Dissent from Freud: Bridging Spirituality, Psychotherapy, and Science

religion, spirituality, mental, health · EN

For more than a century, mainstream psychology has often viewed religion and spirituality with suspicion—sometimes even as obstacles to mental health. Influenced by the legacy of Freud, many clinicians were trained to keep faith at a distance from serious psychological work.But what if that assumption is incomplete?What if spirituality—far from being an illusion—can be a powerful resource for healing, meaning, and transformation?In Dissent from Freud, we explore this question at the intersection of science, psychotherapy, and lived experience. Drawing on more than four decades of clinical work, research, and professional leadership by Dr. Scott Richards and his collaborators, this podcast examines how the field of psychology has begun to reconsider its relationship with spirituality—and what that shift means for therapists, clients, and the broader culture.Through engaging reflections, research insights, and personal stories, we trace the global movement to integrate spiritual and