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Advancing the Science of Spirituality and Mental Health

We use scientific methods to study the relevance of spirituality/religion to behavioral and emotional wellbeing and distress. Our ultimate goal is to generate novel methods to prevent and treat mental disorders.

Meet Our Team

Collaborators

Brent P. Forester, MD, MSc

Chief, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McLean Hospital

Diego A. Pizzagalli, PhD

Director, McLean Imaging Center
Director, Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research

Matthew D. Sacchet, PhD

Director, Meditation Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital

Marisa M. Silveri, PhD

Director, Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, McLean Hospital

David G. Harper, PhD

Associate Director for Research, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry

Cheri L. Marmarosh, PhD

Director of the Center for the International Study of Spirituality and Mental Health

Suzanne Hollman, Psy.D.

Divine Mercy University – McLean/Harvard Collaboration

Avijit Chowdhury, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Meditation Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital

Moses Appel, MA

Research Associate, McLean Hospital

Alumni

Sarah Salcone
Eleanor Schuttenberg
Alana Johnston

Media

More psychotherapists are incorporating religion into their practices

More psychotherapists are incorporating religion into their practices

“Americans’ mental health is at the lowest point in history,” said David H. Rosmarin, an associate professor at ...
Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God

Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God

In the early days of the pandemic, economist Jeanet Bentzen of the University of Copenhagen examined Google ...
Unlocking Inner Peace When the World Is on Fire

Unlocking Inner Peace When the World Is on Fire

The current era—with all its tumult and confusion—has ironically created an unparalleled opportunity to cultivate ...

Current Projects

Clinical Training in SPIRIT

Clinical Training in SPIRIT

Previously we developed Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient Residential & Intensive Treatment (SPIRIT) and evaluated its utility to over 1400 acute psychiatric patients at...

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Neuroscience of Prayer Study 

Neuroscience of Prayer Study 

The goal of the Neuroscience of Prayer Study is to use advanced human neuroscience techniques to provide foundational contributions to our understanding of the role of the brain...

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DigitalSoul

DigitalSoul

DigitalSoul is a mental health app being developed by our program that provides acute psychiatric patients with the opportunity to integrate spirituality into their treatment....

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Sample Publications

*Indicates a mentee

Rosmarin DH, Pirutinsky S, *Park S, *Drury M, Harper D, Forester B. Effects of religion on the course of suicidality among geriatric patients with mood disorders. Psychol Med. In Press. PDF

Rosmarin DH, *Salcone S, Harper DH, Forester BF. Predictors of patient response to Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential & Intensive Treatment (SPIRIT). Psychiatr Serv. 2021;72(5):507-513. PDF

Rosmarin DH, Koenig HG, Pargament KI. Spirituality and mental health: Challenges and opportunities [comment]. Lancet Psych. 2021;8;92-93. PDF

Rosmarin DH, *Salcone SG, Harper DH, Forester BF. Spiritual psychotherapy for inpatient, residential, and intensive treatment (SPIRIT). Am J Psychother. 2019 Sep 1;72(3):75-83. PDF

Rosmarin DH, Forester BP, Shassian DM, Webb C, Björgvinsson T. Interest in spiritually-integrated psychotherapy among acute psychiatric patients. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2015;83:1149-1153. PDF

Rosmarin, D. H., Kaufman, C. C., Ford, S. F., Keshava, P., Drury, M., Minns, S., Marmarosh, C., Chowdhury, A., & Sacchet, M. D. (2022). The neuroscience of spirituality, religion, and mental health: A systematic review and synthesis. Journal of Psychiatric Research. PDF

Rosmarin DH, *Bigda-Peyton JS, Ongür D, Pargament KI, Björgvinsson T. Religious coping among psychotic patients: Relevance to suicidality and treatment outcomes. Psychiatry Res. 2013;210;182-187. PDF

Get In Touch

Contact us with thoughts, questions or prayers.

CCKAUFMAN@MCLEAN.HARVARD.EDU

(310)-924-2595