Psychotherapy and Your Spiritual Growth

"Psychotherapy is the Western world's gift to spirituality."

By: Dr. Suzanne LaCombe and Mr. Terry McGraw
June 17, 2006.

One of three articles on the mind, body, spirit basis underlying holistic¹ psychotherapy.²

You may think it's a big jump from the therapy office to the temple (or the church, synagogue, or mosque). We'd like to show you otherwise. We believe that heart, mind and body are integral to a sense of spiritual well-being. We'd like to show you how.

We believe that no matter what concept or practice of spirituality you embrace, whether you follow a traditional religion, a Higher Power, or "spiritual guides", you cannot abide by your principles and insights if you are emotionally blocked.

Our goal is to enhance your appreciation of whatever practice(s) you follow including the beliefs that you hold dear.

We can help you make your way!

As you may have guessed from reading articles on this site, MyShrink takes a holistic and integrative approach to health.

While we acknowledge the contributions of conventional western medicine, we believe that the integration of heart, mind, and body naturally leads to contact with the spiritual self, and ultimately lasting health and wellness.

The question we pose is this: how can you live mindfully, in harmony with others, if you are not in harmony within yourself?

How can you open your heart to the creative energy of the universe, to the opportunities for growth that present themselves every day, when you are emotionally closed and defensive in your relationships, or within yourself?

In other words, how can you follow a spiritual path when there's too much confusion, hurt, or feelings of overwhelm inside?

Most people have their own idea of what spirituality is. Those who actively follow a spiritual path speak in many different ways of what is essentially indescribable:

• "It seemed as though I had entered into the heart of something much bigger than I was."

• "It was very faint yet very clear, this small voice that came from beyond my mind."

• "Unlike book learning which comes from outside, my spiritual knowledge comes from within."

Innumerable fears, big and small, block us from trusting others or even ourselves. Yet we must find a place to start. The therapeutic alliance offers this, a place to take that first step. For when you learn to trust your inner voice, your inner self, the world opens up for you because you have opened up to the world.

Spirituality could then be described as life characterized by "unstuckness", a sense of flow, an acceptance of all that has happened, and all that might be.

In accessing the power that's found in the spiritual realm, we become more sensitive to sensations, images, feelings, and intuitions. The language of the body is, paradoxically, the key to the language of the wordless beyond.

So the question is this: Are we able to accurately hear and interpret these messages if our lives are emotionally chaotic?

If we are emotionally blocked, blind to a rigidity of reaction and feeling that has set in over the years, how can we be sure our spiritual yearnings are authentic and not skewed by the effects of unresolved conflicts?

Modern living is filled with distractions. We are easily lulled into believing more possessions and gratifications will lead to real happiness.

But are we obsessed with the glitter of consumerism simply because this is the way we've learned to regulate a deeply hidden sense of dissatisfaction?

We believe the more energy you bring into your life, career, and relationships, the more real satisfaction and enjoyment you'll manifest.

By liberating the huge amount of energy needed to keep painful past experiences tucked away, therapy provides us with renewed strength and motivation, a "new lease on life".

Therapy offers a practical way of finding an inner balance that naturally leads to spiritual awareness. It gives you the courage to open your heart to the world and the chance to finally find, deep inside, that which you have never lost.

In short, we believe therapy is the key to a heartfelt transformation in your life, an invaluable "gift" for all who choose a spiritual path.

I want to unfold,

Let no place within me hold itself closed,

For where I am closed I am false.

R. M. Rilke

Therapy and Your Spritual life is part of a 3-article series called Why Therapy Matters. I invite you to check out the next article in the series.

Why Therapy Matters References.

^* Lisbeth Marcher is founder of the Bodynamic System, probably the most relevant stage theory of development for the practice of psychotherapy i.e. this theory reflects the real issues that show up in therapy offices.

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