Keynotes

Arndt Büssing

Professorship Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping, University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany

Presentation: Assessment of Spiritual Needs of Chronically Ill and Old People 

Abstract

Empirical data also from secular societies shows that patients´ existential and spiritual needs mostly remain unmet. While supporting these needs is (theoretically) well established in palliative care, their importance in the early stages of chronic illness is largely ignored. As a consequence, patients are left alone with their needs, fears, and worries. A first step to overcome this situation is a structured and standardized assessment of their spiritual needs and/or spiritual struggles, i.e., with the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (SpNQ) or the Spiritual Distress Screener. Then, healthcare professionals can reasonably respond to these documented needs in an interdisciplinary manner.

In this context, spiritual care describes the concerns of health professionals and chaplains to take care of the existential/spiritual needs as well as worries and distress of sick, old, and burdened people (as well as their relatives). This topic is of fundamental importance, but – with unclear assignments of responsibility – many health professionals lack both the time and the expertise to address it. However, for a health system that takes a comprehensive care mandate seriously – despite all the economic burdens – addressing peoples´ spiritual needs should not be optional, but essential.

Bio

Arndt Büssing (*1962) is a medical doctor and full professor at Witten/Herdecke University (Germany) since 2010, specializing in “Quality of Life, Spirituality, and Coping.” His research focuses on (1) the role of spirituality as a resource for coping with chronic illness, including the spiritual needs of patients, the elderly, and caregivers, as well as the phenomenon of spiritual dryness; (2) integrative non-pharmacological interventions, such as yoga and meditation, for patients with chronic diseases; and (3) the development of validated questionnaires in the field of spirituality and coping.

Dr. Büssing studied medicine at RWTH Aachen, where he also earned his doctorate in pediatrics and human genetics. He has held various leadership roles in immunology and oncology research before becoming a professor. He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Religion and Health and Spiritual Care, and is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Religions. Additionally, he is actively involved in several academic and interdisciplinary networks focusing on spirituality and health.

Adrianna Mendrek

Psychology Department, Bishop’s University, Canada

Presentation: Mindfulness and Flourishing: From Historical Roots to Modern Applications

Abstract

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are everywhere, including our workplaces, health clinics, hospitals, schools, prisons. While evidence concerning ‘curing’ mental or physical health problems is equivocal, there is little doubt that some MBIs have capacity to alleviate selected psychiatric symptoms, as well as promote wellbeing and flourishing in the general population. MBIs have roots in specific cultural and historical contexts, which are sometimes overlooked. They originate mostly from Buddhist practices of meditation, loving-kindness and compassion, as well as Yogic exercises of breath control and postures. Those ancient practices were linked to ethical conduct and designed to facilitate insight into the nature of our selves and the world around us, which in turn would inevitably boost wellbeing and flourishing. However, many current mindfulness interventions appear decontextualized and diluted, offering merely relaxation, stress reduction and/or increased productivity (workplaces and corporations love that last item). Thus, in the present talk, after introducing briefly mindfulness, its benefits and potential pitfalls, I want to delve into the roots of MBIs and discuss key concepts and practices, which might be essential for personal transformation, insight, and flourishing.

Bio

Adrianna Mendrek is a full professor at the Department of Psychology, Bishop’s University and an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Université de Sherbrooke. She received her master’s degree in psychology and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Psychiatry from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, followed by the postdoctoral training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Brain Mapping Center. She is author or co-author of nearly 100 research articles and book chapters and over 200 published abstracts. She has presented at numerous international conferences and community events. Over the years her research has evolved around two major themes: 1) brain function in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and drug addiction; 2) sex and gender differences/similarities in emotion and cognitive processing in psychopathology and in health. In recent years she has combined her long-standing passion for Eastern philosophy, dance, yoga and meditation to delve into expressive arts, contemplative practices and body work as therapeutic modalities.

