource in problem situations: on the
ment in the services offered. Only after this dif- contrary, “the demarcation of religion outside
ferentiation of the resulting four types is he able the community‘s care space discouraged reli-
to formulate statements regarding the effects of gious participation and spiritual change in cli-
faith in treatment contexts. ents who had not been occupied with spiritual
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