President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan evaluated Said Nursi’s Treatise for the Sick (Hastalar Risalesi) from a psychological perspective during the “Spiritual Support and Spiritual Counseling Trainer Training” program organized in collaboration between Üsküdar University Continuing Education Application and Research Center (ÜSEM) and the Mediterranean Culture and Education Association. Tarhan stated that the treatise views illness not only as a physical condition but also as a spiritual and psychological training process, emphasizing the importance of patience, gratitude, hope, and prayer in terms of psychospiritual therapy. He explained that the Treatise for the Sick aligns closely with modern psychotherapy approaches, especially logotherapy and acceptance-based therapy, saying, “If you give meaning to pain, you can manage it.” Tarhan noted that illness grants a person inner awareness, surrender, and spiritual trust.
The online training session was moderated by Prof. Hüseyin İbrahim Yeğin.
The training program, which featured a psychological analysis of The Treatise on Patients, attracted great interest from participants across many cities in Türkiye.
“At the center of conscience lies intention”
Drawing attention to the connection between human values and the right hemisphere of the brain, Prof. Tarhan stated: “At the center of conscience lies intention. Here, concepts such as the soul, the self, the heart, the mind, the brain, consciousness, and the quantum universe are all intertwined. The fact that intention is at the core of conscience is deeply meaningful because all these elements are interconnected. This integrity is what distinguishes humans from other living beings. Other creatures have basic needs like eating, drinking, and shelter, but humans possess moral values and a spiritual dimension that set them apart. The relationship between human values and the right hemisphere of the brain is particularly striking. The right brain is often referred to as the spiritual hemisphere of the brain. A study by one of our colleagues and Gardner’s 1980 research identified six virtues and twenty-four values, all of which are actually related to spirituality. The left brain is responsible for logic, reasoning, analysis, speech, and calculation, while the right brain is associated with emotions, excitement, music, art, comprehension, and spirituality. In other words, the right brain represents the spiritual side of human nature through its altruistic and empathetic qualities.”
“Hope creates a spirit of discovery within a person’s inner world”
“There are fundamental strengths that spiritual values bring to human beings. These values bring about transformation in the soul, brain, and mind. The first of these is the sense of awe. Awe provides comfort and tranquility. Sincerity, prayer, devotion, and good intention help a person develop self-awareness, strengthen the sense of trust, and reduce feelings of loneliness. Contemplation, or deep thinking, gives life meaning and helps a person connect with the transcendent, easing feelings of death, loneliness, fear, and uncertainty. Patience develops emotional regulation and resilience. Compassion enhances empathy, encourages generosity, reconciliation, and mutual support. Honesty fosters accountability, reinforces the sense of justice, and increases predictability. Faith and trust, inspired by the stories of the prophets, serve as sources of motivation for individuals and help build deep social connections. Conscientiousness, known as the principle of moral restraint, prevents harmful behaviors such as envy, gossip, and backbiting in close relationships. Humility and awareness of servitude help control inner narcissism, steering a person away from selfishness and self-interest. Among all these values, there is one emotion that permeates them all, that is, hope. The feeling of hope creates a spirit of discovery within a person’s inner world. When one struggles against despair, they begin to discover new meanings, grow, and mature.”
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “If you give meaning to pain, you can manage it”
Emphasizing the balance between the mind, heart, and soul, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated: “In The Treatise for the Sick, illness is not seen merely as a physical condition but as a spiritual training process. Even artificial intelligence analysis of The Treatise for the Sick reveals that its approach parallels modern psychological methods such as cognitive restructuring, acceptance-based therapy, and radical acceptance. This perspective incorporates elements such as therapeutic principles, the search for meaning, cognitive transformation, emotional confrontation, spiritual resilience, self-awareness, and the pursuit of social support. In the Risale-i Nur approach, reflection, the interpretation of the universe, positive inner dialogue, trust in divine will, patience, gratitude, confronting death and loneliness, prayer, hope, and the awareness of eternity take center stage. The emphasis is on disciplining the ego through the fivefold concept of ‘weakness, poverty, helplessness, compassion, and trust in God.’ It also includes spiritual community, social benefit, and the search for identity. The Treatise for the Sick can, in this sense, be considered a psychospiritual therapeutic method. It aligns with positive psychology and logotherapy, both of which are based on the concept of self-transcendence. These approaches are also known as transcendental therapies, focusing on humanity’s search for meaning. The Treatise gives illness and suffering meaning by fostering hope, purpose, and a sense of commitment beyond the self. As Viktor Frankl said in Logotherapy, ‘If you give meaning to pain, you can manage it.’ Likewise, the Treatise gives meaning to pain, which lightens the burden and strengthens endurance. The Treatise Therapy can be summarized in ten steps, known as the ‘4 + 4 + 2’ model. The first four steps engage the mind, the second four engage the heart, and the final two integrate the soul, which is the higher will. This model educates the intellect, matures emotions, and elevates the spirit.”
