The Main Stages of the Development of Incense Culture in China

The article provides an overview of the main stages and trends in the development of the incense culture of China from antiquity to the present day. It covers religious and magical rituals, sanitary and hygiene, traditional medicine, a set of spiritual, healing, artistic, and game practices and rituals of Taoist-Buddhist and Confucian character. In China, over several millennia, a colossal experience has been accumulated in terms of the use of aromatic raw materials of plant, mineral and animal origin: thousands of treatises and reference books have been written, the properties of individual incense and their combinations have been studied, detailed classifications have been drawn up and principles of religious cults and ritual practices have been developed. Along with the applied value of incense, an aesthetic attitude toward incense aromas also developed, which repeatedly ensured periods of rapid flourishing of incense culture in antiquity, the Middle Ages and on the cusp of the New Age. Currently, the traditional aromatic culture in China is experiencing a period of upsurge and revival. This provides ample opportunities for its study in various fields of knowledge, which indicates the relevance and multidimensional nature of the study of this topic.

Decolonizing Healing Through Indigenous Ways of Knowing

The field of psychology is embarking on a process to interrupt the historical, colonial cycle of harm and beginning to work with and alongside Indigenous communities to understand the healing journey. From an Indigenous lens, healing incorporates more than the physical recovery; physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing exists through learning, which occurs along the healing journey. This healing journey has no definite beginning or end, and as we begin to move away from pathologizing healing to a strength-based healing process, the focus shifts to relationships—relationships with self, community, more-than-human, and the land. This chapter proposes that to decolonize Western healing processes, as a field, we must acknowledge the coexistence of learning during the healing journey. Building healing capacity through learning elucidates the understanding of the past, the needs of the present, and lays foundations for the future to work towards restoring integrity and prompting balanced care.

spiritual healing menurut Rabiah Al-Adawiyah

Jiwa merupakan salah satu komponen penting karena ketika jiwa tidak mendapatkan porsi dalam kepuasan maka akan mengakibatkan gangguan berupa setres depresi dansebagainya. Disini Rabiah Al-Adawiyah muncul dengan praktek spiritualnya untuk mengobati masalah kejiwaan dan spriritualitas.. Rabi’ah adalah orang pertama yang mampu membuat pembagian mahabbah (cinta) sehingga lebih mendekat pada perasaan. Cinta menurut Rabi’ah ada dua macam, yaitu: cinta karena dorongan hati belaka, dan cinta yang didorong karena hendak membesarkan dan mengagungkan. Rabi’ah mencintai Allah karena ia merasakan dan menyadari betapa besarnya nikmat dan kekuasaan-Nya, sehingga cintanya menguasai seluruh lubuk hatinya. Ia mencintai Allah karena hendak mengagungkan dan memuliakan-Nya. Selayaknya orang yang sedang dimabuk cinta, Rabi’ah sering kali menciptakan syair-syair cinta yang ditujukan kepada Allah. Kita mengetahui bahwa permasalahan jiwa terutama cinta merupakan hal penting dan berpengaruh sangat besar kedalam jiwa, banyak cinta yang membutakan, karena cinta memainkan peran penting dalam kehidupan. Potensi dan frekuensi cinta berubah sesuai dengan situasi dan kondisi. Cinta juga berfungsi unutk mengikat hubungan antar manusia dan juga menghubungkan kepada Tuhan. Pemahaman yang salah akan berakibat ke berbagai macam aspek.

Comparative Analysis Study of Snozelen Therapy and Five Senses Theraphy as an Alternative Therapy Using Multisensory Stimulation Factors: Focusing on Intervention Research on Snozelen Therapy

Modern people inherently carry stress, psychological anxiety, and lack of communication. Therapy is a resource that can relieve stress and psychological anxiety for easing such tension. This is one of the reasons why modern people desperately need therapy. During the "healing" process through therapy, people experience an improvement in defense against diseases and natural healing, which leads to holistic treatment that integrates physical, psychological, social, and spiritual healing. Therapy has been widely used in five senses therapy that stimulates multiple sensations However, in addition to the five senses, Snoezelen therapy that includes dynamic sensations has recently emerged. Snozelen therapy can be applied as an interventional method for relaxation, stress prevention and management in the field of psychological health, as well as being more widely used as part of a variety of sensory stimulation therapies for people with physical problems.oThere are now numerous therapy pouring out for well-being and improved quality of life, but comparative research for perception, importance, and understanding of therapy has been insufficient, making it difficult to select the therapy that suits oneself. Therefore, we hope that the comparative analysis of Snoezelen therapy and five senses therapy in this study will serve as an opportunity to elevate the quality of life with the enhanced understanding and perception of therapy and more effective therapy treatment.

