“Should I pursue therapy or spiritual direction?” As both a spiritual director and therapist, I hear this question frequently. First, I just want to say that entertaining this question means that you desire to take a deeper look at your life and that’s not a small thing. Your desire to press into your life, your spirituality and your story is beautiful – bravo!
While therapy and spiritual direction are both safe spaces to talk and receive care, they are quite different. Let’s take a closer look at each of them so you can have a better understanding of which one might be most beneficial for you.
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Spiritual direction is an ongoing conversation about God’s work and presence in your life. It has deep roots in Christian history and is experiencing a revival today. Here, you can bring all of your spiritual longings and questions about God while you receive care for your soul. A spiritual director will listen to you, help you discern God’s movements in your life, pray for you and support your faith journey. In spiritual direction, you’ll find space for silence, reflection and prayer. As you engage in it over time, you’ll deepen your life with God and expand your ability to sense His movement in your life.
In spiritual direction, you are always welcome to talk about things like work, family, problems, emotions and relationships in addition to your spiritual journey. As you talk about these things, we look at where God is moving within them and what He might be trying to help you see in your life. Often, spiritual direction can involve talking about spiritual “problems” like feeling angry at God, apathy in prayer, a dark night of the soul or faith deconstruction/reconstruction. While we don’t solve these problems, we do create space to explore them, seek greater awareness about the experience and seek God for meaning and healing within them.
Therapy is a place where you can navigate problems, attend to trauma, improve your relationships and find healing. Here you have a chance to sift through your life and ask questions like, “how does my past inform my present life circumstances?” and “how do I move forward in this relationship?” Therapists are trained to walk with you through your darkest days and hardest problems. A good therapist will help you feel seen and heard as you seek restoration and healing. Therapy can certainly involve your faith but each session will likely focus on other goals or problems that you outline.
If you are looking to find greater intimacy with Jesus or want to understand how God is working in your life, spiritual direction is the place for you. If you want to improve your relationships, learn how to set boundaries, process childhood wounds or look more closely at the storyline of your life, therapy might be the best place for you to find healing.
No matter which option you choose, you are caring for yourself and that is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.
If you are looking to process some things in your life with another person, I would love to talk more with you!
