Spirituality is when we feel a strong connection to something that is greater than ourselves—this can be God, nature, a higher power, a quality of consciousness, or the universe itself.
Connecting with our spiritual side can take on many different forms, but it often leads to searching for the meaning of life and exploring different paths of connection with that greater mystery.
Sometimes spirituality is linked to religion, and attending services at mosques, churches, synagogues, temples, or other religious centers.
However, being religious is not necessarily equated with being spiritual.
In fact there are other ways in which you can be spiritual outside of established religion, such as seeking connection to the universe, nature, altruism, or even art and creativity.
For those on a spiritual path, we often find ourselves asking existential questions about life, such as:
Spirituality has been linked to emotional wellbeing because when you feel purpose in life and connected to your surroundings, it’s easier to usher in peace and gratefulness.
Integrating spirituality into your therapeutic process can be an important component of your healing process.
Too often, the mental health world forgets to touch on this realm altogether.
We recognize that individuals seeking therapy come from many spiritual practices, and we understand that people from different spiritual backgrounds have different values, practices, and beliefs.
At My LA Therapy, we want to honor and incorporate those values when working with you.
Some of the questions we might ask to understand your spirituality include:
Many people turn to spirituality in difficult times, leaning on faith and community to help support them.
Studies have shown that spirituality is often linked to resilience.
When your spirituality is woven into the rest of your life, it should certainly be included during this process of deep inner exploration.
While sometimes spirituality can be a refuge and a source of strength, other times dogmatic belief systems can be harmful to us psychologically and leave a great deal of pain to address and heal.
Sometimes, religions, cults, or spiritual leaders can be a source of trauma rather than a source of healing.
We may learn to distrust our own intuition as we rely on dogma or other teachers to guide us.
Therapy can help heal our relationship with intuition and restore a sense of self-trust.
Stepping away from your religion can lead to many negative and confusing feelings.
Experiences of feeling rejected, criticized, alone, and judged can undoubtedly leave you with feelings of anger and sadness.
Abandoning your belief system can feel like losing a piece of your identity as well as your entire community.
It’s important in our therapeutic process to acknowledge these complex feelings and experiences and incorporate them into our work.
Together, we will pave a new way for you to show up in the world, so you can live your most authentic life, integrating spirituality in a way that is empowering and healing for you.
There are a number of proven benefits to being spiritual, so even if you have left your religious background, you can still find a way to connect spiritually and increase your emotional wellbeing.
Some of the effects of spirituality include lower blood pressure, reduced stress, longevity, and increased job satisfaction.
If you are seeking to become spiritual and find some meaning in your life, there are a couple of steps you can take to do so. These include:
Therapy can successfully improve your life by helping you minimize your anxiety, identifying and changing underlying thought and behavioral patterns that contribute to your struggles, and providing you with strategies to decrease discomfort while restoring an overall sense of peace.
To experience true and lasting joy in our life, we must face and conquer our pain by healing our underlying trauma and confronting our fears.
See the About Therapy page for a deeper look into this process.
Our evidence-based, scientifically proven interventions are demonstrated by research to be effective in addressing issues revolving spirituality
Learn more about our empirically based therapy modalities by visiting our Methods page.
We find you the perfect therapist – or your money back.
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Santa Monica, CA 90401
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Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Encino, CA 91436.
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Los Angeles, CA 90064
