Spiritual Therapy + The Benefits of Working with a Spiritual Therapist
Last updated June 1, 2025
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In a world that often separates mental health from spiritual growth, many people feel that traditional talk therapy alone isn't fully addressing their struggles with anxiety, depression, or trauma.
The truth is: Your spiritual journey and mental health are intimately connected. When we honor this connection, healing becomes possible.
As a licensed therapist with over 10 years specializing in psychospiritual therapy, I've witnessed firsthand how weaving spirituality into therapeutic work supports healing beyond what's possible with traditional therapy alone. Whether you're explicitly on a spiritual path or simply drawn to explore the deeper dimensions of your human experience, spiritual therapy can be a tremendous support on your healing journey.
And research backs me up on this! Over 3,000 empirical studies demonstrate that spiritual beliefs and practices result in positive mental, physical, and social health outcomes, consistently showing that spirituality reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, increases resilience, and enhances overall quality of life.
Experts agree: having a spiritual life is measurably beneficial for your mental health.
Ready to learn more about spiritual therapy, what it is, why you should care, and how it can help? Let's dive in!
What is Spiritual Therapy?
Spiritual therapy is a mind-body-spirit approach to healing that honors the spiritual dimensions of being human when treating mental health symptoms. It weaves together evidence-based psychological methods with spiritual practices to help you explore the spiritual, metaphysical and existential meaning behind your experiences, offering insights and tools for deeper healing, personal growth, and a greater sense of purpose.
Spiritual therapy is also know as: Transpersonal Therapy, Psychospiritual Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy.
Unlike conventional therapy that may focus solely on changing thoughts or behaviors, spiritual therapy recognizes that true healing often requires addressing all aspects of your being: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. It acknowledges that your beliefs about the world, your purpose, and the meaning of life deeply impact your mental health and overall quality of life.
Is Spiritual Therapy Religious?
Nope. Spiritual therapy isn't affiliated with any specific religion. It's designed to support people from all spiritual backgrounds, including those who identify as religious, "spiritual but not religious," or simply curious about the deeper dimensions of life.
Think of spirituality as your relationship with what feels larger than yourself, whether you understand this as God, Source, The Universe, Nature, Love, or simply a sense of deeper meaning and connection. Spiritual therapy honors your unique spirituality without imposing any particular belief system.
While religious counseling is often rooted in a specific faith tradition and may guide you according to that tradition's teachings, spiritual therapy is focused on your personal spiritual journey.
Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, our therapists offer spiritual therapy that supports you to find your own spiritual truth. We never offer advice from any particular religion or ask you to follow faith-based practices unless they're already part of your life and you wish to integrate them.
Want to learn more about spiritual therapy?
The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection in Healing
At the heart of spiritual therapy lies the understanding that we are not just minds in bodies, but integrated beings with a spiritual dimension longing for expression and connection. When we neglect this essential aspect of ourselves, we may experience what feels like anxiety, depression, or a persistent sense that something is missing, what some spiritual traditions call "soul hunger."
As mentioned earlier, research consistently supports this holistic view. Spiritual well-being is linked to improved mental health outcomes, including reduced anxiety and depression, greater resilience, and enhanced quality of life. This isn't surprising when we consider that spirituality offers a framework for making meaning of difficult experiences, finding purpose in suffering, and connecting to something larger than yourself.
How the mind-body-spirit connection works:
Your thoughts influence your spiritual experience: Limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns can block your connection to your intuition and inner wisdom.
Your spiritual practices affect your mental state: Practices like meditation and prayer have been shown to reduce stress hormones and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Your physical body holds your experiences: Trauma, emotions, thoughts and spiritual insights are literally stored in the cells of your body and can be accessed through somatic awareness.
Your sense of meaning influences your capacity to do hard things. When you feel connected to a deeper purpose, you're more likely to navigate life's challenges with an attitude of strength, compassion and resilience.
This interconnection means that true healing often requires an approach that honors all dimensions of your experience, rather than trying to artificially separate them into distinct categories.
Treating Mental Health Issues With Spiritual Therapy
Honoring the mind-body-spirit connection is at the heart of spiritual therapy. A wide range of mental health concerns can be treated by integrating psychospiritual practices with more traditional psychotherapy approaches. You can find a complete list of issues we treat here.
Spiritual therapy can help with:
Emotional and Psychological Challenges
Relational and Attachment Wounds
Healing from Toxic Relationships
Relationship Satisfaction
Life Transitions and Identity Shifts
Life Purpose
Spiritual and Transpersonal Experiences
No matter what you've been through in this life, healing and change are always possible.
