Integration of Islamic Spirituality in the Treatment of Grief for Pregnancy Loss: A Case Series of Loss During Early, Mid-, and Late Pregnancy

One in five pregnancies ends in loss by 20 weeks of gestation. Losing a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth is recognized as a traumatic experience and can have a devastating impact on women. Islamic beliefs play a central role in the lives of many Muslim women and may help those with a perinatal loss to cope better with their grief. The three presented cases illustrate the incorporation of Islamic spiritual concepts and religious practices into the treatment process. The women, who experienced pregnancy loss at various stages of pregnancy, were treated with evidence-based psychotherapies enhanced with Islamic spiritual elements such as prayers, remembrance of God, and connecting with God. Knowledge about Islamic spirituality was used as a coping resource to sustain them through the grief process. Islamically integrated psychotherapy helped reframe the meaning of motherhood in the aftermath of the loss, reconceptualize pregnancy as a process largely controlled by God, and instill hope. Discussions around continuing bonds with the deceased baby within an Islamic context and the recognition of personhood in Islam were especially helpful. All three women showed substantial improvement in grief and trauma symptoms. Using these three case studies, the authors explore the processes that facilitated healing within Islamically integrated treatment and discuss the incorporation of Islamic elements as a supportive measure to facilitate the grief process and increase resilience in bereaved Muslim women. Implications for integrating Islam into grief work and future directions for research are discussed.