SPIRITUALITY , SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS
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Transcript of SPIRITUALITY , SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS
SPIRITUALITY, SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS
Chris Barber and Peter Kevern
Is ‘religion’ giving way to ‘spirituality’?
1987 2000 20090
1020304050607080
Claiming to belong to a religionClaiming awareness of "a spiritual di-mension to their ex-perience"
Sources: Hay (2002); British Social Attitudes Survey (2011)
. . . and what is ‘spirituality’ anyway?
Defined in contrast to ‘religion’: ‘internal’ v. ‘external’ Individual v. corporate Experiential v. dogmatic Subjective-life v. life-as-religion
(Heelas & Woodhead 2004)
. . . But. . .
• The turn to ‘spirituality’ reflects late capitalist culture (Carrette & King)
• ‘Spirituality’ becomes Religion; religious structures remain by far the most important vehicle for (Pearson)
• The prevailing ‘spiritual landscape’ of affective experiences of love and ‘connectedness’ (Percy) may unintentionally exclude some vulnerable people
Example: people with ASC may find comfort and meaning in structured,
repetitive religious rites but, given their reduced empathy and ‘theory of mind’
may find personal and experiential spirituality difficult
By listening to marginalised voices we have the opportunity to develop
a richer palette of resources for spiritual care
Case study – Chris’ experience
“A middle-aged Catholic with High Functioning Autism/Aspergers Syndrome”
“To connect is, arguably, one of the most fundamental of all human needs. One’s ability to connect spiritually with the Divine, with ourselves, with others and with the natural world helps to define who and what we are.”
“Three ways in which I discover a ‘connectedness’ to the Divine which is not dependent on an
affective or erotic relationship”
Devotion to the Infant Jesus Ritual Prayer Centring Prayer and Lectio
Devotion to the Infant Jesus
Ritual
Centring . . .
. . . and Lectio: meditation on a text
So is there a place for an “autism friendly” spirituality?
Summary People with ASC are unlikely to benefit from
vague and generic ‘spirituality’ They may however gain significant support
from established, routinized and socially-embedded practices
Providing spiritual care for people with ASC may therefore require engagement with the ritual and historical elements of faith-communities
There are implications here for diversity and disability policies
ReferencesCarrette, J. and King, R. (2004) Selling Spirituality: the silent takeover of religion
London: RoutledgeHay, D. (2002)The Spirituality Of Adults In Britain – Recent Research Scottish Journal of
Healthcare Chaplaincy Vol. .5 No 1 2002 , 4-9Hay D. & Heald G. (1987) ‘Religion is good for you’, New Society, 17 April.Hay D. & Hunt K. (2000) Understanding the Spirituality of People who don’t go to Church, Final
Report of the Adult Spirituality Project, Nottingham University.Heelas, P and Woodhead, L. (2004) The Spiritual Revolution: why religion is giving
way to spirituality Cambridge: BlackwellPearson, J. (2003) ‘Witchcraft will not soon vanish from this earth’: Wicca in the 21st century in
Davie, G., Heelas, P., & Woodhead, L. Eds, Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures Aldershot: Ashgate 170-182
Percy, M. (1998a) ‘Erotic ideology in experiential religion’ Power in the Church. Ecclesiology in an age of transition London: Continuum 141-162
Percy, M. (1998b) ‘Things Fall Apart II: experiential religion and the absence of theology’ Power in the Church. Ecclesiology in an age of transition London: Continuum 183-204
Schrock, K. (2010) People with Asperger's less likely to see purpose behind the events in their lives. Scientific American May 29, 2010 http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=people-with-aspergers-less-likely-t-2010-05-29