Occasionally a patient will ask me what I do to stay positive as a psychologist, listening to my patients’ problems all day. While I use the techniques I describe in this blog, the thing that gives me the most strength is faith. Faith gives me the ability to tap into the mind body connection in the most beneficial way possible. Not all of my patients have a strong connection to their faith, but when they do, we use it in therapy to the fullest extent possible.

In therapy we make unbearable circumstances more manageable. We change patterns of chronic anxiety and depression resulting from thoughts and physical responses that have become automatic reactions to situations in our lives. Without faith we give in to the feeling that our problems are insurmountable, and they are insurmountable because we believe them to be. Faith allows us to connect to a power that transcends human understanding. I have found that what my patient has faith in doesn’t matter as long as they are able to experience peace and feel loved no matter what their current circumstance. Spiritual practice such as prayer or meditation allows us to connect to our faith and that feeling of love and understanding. Regular spiritual practice creates physical responses that become automatic reactions that are nurturing and encouraging. The result can be nothing short of a miracle.

Grief and the power of faith with the mind body connection

Faith and forgiveness

The power of faith in psychotherapy is that with faith, we allow the possibility of healing, even if it seems impossible. We are able to turn inward and find the strength inside to live on a soul level. We find the part of us that we can love–the part that is human, imperfect and forgiven–uniquely individual but the same as everyone else. In therapy, patients can use the positive emotions they experience through faith to disrupt unhealthy patterns and negative self-talk. Patients are able to end critical self talk that has plagued them for years after recognizing and regularly reminding themselves that they are loved and accepted as they are.

faith and remaining positive affects the mind body connection

Physical responses to faith

The power of faith related to the mind body connection is that we are able to better control our physical reactions through what we believe. By maintaining a positive attitude our bodies are able to stay in the rest/rejuvenate mode instead of having the fight or flight mode activated by triggers in our lives. Our bodies are able to heal. We are able to let go of worries. We do not feel so pressured or stressed, and we’re able to think more clearly.

Through faith we are able to maintain a belief in the future and see meaning in the struggle we experience in life now. We feel connected to each other through an unconditional love that is unbreakable and transcends time and space.

Through a belief in the divine we are able to surrender our own demands and expectations of how things should go. Instead we allow the good in our lives to make us happy.

faith and meditation affect mind body connection

Faith and the trauma response

Faith allows us to find the strength and resilience necessary to get through the day. If we struggle physically, financially or emotionally, faith provides purpose and meaning to the struggle. The experience of past trauma or having to manage pain or chronic health issues tests faith and leads to self doubt and feelings of low self worth. It is emotionally and physically exhausting. By tapping into their faith, my patients have been able to learn to be gentle with themselves and heal at their own pace and ability.

Loss and trauma tests faith and leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless. Finding peace on a spiritual level is an important aspect of healing from trauma. A counselor who is able to navigate life changes can help make faith an important resource for patients. A rich spiritual life can lessen pain on many levels, so if a patient is spiritually inclined, we use that as a powerful resource in therapy.

Surrendering to faith

Regularly experiencing positive emotions available through faith, we can be more in control of our mind body connection. I have worked with patients who have had long-term anxiety issues and were able to reduce symptoms of panic attacks by regularly reciting the serenity prayer. They were able to learn to cope with their anxiety by recognizing that there are rational and irrational fears that need to be sorted through regularly in order to be able to find appropriate solutions that allow peace in their lives.

The serenity prayer requires that you evaluate the life situations you are anxious about and your expectations of yourself in solving them. If your challenges are not within your realm of control then you need to learn how to accept them, which means surrendering to faith. And if your expectations of yourself are unrealistic, then self-acceptance and self-forgiveness are appropriate responses to the situation. We are only human, and we each have our own individual strengths and weaknesses.

faith and ability to lower anxiety through mind body connection

Faith is powerful in our lives because it allows us to use the mind body connection in a way that is beneficial, not debilitating. Faith helps us feel more empowered because we can believe in the mystery in life. Miracles are possible and good exists in the world. We are able to trust even if our own caregivers were not trustworthy and hurt us terribly. We are able to feel loved even if that wasn’t a normal experience in our lives. Imagining how it could be is all some people can go on. Working through deep trauma to restore faith in humanity is not easy, but with the right support and encouragement it can change people’s lives.

Faith and the mystical experience

I have had patients ask about psychedelic use in therapy for severe depression and end of life crises. I help them understand how the experience of psychedelics can be compared with the mystical experience of faith. Current research is recognizing the benefits of psychedelics such as psylocibin in therapy. Psylocibin allows the brain to experience a super placebo effect and can lead to a mystical experience that is transformational and can feel like an a-ha moment. Once we have an a-ha moment, we see the situation we are in differently and our mindset is changed forever. The experience is of connection to nature and life through love and is very emotionally intense and healing. This experience has restored faith in some research study participants who have lost faith due to unbearable loss in their lives.

Faith and spirituality is a deeply personal and powerful force in my patients’ lives, and it is up to them whether it is part of the therapeutic process, and how. I honor and respect the journey they have had to get to where they are in their understanding of the world and their place in it. My prayer is that I am able to help them find the unconditional love they deserve in whatever way I can.

Rebeca Bright, PsyD

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