This study was an exploration of spirituality, cultural upbringing, and deeply rooted Eastern philosophy and their conscious and unconscious impact on the way Hindu psychologists practice in the field. The purpose was to take into consideration the four major theories of Hinduism and to assess whether psychologists of Hindu origin integrated them into their clinical work. The study used qualitative methods, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, as the main strategy of inquiry for data collection and analysis. The goal was to broaden the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can inform a psychologist’s clinical approach and lead to a better understanding of how such practices and the integration of spiritual theories can enhance clinical practice. Additionally, the study shed light on conflicts that may exist between psychologists’ personal beliefs regarding cultural expressions of mental illnesses compared to the expressions of mental illnesses from the model in which they received training. The study demonstrates the importance of further research regarding Hindu clients and the stigmatization of the mental health field within South Asian culture. This may also encourage an open dialogue around the use of spiritual and religious beliefs in psychotherapy. It is an important point of inquiry for both research and clinical psychology, as it broadens the discourse around integrated healthcare and diversity.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study was an exploration of spirituality, cultural upbringing, and deeply rooted Eastern philosophy and their conscious and unconscious impact on the way Hindu psychologists practice in the field. The purpose was to take into consideration the four major theories of Hinduism and to assess whether psychologists of Hindu origin integrated them into their clinical work. The study used qualitative methods, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, as the main strategy of inquiry for data collection and analysis. The goal was to broaden the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can inform a psychologist’s clinical approach and lead to a better understanding of how such practices and the integration of spiritual theories can enhance clinical practice. Additionally, the study shed light on conflicts that may exist between psychologists’ personal beliefs regarding cultural expressions of mental illnesses compared to the expressions of mental illnesses from the model in which they received training. The study demonstrates the importance of further research regarding Hindu clients and the stigmatization of the mental health field within South Asian culture. This may also encourage an open dialogue around the use of spiritual and religious beliefs in psychotherapy. It is an important point of inquiry for both research and clinical psychology, as it broadens the discourse around integrated healthcare and diversity.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Panchal, Kinjal"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Clinical Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Penelope Asay, Ph.D, ABPP","Dipali Bharadwaj, Psy.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z","subjects":["Vedic","Hindu Psychologist","Clinical Work","Spiritual","Clinical Psychology","Hindu Studies","Multicultural Psychology","Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion","Transpersonal Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/457","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Penelope Asay, Ph.D, ABPP","Dipali Bharadwaj, Psy.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Panchal, Kinjal"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-04-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Clinical Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Psy.D. 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The purpose was to take into consideration the four major theories of Hinduism and to assess whether psychologists of Hindu origin integrated them into their clinical work. The study used qualitative methods, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, as the main strategy of inquiry for data collection and analysis. The goal was to broaden the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can inform a psychologist’s clinical approach and lead to a better understanding of how such practices and the integration of spiritual theories can enhance clinical practice. Additionally, the study shed light on conflicts that may exist between psychologists’ personal beliefs regarding cultural expressions of mental illnesses compared to the expressions of mental illnesses from the model in which they received training. The study demonstrates the importance of further research regarding Hindu clients and the stigmatization of the mental health field within South Asian culture. This may also encourage an open dialogue around the use of spiritual and religious beliefs in psychotherapy. It is an important point of inquiry for both research and clinical psychology, as it broadens the discourse around integrated healthcare and diversity.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An Interoperative Phenomenological Analysis of Hindu Psychologists and the Impact of Hinduism on Their Clinical Work"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Penelope Asay, Ph.D, ABPP","Dipali Bharadwaj, Psy.D."],"dc:creator":["Panchal, Kinjal"],"dc:date.available":["2020-04-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study was an exploration of spirituality, cultural upbringing, and deeply rooted Eastern philosophy and their conscious and unconscious impact on the way Hindu psychologists practice in the field. The purpose was to take into consideration the four major theories of Hinduism and to assess whether psychologists of Hindu origin integrated them into their clinical work. The study used qualitative methods, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, as the main strategy of inquiry for data collection and analysis. The goal was to broaden the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can inform a psychologist’s clinical approach and lead to a better understanding of how such practices and the integration of spiritual theories can enhance clinical practice. Additionally, the study shed light on conflicts that may exist between psychologists’ personal beliefs regarding cultural expressions of mental illnesses compared to the expressions of mental illnesses from the model in which they received training. The study demonstrates the importance of further research regarding Hindu clients and the stigmatization of the mental health field within South Asian culture. This may also encourage an open dialogue around the use of spiritual and religious beliefs in psychotherapy. It is an important point of inquiry for both research and clinical psychology, as it broadens the discourse around integrated healthcare and diversity.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/457"],"dc:subject":["Vedic","Hindu Psychologist","Clinical Work","Spiritual","Clinical Psychology","Hindu Studies","Multicultural Psychology","Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion","Transpersonal Psychology"],"dc:title":["An Interoperative Phenomenological Analysis of Hindu Psychologists and the Impact of Hinduism on Their Clinical Work"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Clinical Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Psy.D. Doctor of Clinical Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:57Z"}