The interaction of traditional religious therapy and Western psychotherapy in Islam: A comparative-anthropological study

The number of Muslims is a rapidly increasing, as is the scale of their migration around the world. This has led to processes of Muslim integration, separation, and acculturation in Europe. It must be determined how psychotherapeutic services should be adapted for the followers of this religious tradition, their principles, and their prevailing social behaviours. Religion is one of the most important psychosocial factors in people’s lives, especially in Muslim-majority countries. Thus, how culture influences the perception, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders must be investigated.
Therefore, the dissertation aims to investigate the cultural interaction between traditional religious healing practices and Western psychotherapy. This study reveals an understanding of mental disorders and the development of psychotherapy in Arab countries; it also analyses traditional religious healing methods, the influence of religion on treatment, and the role of spiritual leaders in treatment. The inculturation of Western psychotherapy in Islam and problems within this process are also analysed. Furthermore, psychotherapeutic approaches and their effectiveness for Muslim patients are reviewed, as are Muslim attitudes towards psychotherapy. The two treatment methods, traditional religious Islamic and Western psychotherapy, are compared, and their main differences and points of contact are identified.