Psychotheraputic Dimensions of an Islamic-Sufi-Based Rehabilitation Center: A Case Study

Due to limited professional mental health facilities in Indonesia, traditional and faith-based mental health care is essential to provide an alternative treatment. This study explored the therapeutic aspects of treatment at Pesantren Tetirah Dhikr (PTD), an Islamic-Sufi-based rehabilitation center for people with mental illness and drug addiction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We employed a case-study method to understand the process of therapy and the theoretical ideas behind the practice. We conducted interviews with the Kyai (head of PTD), his assistants, and sixteen patients (called santri). The results of a thematic analysis revealed that the practice of dhikr was the essential therapeutic component for improving the participants' mental health. From an Islamic psychological perspective, the process of therapy at PTD was comparable with the process of purification of the soul in Sufism. This process comprised three stages: takhalli (purifying the soul from reprehensible attributes), tahalli (adorning the soul with noble and praiseworthy attributes), and tajalli (attaining of a pure soul). From a transpersonal psychology perspective, the effect of dhikr was comparable with the therapeutic benefits of meditation practice and other psychotherapy.