ABSTRACT
The term ‘psychotherapy’ is a notoriously difficult one and like that of ‘mental health’ it occupies the borderland between several disciplines. In claiming that spiritualist meetings offer therapeutic benefits it becomes necessary to examine such terms more precisely. Moreover, if religion is concerned with suffering, then it can be argued that all religions have a psychotherapeutic element. Similarly, all religions hold out the promise of better methods of dealing with difficulties, of more efficient coping techniques. However, some religions locate problems in the individual lifestyle, others locate problems in the shortcomings of the world. To the extent that a taxonomy of religious and therapeutic involvement can be constructed along the lines suggested, then spiritualist groups belong to a category which includes certain therapeutic groups and communities. All religions offer tools for handling life’s problems and suffering, but it has been suggested that some religions are better equipped for handling problems than others.
