Lesson 6 of 6 · When the dryness is something else
The two things this lesson is separating
One reference for telling scrupulosity apart from dryness, and one on whether therapy that takes a person's religion seriously does anything. The second is the study that justifies a platform like this one existing, so its weaknesses are published rather than buried.
What the research says
Scrupulosity is unwanted religious doubt and repeated checking, and it is distinguishable from ordinary religious carefulness. That distinction is what tells you whether this needs a clinician.
Sets out scrupulosity as a pattern of unwanted religious doubt and repeated checking, and separates it from ordinary religious carefulness. The distinction is what tells you whether a person needs a clinician or a teacher.
Abramowitz JS, Jacoby RJ (2014). Scrupulosity: a cognitive-behavioral analysis and implications for treatment. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3(2), 140 to 149 doi
Therapies adapted to a person's religion beat no treatment and were broadly comparable to ordinary therapy, doing better on specifically spiritual outcomes. The limits are real: the adapted and unadapted versions were often not well matched to each other.
Therapies adapted to a person's religion did better than no treatment, and were broadly comparable to ordinary therapy on psychological outcomes while doing better on spiritual ones. The limits are real: the adaptations pooled were very different from each other, the samples were mostly Christian, and the people building the adaptations were often the people testing them.
Captari LE, Hook JN, Hoyt W, Davis DE, McElroy-Heltzel SE, Worthington EL Jr (2018). Integrating clients religion and spirituality within psychotherapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(11), 1938 to 1951 doi