Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health

It feels like it’s become common to hear people talking about being more “spiritual” than “religious.” But what does this actually mean? Admittedly, I don't think there's a single definition, at least culturally. That's why it's important that we not only create a common language for these terms but also look at how and why they impact our mental health (which might be the real reason why we hear people making this distinction).

Here is how I define these two words: Religiosity refers to one’s adherence to an organized structure of belief and worship (usually revolving around a supernatural being). Spirituality refers to one’s connection with a larger purpose, meaning in life, and/or higher power.

Religion can be a vehicle for spirituality but is not necessary for leading a “spiritual” life.

The way I see it, spirituality is far more important to our mental health and emotional well-being than religiosity. This is for two reasons:

(1) Religion predetermines what is “right” and “wrong” and tells you what a “good life” looks like. There is often very little room for self-interpretation unless you’re willing to forfeit certain promised results (e.g. access to miracles, priesthood, heaven, etc). Psychologically, this narrows cognitive flexibility and reinforces rigid, black-and-white thinking. Cognitive flexibility is an important aspect of our ability to adapt and grow. Unsurprisingly, this plays an important role when dealing with anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms. (For more on cognitive flexibility check out Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience - PMC)

(2) Spirituality can, and ought to be, self-determined. Without external pressure to fit into an existing structure of belief, we are free to choose and define what we believe as it best fits us. As a result, these beliefs are inherently aligned with our personal values (i.e. not someone else’s like clergy) and are free to evolve with us throughout life. As I mentioned above, flexible and adaptive thinking is important to our ability to deal with life’s inevitable challenges.

Additionally, spirituality is about our connection to purpose and meaning. Having a life's purpose informs how we treat ourselves and others. A meaningful life expressly implies that what we do matters, and that we have a degree of choice in determining our own life's purpose. Clarifying and freely choosing our purpose can help determine what type of work we do, how we help others, and how we want to contribute to the world. As so many philosophers and psychologists have suggested, leading a purposeful life improves our mental and emotional well-being.

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“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.” – Viktor Frankl

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A few clarifications and personal thoughts.

I want to be clear that spirituality and religion can go hand and hand. The inherent restrictions of organized religion can also, for many, impact the ability to live your spirituality authentically. I’d also like to draw a distinction between what we have been discussing and the Spirituality or New Age movements, which have been popularized over the last several years. In many ways, these “movements” are very similar to organized religion, in that they can create rigid thinking by reinforcing conformity to its system of beliefs.

In my work as a therapist, I’ve met many people who have left organized religion. Rediscovering the important aspects of spirituality without religion can be a difficult but beautiful process. This is one of the reasons I started The Therapy Inn, so that more people can reconnect with the important aspects of spirituality on their own terms, without religious influence.

I’ve also seen that for some it can be hard to reclaim the term spirituality because of its connotations with religion. If this is the case, I encourage you to discover a word that best aligns with your interpretation of the concept (e.g. existential beliefs, universal perspective, inner wisdom). Regardless of what we call it, the pursuit of a meaningful, purpose-driven life is essential to our mental health. And it can be even more powerful when it's been uniquely inspired and created by you. If you need help with this process I hope you’ll reach out for a free consultation.

- Stefan