Loren L. Toussaint

Department of Psychology, Luther College, USA

Presentation: Stress-and-Coping Models of Forgiveness and Flourishing 

Abstract

We all face difficulties in dealing with hurtfulness whether it comes from oneself or others. Often the stressfulness of dealing with a hurtful individual can be lasting. Likewise, it can be difficult to reconcile one’s own goodness in spite of wrongdoing that may have negatively impacted oneself or others. Forgiveness has been proposed as one means of restoring flourishing after a hurtful experience. This talk will focus on understanding the ways in which forgiveness might serve as a method of coping with distressing and hurtful experiences that result from harm done by oneself or others. Key aspects of the talk will focus on: 1) defining forgiveness of oneself and others, especially as aspects of coping, 2) understanding flourishing, and 3) considering stress-and-coping models of connections between forgiveness of self and others to flourishing. We will also consider implications of faith and community. Forgiveness can serve as as an important component of individual, social, and community healing that can facilitate the rebuilding of trust, reconciliation, peace, and flourishing.

Bio

Dr. Loren Toussaint is a professor of psychology at Luther College. He is chair of the Discover Forgiveness Advisory Council for the Templeton World Charity Foundation (discoverforgiveness.org), president of the Forgiveness Foundation (forgivenessfoundation.org), and associate director of the Sierra Leone Forgiveness Project. He has served as a visiting professor at Mayo Clinic and Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, and as a consultant to Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Boise State University. Dr. Toussaint’s research examines forgiveness and other virtues and how they are related to flourishing. He edited a scientific collection titled, Forgiveness and Health: Scientific Evidence and Theories Relating Forgiveness to Better Health (Springer), and authored a short book titled, Forgiveness: Questions and Simple Answers (Amazon). He directs the Laboratory for the Investigation of Mind, Body, and Spirit (https://www.luther.edu/faculty/loren-toussaint/). Dr. Toussaint encourages “everyday forgiveness” to build resilience and minimize stress in families, schools, healthcare, workplaces, and communities. Everyday forgiveness is taught through the Forgiveness Foundation, an education and outreach hub organization. Dr. Toussaint’s work has been highlighted in a number of media outlets such as TIME, U.S. News, and the New York Times.

Jon R Webb

Department of Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences Texas Tech University, USA

Presentation: Spirituality, Forgiveness, Addiction, and Recovery 

Abstract

Addictive behavior – whether in the context of substance use, compulsive behavioral sets (e.g., gambling), or suicidal behavior – is a clear and present crisis, impacting individuals, families, and society. Of note, spirituality is anecdotally and empirically known to play a meaningful role in addiction recovery. The focus of this presentation will be to discuss a comprehensive model of the spirituality-forgiveness-addiction-recovery association; that is, the SFARA Model. This model proposes that forgiveness is a primary component of the larger association of multiple dimensions of spirituality with better addiction recovery outcomes. Indeed, ritualistic spirituality (a structured connection with deity), theistic spirituality (a non-structured connection with deity) and existential spirituality (a non-theistic, yet transcendent search for meaning and purpose) are thought to operate through multiple dimensions of forgiveness (e.g., of self, of others, by God) to impact addiction recovery. And, that said dimensions of forgiveness, in turn, operate through resentment, and various aspects of (1) bio-psycho-social-spiritual functioning, (2) existangst, or existentially and teleologically driven psychological distress, and/or (3) recovery capital. In sum, the spirituality-forgiveness-addiction-recovery association is likely complex, with nomothetic and idiographic implications for prevention and treatment.

Bio

Dr. Jon R. Webb is a licensed clinical psychologist and tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences at Texas Tech University, where he served as the Addictive Disorders and Recovery Studies PhD Program Director from 2017–2023. He has served on the executive committees of the Tennessee Psychological Association and the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (American Psychological Association, Division 36); as President of the former and as Treasurer of the latter. His research and clinical interests are focused in the area of spirituality and health, with particular interests in forgiveness, dimensions of spirituality (i.e., ritualistic, theistic, and existential), psychache, temptation, addictive behavior, suicidal behavior, and medical rehabilitation. To date, he has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles and edited-book chapters on these topics. From 2019–present, he has served as a Consulting Editor for the American Psychological Association journal, Spirituality in Clinical Practice. In 2021, he published a sole-authored book with Routledge, entitled, Understanding Forgiveness and Addiction: Theory, Research, and Clinical Application. He is currently working on a 45-chapter, sole-edited book under contract with Routledge, entitled, Handbook of Spirituality, Health, and Well-Being: A Psychological Perspective.