Therapy For Christian Spiritual Issues
Christian Spiritual Issues Can Take Many Forms:
dark night of the soul
crisis of faith
existential crisis
religious OCD
faith deconstruction
spiritual abuse and religious trauma
However they manifest in our lives, spiritual issues can cause us to question our understanding of ourselves and the world, leaving us feeling disoriented, alone, and ashamed. Complicating these feelings, for some, is the loss of guidance and emotional support, as previous sources of support may no longer feel safe, relevant, or helpful.
If you are looking for support while navigating difficult spiritual issues, I would be honored to explore these issues with you. Request a free consult with me here to see if we’re a good fit.
Healthy Versus Unhealthy Spirituality
One way to determine if spiritual issues you are experiencing may benefit from therapy is to compare healthy spirituality with unhealthy spirituality.
Healthy Spirituality
Is Internalized, Intrinsic
Characterized by a sense of security and comfort in relationship to God/the sacred
Promotes growth in compassion, love, empathy and respect towards self and others
Creates real effects that promote justice
Provides a resource in times of stress or crisis
Helps create a sense of belonging and genuine connection
Integrates into all parts of life and human experience/Gives permission to be your “whole self”
Provides a sense of purpose or meaning
Provides a moral compass
Encourages a sense of identity, worth and value
Unhealthy Spirituality
Fosters despair
Creates Isolation, Separatism
Creates erosion of self and/or confusion of identity
Fuels a sense of dread, anxiety and shame
Engenders Scrupulous, Hyper-critical, and judgmental attitudes or practices
Causes you to doubt of your own perception of reality
Flourishes in systems of control and coercion
Encourages you to ignore harm done to self or others
Causes us to deny, avoid or minimize real psychological needs
Does not give comfort or agency
Makes us less human, less moral people
These lists were developed from concepts found in the following sources:
Griffith, J. L., & Griffith, M. E. (2002). Encountering the sacred in psychotherapy: How to talk with people about their spiritual lives. Guilford Press.
Fox, J., Cashwell, C. S., & Picciotto, G. (2017). The opiate of the masses: Measuring spiritual bypass and its relationship to spirituality, religion, mindfulness, psychological distress, and personality. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4(4), 274–287. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000141
Jones, R. S. (2019). Spirit in session: Working with your client's spirituality (and your own) in psychotherapy. Templeton Press.
Pargament, K. I. (2007). Spiritually integrated psychotherapy: Understanding and addressing the sacred. Guilford Press.
My Approach
While I come to session with my own spiritual perspective, I also come with a sense of humility and curiosity about your own faith experience, knowing that every person has a unique spiritual journey, informed by their experiences, upbringing, community and personality. I use my spirituality and relationship with God to create a safe space, where you can be seen and heard with compassion and respect. My approach is informed by Spiritually Integrative Psychotherapy, where my goal is not to tell you what to believe, but to help you work through the impact of your beliefs. If we find that there are other factors influencing your spiritual life and relationship with God, such as scrupulous OCD or underlying trauma or attachment issues, we will address those as well through therapy such as EMDR, CBT, or DNMS. My aim is to assist you in finding and connecting to spiritual resources aligned with your beliefs in a way that helps you experience healthy spirituality.
I know that seeking therapy for religious or spiritual issues can feel really scary and vulnerable. I know it may be difficult to know who you can trust or if you can even trust yourself. I have been there. That’s one reason I offer free consultations for potential clients. While I know that spiritual issues can be scary and disorienting, I also know that peace is possible. Reach out to me here to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation.
