Spiritual Disconnection

Spiritual Disconnection:

• Feeling spiritually lost, disconnected, or blocked; unable to connect to your deepest self and/or the divine

• Caused by difficulties processing emotions, which lead to emotional barriers. Often, unresolved Trauma PTSD or past Religious Trauma contributes to this disconnection.

  Triggered by unresolved emotional injuries or pain.

• Leads to a felt lack of meaning or sense of identity, and a lack of passion in life, work, and/or relationships.

• Cured by processing blocked emotions which unlocks personal and spiritual connection.

The vast majority of people (80-90%) believe in some kind of God or higher power.

This spiritual connection gives meaning to one’s life and identity.

The foundation for this connection is laid at the beginning of a person’s life, in their attachment with their primary caregivers.

The experience of a secure attachment bond with our caregiver shows us that we are:

• Known completely

• Loved unconditionally

• Accepted despite imperfection

• Comforted when dysregulated

• Protected when afraid

• Safe when in danger

• Provided for when in need

Given this experience, we feel accepted for who we are and therefore become comfortable with our identity.

And we learn to trust the goodness and love of others, which allows us to experience a secure connection with the divine.

But what happens when there are cracks in the foundation?

If our relationship with our primary caregivers is insecure, traumatizing, or unsafe, we can’t build a healthy sense of identity, trust, or connection. This can lead to Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Depression, which further disrupt spiritual growth and connection.

Instead, we learn that it’s dangerous to show who we are. So we begin to hide the most vulnerable parts of ourselves.

And rather than trusting, we learn to expect judgment, rejection, or abuse from others. So we end up fearing or avoiding closeness with others, sometimes leading to Relational Conflict, Family Conflict, or the need for Couples Therapy

What happens then?

Fast-forward to our present life, and we might not even realize what’s wrong.

We might be trying our best to love ourselves well, but feeling like we can’t help but feeling like we are never measuring up. And we can’t shake the feeling that others won’t accept us if they knew who we really are.

And faith and spirituality might be very important, but we can’t fully connect our heart with what we believe in our head. Doubts linger. Spiritual detachment intensifies. And the possibility of a deeply felt relationship with a God who knows and sees and loves us unconditionally seems impossible.

At best, God is absent. At worst, he’s an abuser and a judge. Self-Sabotage can often emerge from this dynamic.

And no matter how hard we try to feel otherwise, it just seems to get worse.

Symptoms include:

• Unclear sense of identity (false self)

• Self-judgment and difficulties with self-acceptance

• Low self-esteem

• Anxiety and/or depression

• Lack of meaning or purpose

• Spiritual flatness or blocks

• Difficulty feeling emotionally the truth of one’s spiritual beliefs

• Sense of spiritual detachment from God or one’s higher power

• Experiencing God as an abuser or judge

Common associated diagnoses: 

• Religious or Spiritual Problem

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Trauma or Stressor-Related Disorders

• Spiritual Abuse

• Depressive Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

So what can we do?

At EmotionFit, we:

• Assess the emotional blocks or injuries underlying your spiritual difficulties

• Identify patterns of relating to self and other

• Identify areas of disconnect between head and heart

• Help you see and understand the roots of spiritual difficulties in the past

• Clarify the nature of emotional blocks and path to overcome them, such as:

  • Emotional experiencing

  • Experience of secure relational connection

  • Processing unresolved traumas

  • Building emotional strength

• Heal emotional wounds and open emotional experience, which establishes a new foundation for spiritual connection with self and the divine.

The end result is an experience of heartfelt love and acceptance of one’s deepest self, along with a felt sense of secure attachment and spiritual connection.

Don’t stay spiritually stuck by blocked emotions.

Contact a therapist and start feeling better today.