Spirituality and mental health, one could say that this is a talk about psychic versus psychosis. Is any of this real? Are these true experiences? Is this a hallucination being shared by the masses? Could this be harmful? Is witchcraft a bandaid for real issues? What is the source of our power, our knowledge, and the impact that it has? 

My own personal experience

Before we get all scientific with the facts and statistics let’s get personal for a second okay? This is a blog and my little therapy session. For me personally spirituality saved a piece of my inner child that was only found through therapy. For me personally they do work hand in hand. Spirituality is an open road that leads to your higher self. Therapy heals the inner parts of yourself. For a long time loud noises used to drive me insane and I would hate being touched. Therapy helped me identify the source of the issue. Shadow work and talk therapy allowed me to work thought it.

YouTube has a guided meditation meant for healing the inner child. (I don’t remember the name as I did this meditation three years ago). The meditation guides your inner child to choose who they are ready to forgive. It then helps you to follow that process. Burning release ceremonies have helped me to let go of situations. Cord cuttings have helped me get people out of my life that didn’t need to be there anymore. There have been times that the self love baths helped me see my self-worth. The glamour magic helped me to build that confidence. 

My Personal Thoughts

Even if spirituality is just a mass hallucination, I promise you that it helps and that it works. Each year I have grown. I was once the girl that every boyfriend walked over and used. Now, I have become the woman that most men can’t get a chance with. I have a voice now. I stand up for myself and speak my mind and opinions. Now I demand the things I know I am deserving of. I don’t settle anymore.

Rituals, spells, and meditations are all tools for a reason. Energy healing and whatever other method is out there are also within our reach. Discover what that reason is. See what difference it makes for you. See how you grow and evolve. I never realize my growth until I have conversations like these. And although I feel like I have a long way to go, I have made strides. I have taken long strides. I might have a celebration for my successes so far. This will remind me of where I’ve been and where I am going.

Therapy

Now to the fun part, spirituality and mental health is actually a thing that goes together. There are studies that show an increase in treatment success. They also show an increase in treatment speed. Furthermore, there is an increase in self-worth overall when the two are combined. This research shows it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

I first heard of spiritual practices being used in therapy treatments on a podcast. The therapist introduced herself as a holistic therapist. She used holistic treatments in conjunction with talk therapy. She chooses this approach instead of prescribing medication. Now this is a different level of certification as certain holistic treatments aren’t good fits with certain diagnosis. One of the treatment examples she uses is how trauma is held in the body. Victims of sexual trauma can benefit from hip yoga opening poses. These poses can help break up that trauma and release its hold in the body. To hear the entire conversation, please go to your favorite podcast platform or YouTube. Look up ‘Therapy for Black Girls’ there. You want Session 236.

Depending on your therapist or treatment center they may add in what’s called “Religiously integrative cognitive behavioral therapy (RCBT)”. It takes your already steady belief system and helps you build upon that to set realistic treatment goals and treatments. Some religions have a belief system where meditation is not acceptable. Thus, the meditation that helped others might harm them. The internal battle of trying to heal and feeling like what your doing is wrong would be counterproductive.

Spirituality

Spirituality focuses on oneself, their journey, and their understanding of self. Simply going down the path of spirituality can be beneficial. If you don’t have any issues that require professional assistance, exploring a spiritual journey should not be harmful. Spirituality is often used to understand oneself better. No one is discussing knowing your favorite color. Instead, why do you know who is walking down the stairs based on their footsteps? What caused you to develop that skill?

Another benefit to this path is discovering your purpose, this is not an easy task I promise you. Being someone who hopped I was definitely from job to job, from project to project and let me tell you. Knowing your purpose makes it all so much easier. It’s a night and day level of difference, if you know how to use that knowledge. 

Shadow work might actually be your best friend in situations like this. Now before you start judging. Shadow work is just the process of facing the parts of yourself that are “hidden”. Your shadow self if you will. You don’t let people see you cry because you think it makes you weak. Unpack that. Why do you see that as weakness? You don’t have to go in order. You do need to truly think about some of these prompts. One that’s easy for you might take days and soul searching for another. Go through the list and answer as needed.

Please don’t get me wrong, sometimes adding spirituality isn’t the answer, It may not be for everyone. We all have different backgrounds and experiences that play a role in how we see and experience things. Especially if the person performing the treatment hasn’t done their proper research and education. Please do not go out there and do your own thing. I am not telling you to go out and heal yourself with spirituality. I want you to do what is best for you from your higher self’s perspective. 

References

McLean Hospital. (n.d.). Understanding Spirituality and Mental Health. Mass General Brigham McLean Hospital. Retrieved September 5, 2024, from https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/spirituality#:~:text=Spirituality%20can%20enhance%20a%20person’s,for%20people%20with%20psychotic%20disorders.

Session 236: Healing Through Sound Meditation & Breathwork. (2021, December 1). Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/session-236-healing-through-sound-meditation-breathwork/id1223803641?i=1000543592535