Discourse of Folk Literature on Healthy Ageing: A Case Study in Sindh, Pakistan during the Pandemic Crisis

Due to COVID-19 and the repeated imposition of lockdowns in Pakistan’s Sindh province, the life of senior citizens has become challenging. Given the scarcity of health care policies targeted at Sindh’s aged persons, the use of folk literature as therapy has increased to support against isolation, depression, and distress caused by COVID-19 and lockdowns. Although research on healthy ageing from medical and health care perspectives has been increasingly conducted in different contexts, there is a need to explore how folk literature can contribute to psychological, spiritual, and social wellbeing. Therefore, this research, conducted by collecting data from 15 aged participants through interviews and conversations, seeks to explore how senior Sindhis have used folk literature such as poetry, proverbs, and tales as therapy for their healing. Findings show that the participants’ use of Sindhi folk literature contributes to their psychological (eudemonic, evaluative, and hedonic) wellbeing, spiritual healing, and social satisfaction.

Breast Cancer Illness and Spiritual Healing

Spirituality, religion and family play pivotal roles in addressing issues related to one’s illness experiences. The illness experiences were perceived as a moral-religious experience rather than a mere suffering due to bodily dysfunctions. Thus, this qualitative study aimed at exploring the concept of spirituality in the lives of young Malay breast cancer patients. An ethnographic fieldwork was carried out among 13 young Malay breast cancer patients in Klang Valley and several selected areas of Selangor, Malaysia. A purposive snowballing technique was employed to select the informants for the study. A series of in-depth interviews, phone and online interviews guided by semi-structured interview schedule and participant observation were carried out among the informants. It is evident from the study that the manifestation of spiritual experiences in relation to their breast cancer is attributed to the spiritual meaning of breast cancer illness, roles of family in providing spiritual support and medical pluralisation. The informants attributed their breast cancer illness as qada’ and qadar of Allah. They accented it as ujian (test) or balasan (divine punishment) for a good cause from Allah S.W.T. On this account, spiritual healing was sought as complementary to hospital treatment in searching a cure for breast cancer.

The Lourdes Pilgrimage and the Impact on Pilgrim Quality of Life

Lourdes, France, is a major site of pilgrimage, particularly for Roman Catholics with illness. The direct impact of pilgrimage on pilgrim quality of life (QOL) has not previously been measured. The present study aimed to measure the impact of pilgrimage to Lourdes on QOL in self-defined “sick pilgrims”. The standardised EuroQol EQ-5D-5L questionnaire measured two aspects of QOL, namely a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score of self-rated health and an Index Value Score (IVS) of the five dimensions of QOL, in a group of pilgrims, before (Q1), immediately after (Q2) and two months after (Q3) return from pilgrimage to Lourdes. A total of 93 pilgrims responded at time Q1, 71 at Q2 and 64 at Q3. The VAS scores of self-rated health showed statistically significant improvement at Q2 (p = 0.04), although this was not sustained at Q3. The IVS Scores showed no significant differences at Q2 or Q3. However, at Q2, 67.6% of pilgrims reported their self-rated QOL as “much better” or “better”, and this was maintained in 54.7% at Q3. Pilgrims identified “spiritual and religious aspects of pilgrimage”, “a sense of togetherness” and “spiritual healing” as having the most significant impact on their QOL. The Lourdes pilgrimage had a statistically significant positive impact on the immediate post-pilgrimage VAS scores of QOL of “sick pilgrims”, but this was not sustained two months following pilgrimage. The IVS scores were unchanged. Pilgrims identified beneficial holistic, spiritual and communal aspects of the pilgrimage experience.

A Psychospiritual Exploration of the Transpersonal Self as the Ground of Healing

This paper focuses on the transpersonal Self as the psychological and spiritual healing factor in psychotherapy and addiction recovery, and illustrates the importance of bringing awareness of the Self and the energy of wholeness into focus with clients in the therapeutic process. The concept and experience of Self is explored through the psychospiritual therapeutic model of Internal Family Systems and through a spiritual lens of the nondual wisdom traditions derived from Advaita Vedanta and aspects of Kashmir Shaivism. Obstacles to the recognition of Self, approaches to facilitating this recognition, and the therapeutic benefits of knowing the essential Self are examined through the author’s personal experience with these models and their use in overcoming depression, anxiety, eating disorders and addiction. Psychotherapeutic interventions that support making contact with the Self are examined as well as the implications of Self-knowing on personal relationships, behavior and inner experiences, as well as how one relates to others and the world.