Patience is the path to spiritual maturity
Noting that pain is temporary while the gain is permanent, Prof. Tarhan said: “In The Treatise for the Sick, patience is described as both a form of psychological resilience and a path toward spiritual maturity. However, patience here is not passive endurance but a conscious, meaningful, and mindful discipline of the soul. Active patience is goal-oriented action. It rejects the meaninglessness of pain and gives it significance. The Treatises state, ‘Patience is the art of giving meaning to time.’ According to this view, patience is not merely waiting but learning to wait consciously. The phrase ‘The effect of calamity is short, but patience brings long-lasting reward’ reflects this understanding. Patience is an inner power of resistance that prevents the time spent in illness from being wasted. It teaches individuals to develop a long-term perspective that values future gain over short-term pain. In modern psychology, this is referred to as cognitive restructuring. Pain is temporary, but the gain is permanent. The Treatise for the Sick approaches this from the perspective of delayed gratification, which is the idea that a person can find comfort by focusing not on immediate pleasure but on future meaning and peace. From the Treatise for the Sick, we learn that even when a person suffers, they endure because they know their pain carries spiritual reward. This awareness feeds patience with hope.”
“Patience and gratitude enhance emotional awareness”
Speaking on the concepts of patience and gratitude, Tarhan said: “In the 14th remedy of The Treatise for the Sick, the theme revolves around questioning the meaning of life. It states, ‘Since death exists, illness is its messenger. Therefore, life must be lived meaningfully.’ Illness leads a person to reflect more deeply on death, life, and the self. In the 13th and 18th remedies, illness is described as a means for the forgiveness of sins, serving as a call for repentance. The individual reviews their past, recognizes their mistakes, and begins a process of inner correction. This understanding parallels therapeutic concepts such as spiritual awareness, ethical self-evaluation, and guilt sensitivity. In the 7th and 21st remedies, illness is shown to guide a person toward prayer, contemplation, solitude, and reflection. A person who is constantly focused on the external world turns inward during this process. In essence, illness reconnects an individual with themselves at a time when they had forgotten who they were. This creates a meditative awareness and strengthens one’s ability for inner observation. In the 10th, 12th, and 25th remedies, the concepts of patience and gratitude come to the forefront. The text says, ‘Patience is a light, and gratitude multiplies blessings.’ When illness is approached with patience and gratitude, it enhances a person’s emotional awareness and fosters emotional regulation. There is a well-known saying in Anatolia: ‘Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.’ Indeed, patience is a painful process, but in the end, it yields the fruits of spiritual maturity and inner peace.”
“Gratitude strengthens one’s connection with life”
Highlighting that gratitude can enhance spiritual resilience, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated: “The third step of the teaching in The Treatise for the Sick is gratitude. The first step is awareness, meaning the ability of a person to analyze themselves. The second step is patience, and the third is gratitude. The Treatise for the Sick approaches gratitude not only as a religious obligation but also as a psychological tool for healing and spiritual reconstruction. Said Nursi presents gratitude as a mental and emotional transformation that takes place amid deficiency, loss, and pain during the experience of illness. Gratitude is a form of transformative awareness. It is a source of emotional stability and the core of faith-based positive psychology. It enables a person to turn difficulties into gains and to approach adversity from a spiritual perspective. Gratitude is not only a state of consciousness experienced when blessings are visible but also when they are hidden. In this sense, it grants a person a kind of inner maturity, known today as post-traumatic growth. The modern practice of keeping a gratitude journal reflects this same understanding. A person who learns to be grateful through illness does not escape from pain but transforms it. Gratitude gives meaning to pain, strengthens both spiritual resilience and one’s bond with life.”
