Linking spiritual understanding with mental health

Saturday, 10 August 2024 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Representatives from the Sri Lanka Professional Psychological Counsellors’ Association (SLPPCA) recently concluded an enlightening journey to Malaysia, aiming to gain profound insights into the country’s advanced counselling practices.

This collaborative visit was organised by leading counselling associations from both nations.

One of the highlights of the visit was the emphasis on mindfulness and holistic approaches in counselling that links spiritual understanding with mental health as well as neuroscience.

The exposure to these practices not only enriched existing knowledge but also inspired them to incorporate these methods into their work in Sri Lanka. The SLPPCA delegation is now poised to organise workshops to disseminate their newfound learning and adapt successful Malaysian techniques to their local context. We look forward to hearing about these initiatives and learning from them.

According to an article in nature.com from 1990 to 2019, mental health problems in Asia have become much more common and serious over time.

Depression (37.2%) and anxiety (21.5%) are the main mental health problems in Asia, showing a big need for better mental health care.

Mental health issues are more common in women, especially between ages 30 to 34 years. This means it’s important to have mental health services that specifically address the needs of women.

This visit symbolises the beginning of a promising exchange of expertise and knowledge, fostering a long-lasting partnership that will undoubtedly enhance the field of psychological counselling in both nations.

The SLPPCA’s commitment to learning and collaboration underscores the transformative power of international partnerships in advancing mental health practices globally.

The Harmony page will follow up into the research based gleanings of this joint program between the two countries to ideate on the integrated model it is working with diverse experts to look at conceptualising a tourism model that links at inner peace generation within the larger context of positive mental attitudes in the world and working with earth healing, environmental protection based tourism conceptualising as solutions to tangible issues faced in this world.

We will be planning to work with renowned environmentalist and Buddhist researcher Don de Silva who focuses on mental health improvement of persons by enhancing knowledge of nature, earth resources and the Buddhist wisdom of sustainability to create practice based tourism models that bring together and heal our troubled world.