Professionals and Health Therapies in Unaffiliated Spiritualities: An Invisible but Central Field for Contemporary Self-Care
Abstract
Unaffiliated spiritualities refer to individuals who identify with some form of spirituality, belief, or practice related to the sacred or the supernatural, but who are not formally associated with any established organization, church, or religious tradition. These individuals may, for example, engage in meditation, yoga, mindfulness, read sacred texts from various religions, or participate in rituals.
This article presents the main findings of a study that mapped practices and professionals who self-identify as spiritual across various online platforms in the Community of Madrid. Additionally, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals. A total of 854 individuals and entities (associations, centers, shops) were identified. Among the most notable characteristics observed are the emergence of a service-oriented spirituality, the diversity of practices offered, and the heterogeneity of professional profiles. The article focuses particularly on professionals and techniques specifically oriented toward the health sector, which account for 29% of its services. The most frequently offered techniques are tarot (31%), reiki (22%), and meditation (13%).
The predominance of health-oriented services makes it possible to extend healthcare beyond the boundaries of conventional medicine and to create an intermediate space between formal and informal care practices. Overall, the findings confirm the stable presence of a group of entities and professionals whose practices operate at the intersection of spirituality and health, and who promote self-care within the contemporary context of Madrid.
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