The Power of Embracing Spirituality for Trauma Recovery

Trauma affects the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. So, naturally, recovery from trauma must address all aspects of a person, including their spiritual connection. Today, we’re going to discuss how embracing a spiritual connection can play an important role in supporting your recovery from trauma. Before we dig in, let’s first go over what spirituality is.    

What is spirituality?

Spirituality is a concept that has a different meaning for everyone, but, in general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than yourself and involves a search for greater meaning in life. People may describe spirituality as a deep sense of aliveness or interconnectedness.

Some might find a spiritual connection in a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Others might find it through nature or art. In some cases, your sense of spirituality might come from a feeling that resides within you. Your personal understanding of spirituality might change throughout your life as you continue to learn, grow, and have different experiences.

How can we apply spirituality to trauma recovery?

A traumatic event can leave us feeling numb, disconnected, and lost and can really shake up our perceptions about life. While therapy and self-care are crucial components of recovering from trauma, developing a spiritual connection can help you feel more connected, protected, relaxed, and powerful—feelings that are very helpful when trying to work through past trauma.

A healthy spiritual practice or perspective can foster the idea that you are bigger than the things that happened to you. It teaches you that within yourself, there is a sacred place that is whole, balanced, and at peace, no matter how far away your heart or mind feels pulled.

Developing a spiritual connection can provide you with a bigger context for your experiences and help you sit with things that might feel unexplainable, even if that simply looks like honoring the mystery of life.

Spirituality is not about determining right from wrong or explaining why bad things happen to good people. Rather, it’s about giving you the tools to accept the things that have happened, learn from them, and move forward with peace, hope, and pride.

How can you develop a spiritual connection?

This will truly look different for everyone and might take some experimentation to see what feels good to you. At its core, spirituality encompasses how you find meaning, purpose, and appreciation in your life. Here are some good ways to start exploring:

·      Meditate: Take 15 minutes of your day to sit quietly and focus on your breathing. You’ll notice thoughts, sounds, and sensations. That’s perfectly fine and normal. Simply notice them and then bring your attention back to your breath. Meditation is an effective way to tune out the outside world and connect to your deeper sense of self.

·      Find a creative outlet: Experiment with different things, such as painting, drawing, knitting, dancing, taking photos, or writing. Find what brings you pleasure!

·      Join a group: Whether it’s a church, meditation circle, or hiking club, search for a group of like-minded people who you feel comfortable with. Being in the company of others can foster a sense of connectivity and community.

·      Practice gratitude: Notice all the little things throughout your day that you can be grateful for. This will help you better connect to and appreciate life.

·      Journal: Writing down your thoughts can help you connect to your inner self, understand your actions in life, and process difficult emotions.

A path of exploration

We hope this post has encouraged you to explore your spiritual connection to support your path to trauma recovery. Don’t pressure yourself to figure everything out. Spirituality is something people continue to develop an understanding of for their entire lives. You might be surprised to find your spiritual connection in the forest or in your paintings or deep within your chest. Simply dip your toe in, start exploring this path, and see what you find.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality