Spiritual aid should be
available to all
On Nov. 14 more than 80 persons filled the auditorium at the Hawaii State Hospital for a day workshop on "Spirituality and Mental Health."
They were mental health consumers, professionals in the mental health field, members of various faiths and interested citizens.
The issue before them was not whether spirituality can help in the rehabilitation of people with mental illnesses, but rather, how best to have such help available and accessible.
Various studies during the past decade have strongly demonstrated the important role spirituality can fulfill in mental health treatment. Indeed, having our State Hospital as host of this workshop testified to that fact.
But the most powerful testimony came that day from the Rev. Patrick Howell, a Catholic priest and dean of the School of Theology at Seattle University. As keynote speaker, Howell told of his own major mental breakdowns early in his ministry and the spiritual journey he underwent to regain wholeness.
He spoke of the spiritual dimension as our deepest inner self and spirituality as the process of connecting that inner self with God. When that occurs, God's acceptance and God's love are experienced. They become valuable tools that can bring restoration to the mentally ill. Other vital components to the healing process include proper medication, psychiatric care and counseling, exercise and a supportive community.
How may we in faith communities connect with people with mental illnesses? First is to recognize that 99 percent of Americans attest to a belief in God or in some form of spiritual power, and they include those afflicted with mental illnesses. They seek a positive and creative relationship with God or some spiritual power, just as we in faith communities do. We need to enrich that commonality.
Like the rest of society, we need to overcome our fears and prejudices. Rather than our usual stance of denial and avoidance of people with mental illnesses, we need to learn to accept them for who they are, affirm their dignity and spirituality, and engage them into our fellowship.
It may well be that we will both learn from each other and mutually grow into becoming more loving, more humane and more mindful human beings.
For more information about spirituality and mental health or about mental health in general, contact the Mental Health Association in Hawaii at 521-1846.
The Rev. Wally Fukunaga, minister of Waiokeola Congregational Church, is also a board member of the Mental Health Association in Hawaii.
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