Mindfulness, Soulfulness, and Spiritual Development in Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy

Given its increasing appeal, it should not be surprising that mindfulness is included in treatment plans for many psychological and spiritual concerns. Practicing ethically means evaluating an intervention to determine whether it is safe, effective, and appropriate for a specific client. Access to a model for informing such decisions can be helpful. This article offers such a model for mindfulness and soulfulness interventions in spiritually oriented psychotherapy. Three levels of mindfulness are proposed, and the mindfulness perspective is contrasted with the soulfulness perspective. Then areas of development necessary for spiritually oriented psychotherapy to advance and flourish are noted.