The Healing Power of Spirituality

The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and the acceptance of love.

One of the most important resources that I used to cope with my suicidal pain was tapping into my spirituality. Spiritual resources such as faith, hope, and courage are every bit as important to recovering from suicidal pain as are the more “tangible” tools of medicine and psychology. 

My definition of  spirituality is “feeling a part of an intelligence that is greater than yourself.” We can refer to this intelligence by many names, such as “God,” “Higher Power,” “Spirit,”  “Christ Consciousness,” “The Universe,” “Allah,” or “Our Ancestors”.

I believe that this energy is benevolent and that you can call upon it during your times of need. Albert Einstein once asked the question, “Is the Universe friendly?” If you answer “yes” and believe that there is benevolent energy looking out for and protecting you, you are more likely to persevere in times of despair rather than giving up. 

There are myriad ways to tap into your spirituality, such as prayer, meditation, and mindfulness; exploring meaning; contact with nature; experiencing gratitude; and finding a spiritual community.

In the pages below, you find spiritual resources that you can use to alleviate your suffering.

Journal Reflections:
Tapping Into Your Spiritual Resources

  1. What is your definition of spirituality?

  2. Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person or on a spiritual path? If so, how do you experience spirituality in your life?

  3. What kind of practices have you used or are you using to connect to your spirituality (e.g. prayer, meditation, time in nature, reaching out to your spiritual community)?

  4. How might you tap into these resources to cope with this suicidal crisis and eventually emerge from it?