Constructing new meaning after trauma
Drawing attention to the triad of confrontation, acceptance, and synthesis, Tarhan said: “The 25th remedy focuses on turning toward the future with hope. It highlights the importance of gratitude for those who see the present but cannot envision the future. With the understanding that ‘the end of the grateful is peace,’ it presents gratitude as a path that leads a person toward light and serenity. Gratitude represents the light that guides one toward inner peace. The 17th remedy addresses a person’s sense of self-worth. The belief that one is under the special care of God gives individuals a sense of meaning. In this way, illness becomes a means of spiritual closeness to God, awakening in the person a feeling of being embraced by divine love. The fourth step is the stage of synthesis. At this point, the individual enters a process of reasoning, confrontation, and acceptance. The Treatise for the Sick’s triad of confrontation, acceptance, and synthesis allows a person to come into direct contact with their pain. Rather than denying or protesting suffering, the individual reaches spiritual integrity by finding meaning in it. This represents one of the most fundamental therapeutic dimensions of the work in terms of personal and spiritual transformation. This approach bears strong similarities to modern psychotherapy methods involving confrontation, resolution of emotional denial, and trauma processing. It fosters insight, enabling the individual to recognize and release repressed emotions. Instead of resistance, it aims to cultivate inner harmony. In this sense, The Treatise for the Sick aligns with the post-traumatic meaning-making model, known in logotherapy and meaning-centered therapies as the process of constructing new meaning.”
“Prayer is the strongest way to connect with God”
Explaining that prayer brings about inner transformation, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated: “According to The Treatise for the Sick, prayer is not only a form of worship but also a multilayered form of communication that supports a person’s inner transformation and spiritual healing. In the treatise, prayers are categorized into three main types. The first is verbal prayer, which includes spoken requests such as petitions for healing, forgiveness, or mercy. The second is action-based prayer, expressed through deeds such as seeking treatment and taking practical measures. The third is prayer through the state of being, which refers to unspoken inner supplications that rise from the heart in moments of helplessness and despair, particularly emphasized in the 14th remedy. In addition, the concept of tawhidi prayer represents the awareness of asking only from God. It enables a person to find meaning in existence through trust and surrender. Illness, in this sense, becomes an opportunity for a person to reconnect with God. This understanding parallels modern psychotherapy, where prayer is viewed as a tool for spiritual intervention. In therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), logotherapy, and spiritual counseling, prayer helps individuals release resistance, embrace acceptance, and generate inner meaning. In the treatise, prayer supports spiritual balance through its dimensions of resilience, surrender, trust, and patience. It also aligns with the core concepts of positive psychology such as hope, gratitude, and sense of purpose. From this perspective, prayer can be considered both a spiritual therapeutic practice that shares common ground with classical psychotherapy techniques and a profound inner instrument that can be integrated into modern psychotherapy. Moreover, prayer provides emotional release (catharsis) by allowing repressed emotions to be expressed. This process fosters spiritual attachment, helping the individual develop a sense of connection and belonging. Through prayer, a person no longer feels alone but experiences a meaningful bond because prayer is the strongest way to connect with God.”
“Surrender and trust in divine will are two fundamental spiritual principles”
Clarifying the difference between surrender (teslimiyet) and trust in divine will (tevekkül), Tarhan said: “One of the most profound emotions that illness teaches a person is surrender and trust. Although these two concepts appear similar, they actually represent different dimensions. Surrender means entrusting oneself to divine will. It is like sitting back and trusting the pilot of an airplane. The individual releases control and yields to the process with a sense of faith. This is an emotional orientation. Trust (tevekkül), however, goes one step further. At this stage, the person appoints God as their representative, just as a lawyer represents a client. The person says, ‘You may decide on my behalf.’ This represents the cognitive dimension of trust, that is, a conscious acceptance of God’s will. In spiritual transformation, surrender and trust form two fundamental principles. From a psychotherapeutic perspective, they correspond to the concept of radical acceptance. These attitudes help individuals cope with uncertainty, find meaning in destiny, and achieve inner peace. When a person feels anxious about uncertainties such as ‘What if the plane crashes?’, trust and surrender reduce this anxiety. These two attitudes build resilience to uncertainty both mentally and emotionally. Recognizing destiny, finding meaning in one’s experiences, and accepting them with contentment lead not to inner struggle but to spiritual maturity.”