Category: Islamic Psychology

Heartcentric

12/24/2019

“Everything has a polish and the polish of the heart is mindfulness of God (dhikrAllah)” — Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .

Friday, December 27th through Sunday December 29th at Wasat Seattle, Dr. Abdallah Rothman will be speaking at a weekend retreat focusing on spiritual psychology, cultivating presence, living from the heart, and emotional intelligence, at the intersection of modern psychology and Islamic spirituality.

The retreat will introduce the basic psychological framework of the prophetic worldview, exploring the levels of the self (nafs), the spirit (ruh), intellect ('aql), and the spiritual heart (qalb). In addition to the theoretical framework, the weekend will focus on practical methods for cultivating presence, mindfulness, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. We will explore practices to facilitate insight and growth in our relationships and personal journeys.

The Holistic Approach to healing in the islamic tradition

7/20/2019

Abdallah Rothman gives a talk at the Ottoman era Dar al Shifaa in the complex of Sultan Bayezid II Health Museum in Edirne, Turkey, discussing Islamic psychology in the context of the holistic approach to health and healing that was historically practiced in the Islamic tradition. From the 2018 IAIP summer intensive course on Islamic psychology and psychotherapy.

Sufism & Psychology: An Islamic Model of Spiritual Development

5/25/2019

Abdallah Rothman joins Baraka Blue on his podcast "Path and Present" to discuss Islam, psychology, human nature and psycho-spiritual development.

click the play button below to listen or visit the path & present page

approaching islamic psychology

2/9/2019

Abdallah Rothman joins another episode of the Coffee with Karim podcast to discuss approaching theory and practice of Islamic psychology. He gives an intro to how it works and what principles can help believers find more peace and flow through life challenges.

International Association of Islamic Psychology

7/15/2018

The launching of the International Association of Islamic Psychology has just been announced. This is a historic landmark for the Muslim community, Muslim Mental Health, and the field of Psychology in general. While many scholars and clinicians have been developing the field of Islamic Psychology over the past 40 years, until now it has been little understood and little known within the Muslim community and beyond.
The establishment of this prestigious professional society marks a turning point in that Islamic Psychology can no longer be considered an "emerging discipline" as it is now clearly defined and actively being engaged in and evolved by a large international network of scholars and practitioners.
While there have been significant developments and increased awareness in the area of Muslim Mental Health over the past decade, for many the distinction between Muslim psychology and Islamic Psychology is not clear. Now, with the existence of this organization, there is access to information, resources, and educational opportunities to learn more about what Islamic Psychology is and what it has to offer.

To find out more and explore what the association has to offer, visit islamicpsychology.org

Visit the Site

Toward a Framework for Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy: An Islamic model of the soul

6/15/2018

Read an article reporting the findings from the first of three studies that make up Abdallah Rothman's doctoral research on Islamic psychology, published in the Journal of Religion and Health.

view article

Abstract
A uniquely Islamic theoretical framework for an Islamic psychology has yet to be established. To do so requires that we understand how human beings are conceptualized within the cosmology that characterizes the Islamic tradition. This paper presents a model of the soul from within an Islamic paradigm, generated through a grounded theory analysis of interviews with 18 key informants with relevant academic or religious expertise. The model elaborates aspects of a mechanism for the development of the soul that constitutes a potential foundation for an Islamic theory of human psychology and has particular relevance for Islamic approaches to psychotherapy.

Spiritual Quest

5/15/2018

Abdallah Rothman was invited as a guest on the Coffee with Karim podcast. He shares how he traveled the world and sat with Gurus, Rabbi's, Monks and Rastafarians during his spiritual quest. He discusses how his spiritual journey ultimately lead him to both Islam and psychology and how he sees the integration of the two in his work.

Islam and Modern Psychology

3/15/2018

Abdallah Rothman along with Rasjid Skinner and Malik Badri presented to students and faculty at Zaim University Istanbul on the topic of Islam and Modern Psychology. In this video Abdallah discusses the potential that Islam has to offer to modern psychology. He asserts that Islamic Psychology is not a religious psychology only for Muslims, but that it stands to offer great insight into human psychology and contribute significant advancements in the modern field of psychology and psychotherapy.

To watch the other 2 presentations from this event, delivered by Rasjid Skinner and Malik Badri click the "view more" button:

Why Islamic Psychology?

1/14/2018

Abdallah Rothman was recently invited by Professor Malik Badri to speak to his students at Zaim University in Istanbul, Turkey. He was asked to speak on the topic "Why Islamize Psychology?". Abdallah explains how making psychotherapy more user friendly for Muslim clients by changing the use of terms and cultural or religious references is helpful, but that this approach may not be making the most of the resources at our disposal within the Islamic tradition. He therefore proposes a change to the topic question to "Why Psychologize Islam?". View the video of the talk with Abdallah Rothman and Malik Badri:

View Video