Reflection
Mind Body Medicine and Spirituality - What does spirit got to do with it?
by Barbara Stöckigt1, 2
1Institute of General Practice and Interprofessional Care, University Hospital, Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
2Robert Bosch Center for Integrative Medicine and Health, Bosch Health Campus, Stuttgart, Germany
Cite as: Stöckigt, B. (2026). Mind Body Medicine and Spirituality - What does spirit got to do with it?, THE MIND Bulletin on Mind-Body Medicine Research, 10(2), 8-13. https://10.61936/themind/202603133
Abstract
Mind-Body Medicine investigates the connection between mind, body, and behavior and their impact on health and well-being by combining relaxation/meditation, nutrition, exercise, and psychosocial aspects into a holistic, evidence-based approach. Meditation, often secularized, serves primarily to reduce stress rather than to foster spiritual development. Nevertheless, spirituality remains relevant to the search for meaning and connection. Studies suggest possible links between spirituality and health. Qualitative research examines subjective experiences and perspectives and is therefore well-suited for exploring spirituality. It is crucial to acknowledge the spiritual dimension in healthcare while also critically evaluating it so that both potential benefits and risks can be identified.
Keywords: Mind-body medicine, meditation, spirituality, qualitative research, holistic healthcare
The question of how body and mind are connected has long been a subject of various disciplines such as philosophy, medicine, psychology, religion, and art in cultures around the world. Mind-Body Medicine (MBM), founded by Benson in the 1970s, addresses this very question and examines the interactions between mind, body, and behavior and their effects on health and well-being. Core pillars of MBM are relaxation techniques/meditation, nutrition, exercise, and psychosocial behavioral. What is new is that these aspects are combined and scientifically studied with a focus on health promotion, emphasizing a holistic and evidence-based approach. Central to this is the relaxation response (Dusek & Benson, 2009), as a counterbalance to the stress response (Cannon, 1915).
Meditation and relaxation techniques play a key role in this regard, such as mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). Meditation techniques, some of which date back thousands of years, are no longer viewed as spiritual practices in this context, but are instead examined and utilized from a secular perspective focused on health promotion. Over the past 50 years, numerous studies have been conducted that demonstrate the positive effects of MBM on a wide range of health conditions, see overview by (Astin et al., 2003; Barrows & Jacobs, 2002; Dobos G., 2019; Voiß & Witt, 2018). The secularization of meditation techniques was most likely necessary for them to gain a foothold in the natural sciences and conventional medicine at all. In the context of MBM, meditation is practiced now primarily for stress reduction and no longer for spiritual development. Secularization, understood here as a detachment from religious norms and public/state influences, had its origins in Europe during the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries, with far-reaching social and political implications, including for the healing arts, medicine, and science. Rational logic, and human reason became the guiding principles; spirituality, religiosity, and mysticism were relegated to the realm of superstition. Max Weber refers to this as the “disenchantment of the world” (Lehmann, 2009:13).
Yet the importance of spirituality—and the associated search for meaning, significance, and connectedness in life—continues to play a significant role. In the final version of his hierarchy of needs, Maslow added the need for transcendence as the highest level (Maslow, 1971). Spirituality thus encompasses a sense of ultimate meaning and purpose in life, as well as a sense of connectedness to transcendent powers, such as the divine or the higher self (Long et al., 2024). However, rational science and conventional medicine struggle with spirituality (Levin, 2009). Spirituality cannot be objectively measured or explained by logic. Researchers who engage with it run the risk of jeopardizing their reputation as serious scientists. Attempts to locate the seat of spirituality and religiosity in the brain or genes—that is, the material form of the spiritual (a contradiction in terms?)—spark a desire for research in some and are rejected by others. Descriptions of neurobiological correlates in the measurement of spiritual activity—such as during meditation, prayer, and transcendent experiences—appear promising and are leading to the development of various explanatory models (Passie et al., 2013; Rim et al., 2019; Silveira, 2008). Additionally, the subjectively experienced effects can be well quantified in patient-reported outcomes, and various research groups have developed questionnaires for this purpose, f. e. (Bussing, 2021; Bussing et al., 2005; Kohls & Walach, 2006; Pargament et al., 2000; Teut et al., 2025). Numerous studies provide ample evidence of the potential impact of spirituality on health and well-being, leading to recommendations for integrating spiritual considerations into health care policies (Balboni et al., 2022; Levin, 2009; Long et al., 2024; Mueller et al., 2001).
However, where there is potential, there are also risks. Spiritual experiences and involvement in spiritual communities could potentially also trigger anxiety, feelings of guilt, oppression, etc., and might lead to abuse of power (Long et al., 2024; Swinton & Pattison, 2001).
While qualitative research methods cannot provide evidence of efficacy, they are exceptionally well-suited for examining subjective experiences—including the subjectively perceived effects of specific therapeutic approaches—as well as personal attitudes, opinions, perspectives, and concepts. Throughout my academic career, I have had the opportunity to explore the topic of spirituality and health in a wide variety of projects. In the study “Treatment Concepts of Spiritual Healers for People with Psychosis in East Africa,” all cross-cultural factors of effectiveness in general intercultural psychotherapy (Machleidt, 2003) were confirmed in the spiritual healing ritual. Furthermore, a transcendent resource was identified as an additional effective factor, which, according to the current state of research, is cross-cultural (Stöckigt, 2011). In the „Healer Project“ (short title), clients described relaxation, inner peace, changes in life and values, as well as improvement in physical symptoms as subjectively experienced effects of spiritual healing treatment. The connection to transcendent forces was identified as a subjectively experienced effective factor (Teut et al., 2019; Teut et al., 2014). And in the project on the “Rosary” (short title)—a form of meditative prayer widespread in Western Christianity—those who regularly prayed the Rosary reported positive effects on health, well-being, the promotion of resilience, or preventive effects (e.g., fostering trust, relaxation, connectedness, prosocial behavior, strengthened faith, and a sense of peace). Furthermore, it was reported that it helped in coping with illness and crises by balancing surrender to God’s will with emotional support provided by the structure of the Rosary (Stockigt et al., 2021).
As previously mentioned, MBM aims to promote holistic health and provide holistic care through an interdisciplinary and evidence-based approach. However, what exactly is meant by “holistic” is not always clear. For example, the definition of “whole person health” encompasses biological, behavioral, social, and environmental areas, but does not mention a spiritual domain (NIH, 2021). Langevin, on the other hand, combines the psychosocial and spiritual domains into one (psychosocial/spiritual domain) and describes how they promote resilience (Langevin et al., 2023). And Esch and Stefano write: “A central principle of MBM focuses on how psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, experiential, and/or behavioral factors influence human health” (Esch & Stefano, 2022:2). Thus, spirituality is sometimes included and sometimes not.
To conclude, the secularization of the Enlightenment can be understood, historically and culturally, as a necessary liberation from the power held by religious and spiritual institutions, such as the Christian church in Europe. At the same time, it is unfortunate that, as a result of this and ever since, the importance of spirituality in a person’s life and its role as a resource for health and well-being has been overlooked or devalued (Levin, 2009). I believe it is important to acknowledge and consider the significance of a spiritual dimension in healthcare, while also critically examining it. Health thus encompasses biological, psychological, social, environmental and spiritual dimensions. Only when an open and critical examination is possible can both the potential and the risks be identified. MBM is particularly well-suited for this, as it deals precisely with the interaction of mind and body.
Acknowledgement:
I would like to thank all my colleagues from the various projects on spirituality and/or MBM mentioned here. Special thanks to my colleagues Michael Teut, Claudia M. Witt, and Benno Brinkhaus, with whom I carried out most of these projects.
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