Narrative-Based Islamic Counseling: A Ruhiological Perspective in Islamic Educational Psychology
Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia 
Malaysia 
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Islamic Psychology, Narrative-Based Islamic Counseling, Narrative Inquiry, Ruhiology, Ruhani Quotient
Abstract
Background. University students increasingly experience anxiety, emotional exhaustion, fragile self-worth, and existential uncertainty. Narrative counseling supports meaning-making and identity reconstruction but remains grounded in secular humanistic paradigms, while Islamic counseling emphasizes spiritual guidance without systematic narrative reconstruction. This gap highlights the need for an integrative framework bridging psychological meaning-making and Islamic spiritual consciousness.
Purpose. This study explored how narrative-based Islamic counseling, grounded in a ruhiological perspective, facilitates students’ psychological and spiritual transformation by reconstructing self-meaning and awakening ruh consciousness.
Method. A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted with three university students experiencing academic anxiety, emotional exhaustion, fear of rejection, and people-pleasing tendencies. Data were collected through narrative-based Islamic counseling sessions, reflective dialogues, counseling notes, and participant reflections, following six ruhiological stages, and analyzed using thematic narrative analysis.
Results. Four themes emerged: fragile self-worth shaped by external validation; narrative reflection as meaning reconstruction; awakening of ruh consciousness through spiritual reflection and reconnection with God; and a Ruhiological Narrative Transformation Model describing the shift from externally driven identities toward spiritually grounded selfhood. Participants showed greater existential clarity, emotional resilience, and spiritually rooted self-understanding.
Conclusion. This study introduces a Ruhiological Narrative Counseling framework integrating narrative inquiry, Islamic psychology, and Ruhiology, positioned as a paradigm of consciousness enabling reconstruction through ruh awakening. The model offers a practical roadmap for Islamic educational psychology addressing students’ anxiety, identity conflicts, and existential crises.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Achmad Ushuluddin, Mohammad Affan, Moehammad Reza Arfiansyah, Shushilil Azam bin Shuib
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