Spirituality and Mental Health

Spirituality can be broadly defined as the practices and beliefs in our lives that bring us closer to ourselves, our goals and aspirations, our creativity, our community, a sense of the things that are larger than the individual - the transcendent and other things that make life meaningful. Spirituality can easily be lumped together into religion or religiosity however I suggest that religious engagement is a way of having spiritual needs met but not the only way. With this rather simple definition of spirituality, you might begin to see how this is so interlaced into mental health. Life can get harder if we feel disconnected from ourselves, our creativity, our communities and social supports, or if it feels like everything in life is meaningless. The well of thought surrounding spirituality is deep and spans religions, cultures and can be found from all across the world. For our purposes, I want to talk about spiritual practices. 

Spiritual practices can very simply be defined as the rituals or things we do that connect us to or facilitate our spirituality. For some, prayer connects them to the understanding of the transcendent and others might find this connection through painting with watercolors. For some, art might connect them to their sense of purpose or help them find meaning in life. Others might use writing, music, dance or meditation. It’s all very flexible and personal. 

One of the benefits of spirituality is that it can help us cope with uncertainty or difficult experiences in life. Despite whatever is going on around us, the things we do with our time and our mind can help give us a sense of grounding or provide a way for us to understand the circumstances of the world around us or even understand ourselves in relationship to the difficult circumstances around us. 

June 21st is International Yoga Day. Yoga is spiritual for many who have a yoga practice. Many say it helps them feel connected and strong in their body. Others mention that it calms their minds and can help bring about a sense of peace despite the chaos of the world. You could likely ask 10 people and get 10 different answers as to what it does for them. 

It might be yoga for you but it might be something else that helps you feel connected and in tune with the world around you. I invite you to pause and reflect on the things that connect you to yourself, your values, your people, your inner artist and what brings you meaning in life. Those will be the things that give you the resilience to navigate difficult times.

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Jon Wisdom, LCSW received his Master of Social Work degree, specializing in Trauma and Violence, from Boston University in a dual-degree program where he also received a Master of Divinity. Previously he worked as an interfaith hospital chaplain and holds a masters degree in Spiritual Care. Jon has pursued this integrated learning with the hope of working with queer individuals with religious trauma. As a queer man, he knows this is a complex issue that requires a lot of existential exploration which can be personally challenging.

In practice, Jon prioritizes affirming and patient-centered care. He uses modalities such as Phase Oriented Trauma Treatment, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), narrative approaches, psychodynamics and operates with an anti-oppression framework. His goal as a therapist is to provide space for his clients to come as they are and for them to know that they have inherent worth and value.

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