Spiritual Philosophy
In addition to utilizing person-centered therapy, psychodynamic theory, trauma informed IFS, mindfulness and somatic based interventions, and attachment theory, I also utilized Islamic based principles to help inform my work with clients when appropriate and desired by the client. An example of this is utilizing an attachment based approach to help clients in developing a secure attachment with God. I also utilize Islamically informed mindfulness based practices (such as muraqaba) to help foster healing, increase spiritual awareness and increase resilience to internal and external triggers.
Through my work with clients, I have found that utilizing Islamic principles and values such as Tawwakul (trust and reliance on God) has been a helpful tool in the process of cognitive restructuring and reframing negative beliefs that contribute to client’s suffering. I have found that fostering Tawwakul has helped clients to relinquish the need to have full control over their own destiny, establish acceptance of their own inherent limitations and surrender to God’s infinite knowledge, wisdom, and ability. I have also found that other concepts such as Husnul dhan of Allah (having good expectation and assumption of God) has the ability to relieve feelings of doubt, sadness, and hopelessness at times when we may not understand our circumstances. This is because Husnul dhan of Allah allows us to expect that the One in control is overwhelmingly kind, loving, wise, and compassionate, and that if He is putting us through a trial, there must be good in it for us whether we are able to perceive it or not. Husnul dhan of Allah also gives us ease in knowing that God will never be cruel or unjust with us.
It is also important to note that concepts such as Tawwakul, Husnul dhan of Allah, and mindful presence are also important ingredients to keep in mind when helping clients to develop a secure attachment to God. Trust, good assumption/expectation, and presence of mind and heart are important qualities in developing any healthy relationship. Once we have developed a secure attachment to God, then we can utilize the relationship we have with God to help reframe our experiences with psychological stressors such as depression and anxiety. For example, connecting with the way anxiety manifests in our body (i.e., tightness in the chest, a pit in the stomach, etc.), and then framing it as our body’s way of grieving the distance or disconnection from God, and as a calling to reconnect and turn back to our ultimate source of calmness, safety, and security, can help us develop a new attitude to our experience with anxiety.
An important Islamic concept such as belief in the afterlife is also a powerful tool in framing and shaping the way we experience life, because it helps us understand that all of our actions, experiences, and behaviors are connected to and consequential to our afterlife. It also puts our trials and difficulties in this life in perspective, because we understand that this life is only part of our journey, not our final resting place. On the other hand, when we believe that this life is the end-all-be-all, it can be incredibly difficult to tolerate any loss, misfortune, failure, disappointment, etc. Whereas belief in the afterlife helps us understand that any trial or misfortune endured patiently in this life will be awarded in the afterlife. Belief in the afterlife can also help us to tame or subdue impulsive pleasure seeking behavior that never leads to real or sustainable satisfaction. This is because understanding and fully accepting that true satisfaction and bliss only belongs in the afterlife, opens the door for real contentment and ease in this life.