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Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion pp 1–5Cite as

Spiritual Health

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Spiritual health refers to an individual’s subjective experience of psychic well-being. This state of psychosomatic well-being is an important dimension of the comprehensive concept of health. Spiritual health is therefore the nonphysical aspect of integrated human health. Spiritual wellness complements mental (or psychological), social, and physical aspects of integrated and holistic models of health. The spiritual component of health incorporates an intersubjective experience of peace. Perceived interconnectedness with the social worlds, nature and the environment, and the invisible supernatural spheres of life further defines the essence of spiritual health. Cross-cultural religious practices, expressions of faith, and transcendental rituals abound in individual quests for spiritual wellness and health in general. This entails investment of time and emotional energy in activities that participants associate with the promotion or restoration of both psychosocial and psychosomatic...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences & Development Studies, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, GPO, 46412, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Benson A. Mulemi

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  1. Benson A. Mulemi
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Correspondence to Benson A. Mulemi .

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  1. Rhinebeck, New York, USA

    David A. Leeming

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Mulemi, B.A. (2017). Spiritual Health. In: Leeming, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_9222-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_9222-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27771-9

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