Date

11-13-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Theresa Allen

Keywords

Spirituality, Spiritual Bypass, Mental Health, Trauma Coping Mechanisms, Spiritual Abuse, Trauma-informed care, Faith-based coping, Religious coping mechanisms, Religious trauma, Emotional avoidance, Psychospiritual integration, Pastoral Care, Qualitative phenomenological study, Lived experiences

Disciplines

Education | Psychology

Abstract

This phenomenological research's objective was to show how spiritual bypass (SB) phenomenon occurs in individuals in the context of trauma avoidance. The research focused on investigating the underlying dynamics of how religion and spirituality may be used to bypass emotional healing and how specific religious and spiritual practices can be joined into mental health counseling (MHC) to enrich therapeutic outcomes. By investigating these frameworks, the research attempted to offer new discoveries into the challenging dynamics between SB and effects of mental health interventions. The theoretical groundwork of this study was transpersonal psychology, developed by Stanislav Grof—an area of psychology that studied the mystical perspective of human experience, including transformed states of perception and spiritual disciplines. In this context, transpersonal psychology provided a framework for understanding how individuals use SB to rise above their discomfort and access a higher spiritual level. The method for data collection was an online survey with open-ended questions for participants who have experienced SB. The data gathered was analyzed using a thematic approach to identify recurring themes and response patterns. A grounded theory approach was employed, wherein a theory was developed based on the collected data, rather than beginning with a preexisting theory. The researcher iteratively refined and revised the coding and themes as additional data was collected.

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