Psychotherapy, religion and spirituality: A decolonizing perspective from the Christian worldview

Abstract

The emergence of the decolonizing current in psychology, extending to the academic field and the clinical theories to which it is linked, converges with the recognition of the relevance of religion and spirituality in the clinical field. This has produced a space for the legitimization of epistemologies and methodologies previously silenced for not conforming to the traditionally dominant worldview in the field of psychology. One of the most noteworthy methodologies is the emic approach, which proposes to build knowledge from “inside” a community, thus obtaining constructs that more significantly reflect the worldview of the individuals who make up the community. From this new framework, the Christian worldview based on biblical information (“divine revelation”) can be considered as an epistemological option for the development of constructs that result in a biblical anthropology. Such an anthropology could serve as a scaffolding for the selection and implementation of evidence-based therapeutic techniques but guided by the Creator’s design for human flourishing ( John 10,10).