Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that spirituality should now be seen as a part of mental health, said, “For a person to be able to activate their belief systems ensures that they lead their routine life in a healthier way. Those who can take refuge in any higher value and power can control feelings of loneliness and fear. If a person does not have such a feeling, they start treatment at a disadvantage. In summary, spirituality is a part of psychological resilience.”
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made evaluations regarding the effects of spirituality on mental health.
While material well-being increases, spiritual well-being declines…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that recent studies, especially after the 2000s, show that despite a global increase in material well-being, spiritual well-being has not increased at a parallel rate, saying, “Due to the increase in unhappiness and depression, ‘Religious Freedom Day’ was declared in the USA in July 2018. This practice began particularly due to difficulties experienced in the treatment of patients from different cultures. People sometimes faced issues like stigmatization due to their cultural differences. This emerged as a result of global religious and cultural segregations.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that brain studies have confirmed the theory of multiple intelligences, stating, “It was understood that there are various atmospheres in the brain related to social skills, emotional skills, and logical skills. Concepts such as emotional literacy and social literacy, as well as social blindness and emotional blindness, emerged. Concepts such as nature intelligence and moral intelligence also emerged. These are also defined as the feeling of conscience.”
T cells affect the immune system
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that various studies have also been conducted on individuals with this type of intelligence, saying, “David McClelland, one of Harvard's psychology professors, conducted a wide variety of studies on individuals who identified themselves as more religious or having higher spirituality, versus those less interested in spirituality. The general health status and immune systems of these individuals were compared. One group watched a romantic film, while the other watched a film about the life of Mother Teresa. Afterwards, the blood cells of these individuals were examined. They investigated the activity of T cells, which indicate a well-functioning immune system. At the end of the study, an increase in T cell activity was observed in the group that watched the life of Mother Teresa. What does this mean? T cells weaken in those who watch romantic films, but those who watch the other film experience a feeling of tranquility, profundity, and relaxation. These feelings elevate T cells. The proper functioning of T cells indicates a well-functioning immune system.”
Belief systems affect the immune system
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that people's belief systems affect their immune system, saying, “Studies also reveal this. The autonomic nervous system is not autonomous at all, meaning it is not self-governing. It works entirely with the chemicals, commands, and chemical messages in your brain. If someone is in a ‘fight-or-flight’ situation, constantly worried that ‘something bad will happen,’ feels in danger at all times, or when experiencing an illness thinks, ‘who created me, from what substance, from inorganic matter? Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen don't question me, so I will cease to exist after death,’ then their brain constantly releases stress hormones, and the parasympathetic nervous system cannot be activated. This means the body cannot relax and unwind. People with spirituality maintain control, reasoning, ‘This life is not accidental; these events don't just happen on their own.’ In other words, the feeling of belief has a positive effect on mental health. After taking precautions, the feeling of surrender is important. For example, if you get on a bus, you have to trust the captain; if you don't trust the captain, you can't sleep. In life, too, when a person feels trust in the owner of this universe, they can relax themselves. The person's thought that ‘There is a power that knows everything, controls everything. That power can help me’ is important.”
Those who take refuge in a supreme power can manage feelings of control and fear
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the third-wave metacognitive psychotherapy methods and meta-cognitive treatments applied today aim to help individuals discover their mental refuges, saying, “Those who can take refuge in anything can control feelings of loneliness and fear. If a person does not have such a feeling, they start treatment at a disadvantage. They cannot progress in treatment and cannot manage the feeling of stress because humans have a sense of control. The feeling of control can be described somewhat like this: It's even called a God complex. Some people want to control everything. They even control their child's breathing. They see themselves as a God on earth. This is called a God complex. This is stealing God's role. Because a person says, ‘I am perfect, everyone should be perfect. My child should also be perfect, I must know everything,’ when they don't know, they become overly excited and panic because they cannot control it. People with a high sense of control cannot find peace.”
The brain's God-inclination region…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that three things happen when one believes in a supreme power, saying, “There is the value of solace, the value of adding meaning, and also the value of inner peace when a person integrates with that creator. There are experiments conducted on Buddhist monks. We did this on Mevlevi dervishes. In the 90s, Jerusalem monks were put into meditation. The monks' brain movements were examined. In meditation, all their desires are met, all their needs are satisfied, and they become completely relaxed. The moment they achieve the feeling of integration with the universe, a tremendous happiness hormone is secreted in their brain. During this, it is observed which region of the brain is active. They call that region the God region, but it's not actually the God region, it's the person's 'God-inclination region'. The moment they feel integrated with God, there is a tremendous relaxation. But if a person has a God complex, they cannot relax themselves; anxiety remains constantly high in these individuals.”
The feeling of spirituality gives a person peace
For this reason, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that the feeling of spirituality gives a person peace, stating, “What spirituality brings to a person is the fulfillment of all their desires, the satisfaction of all their needs, and a feeling of integration with the universe. When a person does this, they live with solace, and everything becomes meaningful. They say, ‘There is meaning in the universe; we have not come by chance,’ and most importantly, the person finds an explanation for death.”
One needs to know the limits of one's own power well
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that one characteristic of the human brain is its ability to generate imagination, saying, “The brain in a living creature is limited to eating, drinking, sheltering, and reproducing. But the human brain deals with abstract thought, with conceptual thought. It dreams with symbolic thought. Now, its dreams are limitless, but its power is limited. To determine the boundary between dreams and power, there is a reality-testing network in the brain. This network is disrupted in schizophrenics. Because this network is disrupted, they cannot distinguish between imagination and reality, but in healthy people, this network works, however, if a person has a high sense of control, they can disrupt this network in the brain. The person interferes with everything, even their own mental health. For this reason, for a person to be able to activate their spirituality in such situations, they need to know the limits of their own power well. When they understand their own helplessness, powerlessness, and weakness, and believe that there is an invisible reality that knows everything and controls everything, these individuals add meaning to life.”
Spirituality should be seen as part of mental health
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that spirituality should now be seen as a part of mental health, said, “Not seeing spirituality as a part of mental health is an old understanding. For a person to be able to activate their belief systems ensures that they lead their routine life in a healthier way. In summary, spirituality is a part of psychological resilience.”