Abstract/Results: | RESULTS:
The author, through an inquiry made to three populations (psychotherapists, clients and population in general), tries to achieve possible influences of the supernatural, mainly the religious, with mental health in general and psychotherapy in particular.
The results confirm the high rate of Portuguese religiosity, when it is understood in a traditional way (extrinsic religiosity). This doesn't happen when religiosity complies to bigger authenticity criteria (intrinsic religiosity). It also confirms the increasing tendency of living the belief in a spirituality context rather than in an official religious context.
Concerning to the supernatural/mental health interaction, it was verified that when psychotherapists and clients speak in a self-way there is a tendency to undervalue the supernatural influence in the health context. When they speak by others, they agree that the supernatural means are the most quested, chiefly the religious ones in chronical situations.
In the religion/psychotherapy binomial, the results expose the importance of the religious context verbalization, and, on the other hand, suggest that that doesn't happen frequently. The religious interference in crucial moments of the therapeutical process, such as decision, choice of the psychotherapist, and the alliance’s establishment, is undervalued in global terms, but overvalued by the minority who identifies themselves with the "intrinsic religiosity" kind.
The author ends his work with few questions suggested by the results of the present investigation and finishes saying that it is no longer licit to talk globally about religiosity versus mental health, but "kinds of religion" versus mental health and psychotherapy.
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