Validating Spiritual Experience: A Pilot Study
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
This pilot study of 16 patients will demonstrate a specific psychologically focused intervention to affect a spiritual aspect of psychological health and will measure (1) its effects on general distress, depression, anxiety and well-being; (2) healing and psychological impact beyond that accounted by usual personality factors; (3) its effect in correlation to measures of spirituality; (4) with neuroimaging, possible biological changes associated with this intervention.
- Objectives
-
Pilot a psychological intervention that impacts a "spiritual" level.
-
Measure efficacy improving well-being beyond explanation by usual personality factors.
-
Identify biological changes with neuroimaging.
- Hypotheses / Research Question(s) Studies demonstrate a healing effect beyond usual psychological and medical health to include a "spiritual" aspect with added experience of wholeness and well-being. Benefits are beyond just symptom relief but methods to achieve this are not well-defined. This study will provide a specific intervention and measure psychological and neuroimaging effects of the intervention.
Hypotheses of Specific Results (see Study Instruments below)
-
DASS-21-shows significant decrease in depression, anxiety and overall stress.
-
PCL-5 - shows decrease 5-10 points (5 points=response, 10 points=clinically meaningful).
-
NIH-HEALS - shows significant increase overall and in all 3 factors.
-
WEMWBS - shows increase of greater than 3 points, considered "meaningful change."
-
Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale-shows significant global increase, positively correlated with increase in Mysticism Scale scores with post-intervention total above standardized mean.
-
A relevant portion of outcome improvement on DASS-21, NIH-HEALS, and ASPIRES will NOT be accountable by personality factors measured by NEO-FFI-3.
-
ASPIRES-shows significant increase in transcendence, no change in religious sentiments.
-
Neuroimaging-shows reduced activity in SPL, TPJ, MPFC, and IPL (see Research Significance).
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
Following IRB approval, recruit 16 patients from a male residential addiction treatment program for a 10-session intervention. 8 subjects will be given pre and post intervention psychological assessments and pre and post fMRIs. Another 8 subjects will serve as a control group and will receive the pre and post (without intervention) psychological assessments at the same time as the previous group and will then be the next 8 subjects to receive the intervention after completion of the first cohort. They will have MRIs before their intervention and post-intervention, thus serving as their own control group. The behavioral intervention occurs with a beginning 3 hour group introduction done by Dr. Chatlos followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour group sessions. The subjects' intervention will be recorded for further manual development.
The Intervention is a CBT- based psychotherapeutic process that occurs in a group setting with two cohorts of 8 subjects each. It will occur in an introductory 3-hour session followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour sessions. In this process, self-worth (self-confidence, self-esteem, self-competence) and dignity (reason, compassion, courage) as operationally defined are strengthened through an interpersonal, psychological process including mindful self-awareness training, attitude transformation with self-compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, and opens to a new level of awareness. This awareness opens to spiritual / numinous features of connectedness, vitality, wholeness, meaning, and serenity that are predicted to be associated with greater well-being and relief of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Cohort 1 8 subjects get psychological assessments and fMRI brain scan followed by 9 week psychotherapeutic intervention. With intervention completion, psychological assessments and fMRI scan are repeated. |
Behavioral: Spiritual Intervention
The Intervention is a CBT- based psychotherapeutic process that occurs in a group setting with two cohorts of 8 subjects each. It will occur in an introductory 3-hour session followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour sessions. In this process, self-worth (self-confidence, self-esteem, self-competence) and dignity (reason, compassion, courage) as operationally defined are strengthened through an interpersonal, psychological process including mindful self-awareness training, attitude transformation with self-compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, and opens to a new level of awareness. This awareness opens to spiritual / numinous features of connectedness, vitality, wholeness, meaning, and serenity that are predicted to be associated with greater well-being and relief of anxiety and depression symptoms.
