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SPIRITUALITY , SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS

SPIRITUALITY , SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS. Chris Barber and Peter Kevern. Is ‘religion’ giving way to ‘spirituality’?. . . . and what is ‘spirituality’ anyway?. Defined in contrast to ‘religion’: ‘internal’ v. ‘external’ Individual v. corporate

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SPIRITUALITY , SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS

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  1. SPIRITUALITY, SPIRITUAL CARE AND THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH AUTISTIC SPECTRUM CONDITIONS Chris Barber and Peter Kevern

  2. Is ‘religion’ giving way to ‘spirituality’?

  3. . . . and what is ‘spirituality’ anyway? Defined in contrast to ‘religion’: • ‘internal’ v. ‘external’ • Individual v. corporate • Experiential v. dogmatic • Subjective-life v. life-as-religion (Heelas & Woodhead 2004)

  4. . . . But. . . • The turn to ‘spirituality’ reflects late capitalist culture (Carrette & King) • ‘Spirituality’ becomes Religion; religious structures remain by far the most important vehicle for (Pearson) • The prevailing ‘spiritual landscape’ of affective experiences of love and ‘connectedness’ (Percy) may unintentionally exclude some vulnerable people

  5. Example: people with ASC may find comfort and meaning in structured, repetitive religious rites but, given their reduced empathy and ‘theory of mind’ may find personal and experiential spirituality difficult By listening to marginalised voices we have the opportunity to develop a richer palette of resources for spiritual care

  6. Case study – Chris’ experience “A middle-aged Catholic with High Functioning Autism/Aspergers Syndrome”

  7. “To connect is, arguably, one of the most fundamental of all human needs. One’s ability to connect spiritually with the Divine, with ourselves, with others and with the natural world helps to define who and what we are.”

  8. “Three ways in which I discover a ‘connectedness’ to the Divine which is not dependent on an affective or erotic relationship” • Devotion to the Infant Jesus • Ritual Prayer • Centring Prayer and Lectio

  9. Devotion to the Infant Jesus

  10. Ritual

  11. Centring . . .

  12. . . . and Lectio: meditation on a text

  13. So is there a place for an “autism friendly” spirituality?

  14. Summary • People with ASC are unlikely to benefit from vague and generic ‘spirituality’ • They may however gain significant support from established, routinized and socially-embedded practices • Providing spiritual care for people with ASC may therefore require engagement with the ritual and historical elements of faith-communities • There are implications here for diversity and disability policies

  15. References Carrette, J. and King, R. (2004) Selling Spirituality: the silent takeover of religion London: Routledge Hay, D. (2002)The Spirituality Of Adults In Britain – Recent Research Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy Vol. .5 No 1 2002 , 4-9 Hay D. & Heald G. (1987) ‘Religion is good for you’, New Society, 17 April. Hay D. & Hunt K. (2000) Understanding the Spirituality of People who don’t go to Church, Final Report of the Adult Spirituality Project, Nottingham University. Heelas, P and Woodhead, L. (2004) The Spiritual Revolution: why religion is giving way to spirituality Cambridge: Blackwell Pearson, J. (2003) ‘Witchcraft will not soon vanish from this earth’: Wicca in the 21st century in Davie, G., Heelas, P., & Woodhead, L. Eds, Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative FuturesAldershot: Ashgate170-182 Percy, M. (1998a) ‘Erotic ideology in experiential religion’ Power in the Church. Ecclesiology in an age of transition London: Continuum 141-162 Percy, M. (1998b) ‘Things Fall Apart II: experiential religion and the absence of theology’ Power in the Church. Ecclesiology in an age of transition London: Continuum 183-204 Schrock, K. (2010) People with Asperger's less likely to see purpose behind the events in their lives. Scientific American May 29, 2010 http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=people-with-aspergers-less-likely-t-2010-05-29

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