Finding Spiritual Practice in Counseling

When I began my practicum to become a counselor, my first supervisor had a degree in theology. He would challenge clients to define spirituality as having the capacity to identify what's purposeful and expressive for them. What inspires them in life? What makes them feel connected and fulfilled?

While there are a lot of things I didn't agree on with that supervisor, I do believe in acknowledging a spiritual self as a part of holistic counseling. Not all clients are into the idea of a spiritual self, and that's fine too, but a lot of modern counseling techniques are actually rooted in spiritual practices.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for example, implores mindfulness techniques such as visualizing your unhelpful thoughts floating away on a leaf down river. The foundational exercises of ACT encourage individuals to slow down thoughts and differentiate where they have the ability change situations from where they need to accept a lack of control. Sound familiar? While these exercises reflect Hindu or Buddhist meditative practices, the principle of ACT can also be summarized through the (Christian in origins) Serenity Prayer.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Anyone who has been through Alcoholics Anonymous/ Narcotics Anonymous, or has a loved one who has gone through these programs, should be familiar with this refrain. For those who are not monotheistic, or who are agnostic or atheist, the protocol is to replace the word "God" with a word which represents a "higher power".

Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also integrate mindfulness as part of their interventions. Both of these therapies require individuals to slow down and evaluate their thoughts, feelings, beliefs and reactions, and then choose replacement thoughts/reactions to create desirable outcomes.

Existential Therapy focuses on four main "pillars" of existence: death, isolation, freedom/responsibility and meaninglessness. Within these pillars, is a philosophical base. Although philosophy has an emphasis more on the intellectual self, there is overlap between philosophy and spirituality when we explore a sense of connectedness with others and how we create meaning out of our experiences (or not).

Frequently, I hear clients refer to spirituality in terms of inexplicable knowings, or intuition. Intuition has been explored by psychologists as well. In the world of psychology, we can reference mirror neurons, syncing of biological rhythms and perceptiveness of body language, inflection and volume as contributors to that feeling of knowing something (interpersonally) which is not explicitly said. Our nervous systems will even regulate to other people's nervous systems, giving us cue into how others are feeling and what they may be thinking. Which is all to say, yes, we have intuition and it's backed by science.

Psychedelics, which are now being therapeutically promoted, have been shown to have a "spiritual" effect upon their consumers. This may translate to a sense of connection to something greater than ones' self or a connection to all living things. This feeling of honored connectedness can happen when we feel a sense of awe as well. Studies have shown how nature can inspire a similar effect with positive mental and physical health outcomes. But where do we separate a feeling of deep reverence of existence from spirituality?

My hunch is, we don't have to.

I encourage clients to explore various forms of spirituality to find what modality fits them best as an individual. For those who prefer intellectual exercises, Buddhism is a great starting point because it focuses on training the brain. Importantly, Buddhism also doesn't have to replace any religious foundation because Buddhism is a philosophical framework to help guide the practice of increasing awareness of thought and action. The principles can be applied without direct worship of Buddha as a deity. Even within Buddhism however, there are plenty of sects which approach philosophies and practices differently, and some which emphasize more a religious component than others.

For individuals who are looking for a philosophical framework without the complexity of a potential godhead or choosing from various sects, I recommend Taoism. Taoism focuses on cultivating a sense of radical acceptance of who we are as individuals, the world in which we are interacting with and our place within this world. Taoism is a way of being which requires presence and mental flexibility. The metaphor of flowing water captures the approach of Taoism-- water flows around obstacles in a path of least resistance but it is still strong enough to erode rocks to sand.

Of course, religion can work as a framework for spirituality as well, and religious involvement frequently reflects in mental health as promoting greater overall happiness in life.

While spirituality and religion can be a stigmatized idea in an age of polarization, I don't believe we have to limit our perceptions of spirituality to traditional definitions if they are not compatible with who were are as individuals. Spirituality does not have to have a framework.

If we can recognize how our own actions create an effect on all living beings around us, we can understand a sense of connectedness. Understanding how impactful our actions can be, we can refine our actions to create a life of meaning and purpose, which is again reflective of existential practices in psychology.

If we can understand how our thoughts impact our actions, we can understand the importance of slowing down our thoughts and choosing the ones which are most beneficial to all. If we can even just intellectually understand the odds of being born here in this body, in this place, in this time, (one in 400 trillion!) then perhaps we can embody a sense of awe daily.