Listening to Sacred Stories

How Clinicians Navigate and Understand a Patient’s Religious Experience

Bibliographic Data

ID19230873
AuthorsHannah Waite (0000-0002-2225-3573, University of Leeds, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-03-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Psychology and Theology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-6471 • E-ISSN: 2328-1162
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00916471261424223
OpenAlexW7139985051
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited33

Religion and spirituality (R/S) in mental health care has gained growing recognition, with institutions such as the Nation Health Service, World Health Organization, and World Psychiatric Association emphasizing its significance in clinical practice. However, limited attention has been given to how mental healthcare clinicians understand and interpret patients’ religious experiences. This study explores clinicians’ interpretive frameworks and practices using a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach and semi-structured interviews with eight UK-based clinicians (psychiatrists, psychologists, and CBT practitioners). Transcripts were analyzed both thematically and structurally, guided by the Four Voices of Theology. Findings are discussed through the lens of the Four Voices of Theology and offer insights into how clinicians negotiate meaning, context, and diagnosis regarding religious experiences. This research enhances understanding of clinician–patient engagement around R/S and highlights the need for more reflective, context-aware approaches in mental health care

Active listening · Health care · Lived experience · Mental health · Mental health care · Negotiation · Religious experience · Spirituality · Christian Theology and Mission · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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