Spiritual but Not Religious

Hey @Till23 

I will say that it is quite common for people to find a sense of spirituality in ways that are entirely detached from traditional religious structures, especially when their past experiences with organised religion have been difficult/complex. As someone who has, and still is, navigating religious trauma, the process of defining what spirituality means to oneself, if it means anything at all, becomes a very deeply personal and, at times, protective act.

For many, spirituality without religion is less about a set of rules and more about a connection to something larger than oneself. There are numerous ways that people describe and experience these spiritual pathways:

• Connection to Nature: feeling that sense of awe, peace, or "oneness" when outdoors. It is quite grounded in biology and the cyclical nature of life.
• Humanism & Secular Ethics: finding deep meaning in human connection, kindness and the collective progress of society.
• Mindfulness & Presence: a focus on the here and now, where the spiritual experience is simply the practice of being fully present and grounded in the body.
• Creative Expression: the feeling of flow in art, writing, music or dance, where the act of creation feels like a profound, transcendent experience.

I also wanted to answer your question about whether people feel that their spirituality (whether religious or not) has affected their mental health. I will say that the relationship between spirituality and mental health can be quite complex. It can honestly act as a double-edged sword, depending on its source. 

Spirituality can provide people with a sense of purpose and hope during dark times. For some, it offers a framework for resilience and a way to process and comfort grief or existential anxiety. Many people also find that spirituality can serve as a grounding practice that helps regulate their nervous systems and reduce stress.

The challenging side here, however, especially for those with religious trauma, is that spiritual concepts can trigger "moral injury" or feelings of guilt. In these cases, distancing oneself from spirituality is often the healthiest choice for mental well-being.

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@Till23 wrote:

In general, I am wondering if people feel that their spirituality (whether religious or not) has affected their mental health.

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Has my spirituality affected my mental health?

I wouldn't exactly put it that way. I would instead say that what's harmed my mental health is the incompatability of my environment with my spirituality.

Just the same as a fish suffocating on dry land. It isn't the fact that the fish is a fish that's causing it's health problems; it's that the fish is in the wrong environment for it to be healthy.

@Till23  omg yes! i am def spiritual but not religious.  too many things has happened in my life for me to ignore my spirituality both good and bad.  from having visions to having people who have died come to visit me in my dreams for me not to be spiritual.  the first visitation i had was from my grandmother who came many years after her death.  she said nothing but i could see the sadness in her eyes and she hugged me and i felt that hug! it woke me up because i was crying.

that was the beginning of many such dreams.

Thanks for your responses @MatchaToad @chibam @Bunniekins and sorry for my lack of response.  What prompted me to ask the question, was that, there is a bit of evidence about the positive effects of spitituality on MH, whether that spirituality is as part of a religion or otherwise. So I was wondering about people here. By affected I was meaning either positive or negative effect of spirituality.

I'm also very aware of religious harm and I know some people no longer practice that religion, but still retain a spirituality.

I was interested to hear people's perspectives.

I think the spiritual side of life is an oft-neglected one in mental health spaces. From what I know, I think it's to do with the fact that psychology as a field needed to sort of...divorce itself from spirituality and religion in order to be 'taken seriously' as a science. But to me, science and spirituality ought to go hand-in-hand. 

I think what has always stood out to me about religion, nature, and spirituality is that no matter where the school of thought has originated, there's always common themes - of connectedness, the cyclical nature of time, and a reverence for nature. In recovery, these themes seem pretty overarching too in an existential kind of way - like disconnection from oneself or from others, the inevitability of loss as time claims all, and finding a sense of meaning and purpose in service of 'the divine', aka a force bigger than oneself, like mother nature herself. 

Ritual is also something I think can be super helpful in recovery - a symbolic act or engaging in a behaviour with intention and emotionality can be very healing. I saw @MatchaToad talking about burn notes - writing out feelings and (safely) destroying the page. I see this as a form of ritual, a way of cleansing ourselves of intense emotions. 

Lighting a candle in memory of a loved one who has passed; washing one's feet or body in the ocean and letting it cleanse us and wash away fears and sorrows; even the daily act of watering plants or tending to a garden could be considered a ritual. 

Great topic @Till23 💜

@Bunniekins @chibam 😊