I remember in my very first internship upon receiving my first clients from my supervisor at the time, the topic of Spirituality and Religion always came up in therapy. I remember this topic coming up a lot in my supervision and how supportive my supervisor was in always encouraging me to explore this topic with my clients, not only that but help to nurture and strengthen the personal belief systems of my clients. I have seen in my experience as a therapist just how important this is for people.

Many individuals have formed a sense of identity around their spirituality or religion. It is very common to pull upon our beliefs during the most challenging times in our lives. I notice as a therapist, that when my clients come to see me for sessions upon these difficult times, many of them also bring with them… their God(s), their angel(s), their lineage, teachings that they live by – these could have been passed down to them from their family or teachings they learned through life experience or personal study.

This topic also encompasses not only understanding my client’s beliefs that they hold dear to their hearts, but also those who choose other belief norms for themselves such as agnostic, atheist, science-based, or nature-based, etc. Oftentimes our beliefs are tied into the fabric of who we are based on our ethnicity or culture. I have also learned about the spirituality and culture of indigenous people of the Amazon Jungle while spending time in the jungle learning and I have plans to continue to travel for continued learning.

I have worked with many clients who struggle with the religion or spirituality they were born into and have suffered spiritual trauma, adversity, and abuse from the way they were raised which often touches upon cult psychology which has very little research, unfortunately. There is a line between the two and ways that one is healthy, and one is not. Sometimes our beliefs and the way that we practice them or try to inform others can be harmful. As I have grown as a therapist, I realized that the safe space held in therapy sessions is the perfect place to talk about religious and spiritual matters due to how personal this topic can feel. In our society, even in the psychology field, it is heavily focused on abuse and trauma that is physical, emotional, psychological, and although religious and spiritual abuse can fall along the lines of mental abuse or even cult psychology and it is a very painful form of abuse to endure because for many individuals this is so cherished and to feel forced to believe in something you do not is extremely painful, especially for highly spiritual individuals who truly need to form their own spiritual or religious identity with safe permission, respect, and sovereignty.

I think what plays a big role in why this has been such a deeply enriching part of my work is my Omnistic lens. I have always had a deep respect for all religions or spiritualities or lack thereof. It is normal to be curious about this topic and should feel safe to explore.

As a therapist, I value spiritual development and for some individuals, this can be a huge bulk work for their development, and for others, it may not be. I believe it is important to have our own beliefs because this is our own right and freedom, is part of healthy overall human development and it is a very important part of the self for many people that should be honored and nurtured.