|
| Active Comparator: Cohort 2 8 subjects get psychological assessments at same time as Cohort 1, but do not receive the intervention at that time - serving as control group. When Cohort 1 is completed, Cohort 2 will repeat psychological assessments, receive fMRI scan, then receive same 9 week intervention as Cohort 1, followed by repeat psychological assessments and fMRI scan. |
Behavioral: Spiritual Intervention
The Intervention is a CBT- based psychotherapeutic process that occurs in a group setting with two cohorts of 8 subjects each. It will occur in an introductory 3-hour session followed by 9 weekly 1 ½ hour sessions. In this process, self-worth (self-confidence, self-esteem, self-competence) and dignity (reason, compassion, courage) as operationally defined are strengthened through an interpersonal, psychological process including mindful self-awareness training, attitude transformation with self-compassion, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, and opens to a new level of awareness. This awareness opens to spiritual / numinous features of connectedness, vitality, wholeness, meaning, and serenity that are predicted to be associated with greater well-being and relief of anxiety and depression symptoms.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- NIH-HEALS [12 weeks]
(NIH-Healing Experience of All Life Stressors) (Ameli et al, 2018): will show significant increase overall and in all 3 factors.NIH-HEALS A 35-item questionnaire, 3 factor structure:connection, reflection & introspection, trust & acceptance.
- fMRI Scan [12 weeks]
fMRI Neuroimaging-will show reduced activity in MPFC, SPL, TPJ, and IPL
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Depression, Anxiety, Stress [12 weeks]
DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale) (Henry, 2005): will show significant decrease in depression, anxiety and overall stress on this 21-item questionnaire on a 0-3 scale with 3 factors- depression, anxiety, and stress
- Well-Being [12 weeks]
WEMWBS (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) (Warwick, 2018) will show increase of greater than 3 points, considered "meaningful change on this 14-item questionnaire measures psychological well-being shown to be responsive to change.
- Transcendence [12 weeks]
ASPIRES (Assessment of Spirituality and Religious Sentiments) (Piedmont, 2009):will show significant increase in transcendence, no change in religious sentiments on this 35-item questionnaire with 2 main factors- religious sentiments (RS) and spiritual transcendence (ST).
- Spiritual Independent Effects [12 weeks]
NEO-FFI-3 (NEO-Five Factor Inventory) (McRae, 2007): will NOT account for relevant portion of outcome improvement on DASS-21, NIH-HEALS, and ASPIRES .This is a 60-item inventory of the FFM (Five Factor Model) of personality-with factors of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
- PTSD [12 weeks]
PTSD Checklist for DSM-5(PCL-5) (Blevins, 2015): shows decrease 5-10 points (5 points=response, 10 points=clinically meaningful) on this 20-item questionnaire with 0-4 scale.
Other Outcome Measures
- Spirituality - Mysticism Measure [12 weeks]
Mysticism Scale-Research Form D (Hood,1975): will show significant increase in measures that confirm the effects at a spiritual/mystical level. This is a 32-item self-report 5-point Likert-type scale measures established criteria for mystical experience with 8 factors.
- Theory Validity [12 weeks]
Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale (Crocker, 2003): will show significant global increase that is positively correlated with increase in Mysticism Scale scores after spiritual intervention demonstrating their valid relationship. This is a 35-item self-report with a 1-7 scale that measures global self-worth with 7 factors.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Recently admitted male patients of a residential addiction treatment program that has a 6 month average duration.
Age 21 or older. Volunteer for the study after a brief introduction.
Exclusion Criteria:
No psychosis, no suicidal ideation or psychiatric hospitalization in past 1 month.
Usual MRI Exclusionary Criteria detailed in IRB
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey | Piscataway | New Jersey | United States | 08854 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Damon House
- Rutgers Brain Health Institute
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Kasia Bieszczad, PhD, Rutgers University - Dept Psychology
- Principal Investigator: Nona Cooperman, PhD, Rutgers University - Dept Psychiatry
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
- Pro2022000889