The Truth About Spirituality and Mental Health
One of the problems with New Age spirituality is that it enforces the idea that spirituality can fix anything, including mental health struggles.
“The reason you’re depressed or anxious is… so do this spiritual thing to fix it!”
Spirituality is great! I’m obviously a big fan, but just like anything, it has its role in our lives. And I know mental health care in America is a beast. It's hard to afford or access good quality care, especially for Queer and BIPOC individuals.
If you have major trauma to work through or are having a major mental health crisis, spirituality is not going to be your answer. While spirituality works beautifully in tandem with mental health care, it can not replace it.
The Problem with New Age Spirituality…
As we talked about in this post, toxic positivity is rampant in the New Age spiritual scene. But when you are dealing with some serious monsters, pretending everything is fine and they aren’t there doesn’t help. In fact, it just makes everything worse.
Avoiding your traumas and shadows just makes them become monsters that grow and grow until they get too big for you to handle.
There are so many reasons why you may have this monster, and they come in a whole array of sizes and colors. Some are smaller and can be handled with some love and attention, while others are bigger and are buried deep.
They could come from the environment you grew up in, a traumatic experience, or generational trauma. But because many new age spaces don't fully acknowledge them, the tips for overcoming your monsters, shadows, and limiting beliefs are totally detached from reality.
Shadow Work and Shadow Work Exercises
Shadow work is discussed in mental health and spiritual spaces. While shadow work exercises differ between mental health practitioners and spiritualists, they are all meant to help you acknowledge your monsters or shadows.
Spirituality and mental health care have this in common, but not all monsters are created equally and should not be approached the same way. Sometimes, spirituality gives you access to see them for the first time.
Take Lex’s story, for example…
When she started doing aura photography, she noticed there were some intense reds around her. She knew this was some sort of protection mechanism for her, so she did her woo-woo stuff to see if she could find and resolve what was going on.
Through meditation and more aura photography, she realized that this was something bigger than what normal shadow work could address, so she found a therapist. That therapist referred her to a specialist, and she was later diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Spiritual activities like Aura Photography and meditation helped her see that an issue was hiding deep inside, but they could not solve her problem. So, she found the right support, which in turn helped her grow her spirituality.
When working through your shadows, shadow work exercises from a mental health practitioner and a spiritual guide can be incredibly complementary.
Releasing and Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
We all struggle with limiting beliefs. Overcoming them is the secret to boldly following the path towards your heart's most true desire. If you want to be a Broadway star but don’t believe you are good enough, you don’t try, don’t audition, and just stay in your little apartment in New Jersey, dreaming of the big stage.
Releasing those limiting beliefs and realizing that your desire to be on stage wouldn't be there if it weren’t meant for you will motivate you to take the action you need to manifest that Broadway dream.
Limiting beliefs about worthiness, lovability, and capability are incredibly common, and releasing them gives you access to stepping into your potential and fulfilling your life purpose. Both psychology and spirituality talk about overcoming your limiting beliefs so you can live your best life.
The difference is the severity of the limiting beliefs and how it's affecting your life.
If you are a closeted queer person who doesn’t believe they are loveable because of religious trauma, maybe professional mental health support is best suited for this. If you don’t believe you're loveable because you had a partner who cheated on you, it may be something you can work through with meditation and spiritual coaching.
They can both help you realize how loveable and capable you are, but there are always going to be some instances that are better with a mental health professional.
Major Mental Health Events and Your Spirituality
Some spiritual people are afraid of getting the mental health support they need because they fear losing momentum on their spiritual journey. As if getting counseling or going on medication is going to inhibit their spiritual growth.
The truth is, you will not lose momentum. You’ve made strides in your spirituality, and they are yours forever. Getting counseling or taking medication will only enhance your spirituality long term.
Yes, things might get hard for a little while, as any battle does, but you’ll see that the monster was holding you back from reaching your full spiritual potential as well as everything else. Overcoming your shadows and limiting beliefs, in whatever way you need to do it, will benefit all of you—the whole package—spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
You are one being with all your parts interconnected in a beautiful and sometimes messy web. So, if you are having a major mental health event or maybe just a very persistent one, find the mental health support you need so your whole self can thrive.
Obviously, there are some areas of overlap between mental health and spirituality. If you’re looking for meditations and spiritual consulting to overcome your shadows and limiting beliefs that hold you back, Spiritual U has you covered.
But if your shadows and limiting beliefs are because of trauma and are greatly affecting your relationships and daily life, please invest the time and energy to get the support you deserve first. Then, come back here, and we can grow your spirituality together.
