Erratum: Sufism and Mental Health

In the article titled “Sufism and mental health”, published on pages S215-S223, Issue Supplement 2, Volume 55 of Indian Journal of Psychiatry,[1] the author wishes to modify the abstract and keywords previously published as:

“Human experience in, health and disease, always has a spiritual dimension. Spirituality is accepted as one of the defining determinants of health and it no more remains a sole preserve of religion and mysticism. In recent years, spirituality has been an area of research in neurosciences and both in the understanding of psychiatric morbidity and extending therapeutic interventions it seems to be full of promises. Sufism has been a prominent spiritual tradition in Islam deriving influences from major world religions, such as, Christianity and Hinduism and contributing substantially toward spiritual well-being of a large number of people within and outside Muslim world. Though Sufism started in early days of Islam and had many prominent Sufis, it is in the medieval period it achieved great height culminating in many Sufi orders and their major proponents. The Sufism aims communion with God through spiritual realization; soul being the agency of this communion, and propounding the God to be not only the cause of all existence but the only real existence. It may provide a vital link to understand the source of religious experience and its impact on mental health.”

Keywords: Mental health, psychotherapy, sufism

The abstract section and keywords should read correctly as below:

“Sufism, having a large following both in the Muslim world and outside, coupled with migration of large numbers of people from Eastern Sufi oriented lands to the West, is a rapidly growing form of spirituality that needs to be understood in terms of its impact on the mental well-being of its followers and the potential interactions in mental health care settings. Sufism established itself within the traditions of Islam as laid down in Quran, believed to be revealed to Muhammad by God, and was influenced in its formative years by Christianity, and later by Hinduism, both in terms of its philosophical basis and meditation practices. There is evidence to show that a consideration of the spiritual needs of patients by the mental health professionals confers benefit to patients. However, there is little in terms of research-based evidence to draw any conclusions with regard to Sufism. There is a need for research to evolve scientifically sound means of incorporation of Sufi beliefs and practices into the mental health care system before any dogmas strike their roots. At the same time, mental health professionals should not slide into the role of preachers and start promoting the Sufi beliefs and practices; the role should rather be restricted to utilizing these beliefs and practices where it forms a part of the belief system. This paper will outline the basic foundations of Sufism, how it affects the mental well-being of individuals associated with it, and its interface with clinical psychiatry in terms of implications for diagnosis and management.”

Keywords: Sufism, spirituality, mysticism, psychic experiences