Our spiritual approach to therapy will support you in developing a relationship with your own inner healer, helping you cultivate lifelong practices for creating a life of purpose and love.
A life with more joy, peace and freedom is totally possible. We'd love to support you on the journey!
What Are the Benefits of Spiritual Therapy?
At The Holistic Counseling Center, our therapists integrate traditional talk therapy with somatic, mindfulness-based, and transpersonal practices to help you access your highest self, in order to gain an understanding about what gives your life meaning and purpose. This is the part of you that already carries truth, clarity, and deep compassion.
From this place of alignment and integration, you can grow through pain with greater self-love, awareness, and emotional intelligence, increasing your capacity for more fulfillment and satisfaction in all areas of life.
The benefits of working with a spiritual therapist include:
Align With Your Soul’s Purpose
Explore life's deeper questions: who you are, why you're here, and what gives your life meaning. This exploration can help you align with your purpose and values, creating a stronger sense of direction and fulfillment even in the midst of challenge.
Access Your Intuition + Highest Self
Quiet the noise of self-doubt and conditioning, and reconnect with the inner knowing that has always been within you. Learn to trust your intuition and inner guidance.
Awaken Your Spiritual Connection
Whether you're taking your first steps on a spiritual path or seeking to deepen your existing practice, spiritual therapy helps you awaken and deepen the spiritual connection that lives within you. This might include learning meditation, developing a relationship with nature, exploring meaningful synchronicities, or simply cultivating presence and wonder in everyday moments.
“You don’t just heal—you evolve. You remember who you are. And from that remembering, everything changes.”
Heal at the Soul Level
Some wounds go deeper than thoughts or emotions, they touch the very core of who you are. This work helps you heal from the inside out, helping you reconnect with your true nature and transform unconscious patterns that are keeping you stuck.
Find Meaning in Suffering
Life inevitably brings challenge, loss, and pain. Spiritual therapy helps you find meaning in these experiences, not to bypass the difficulty but to discover the growth, wisdom, and transformation that can emerge from even the most painful circumstances.
Live Your Truth
As you heal and reconnect with your spiritual nature, you naturally begin to create a life that reflects your deepest values and authentic self. This might mean changes in relationships, work, or lifestyle that bring greater coherence between your inner and outer worlds.
We believe that when you include your spirituality in therapy, you don't just heal, you evolve. You remember who you are. And from that remembering, everything changes.
Is Spiritual Therapy Right for You?
If you consider yourself spiritual, spiritually curious, or simply sensing there's more beneath the surface of your mental health symptoms, spiritual therapy may be right for you. Our team of spiritual therapists are trained in both clinical and spiritual modalities to help you access long-forgotten parts of yourself, and get to the root of your struggles, weaving together existential inquiry with resources that attend to your mind, body, heart, spirit and nervous system.
Spiritual therapy might be a great approach if you are:
Exploring the spiritual meaning of anxiety, depression, or other symptoms
Experiencing an existential crisis, a crisis of faith, or deep in exploring the meaning of life
Navigating a spiritual awakening or emergence
Healing from religious or spiritual trauma
Seeking to deepen your spiritual practice or reconnect with intuition
Facing life transitions that stir up big questions around identity, purpose, or belonging
Longing for a more integrated therapeutic approach that honors all aspects of yourself
You don't need an official spiritual practice, or even to call yourself spiritual, to benefit from spiritual therapy. Sometimes the call shows up as a quiet knowing: that your pain holds meaning, and that your symptoms are invitations to remember who you are beneath the programming and survival patterns.
Whether you're navigating a dark night of the soul, questioning your life's purpose, or simply sensing that traditional approaches aren't quite reaching the depth of what you're experiencing, spiritual therapy offers a sacred space where all aspects of your experience are welcomed and supported.
Spiritual therapy is especially transformative if you:
Feel disconnected from your inner wisdom
Sense that traditional therapy misses something essential
Crave deeper fulfillment and alignment in your life
Are ready to explore healing not just at the cognitive level, but at the soul level
This integrated approach doesn't just help you manage symptoms, it supports you in uncovering and healing the root causes of your struggles, while reconnecting with your innate wisdom, true nature, and capacity for transformation.
Curious about working with a spiritual therapist?
Book a free consultation call.
What Modalities Are Used in Spiritual Therapy?
At The Holistic Counseling Center, we approach spiritual therapy as an expanded version of traditional talk therapy. Rather than being a standalone modality, it's an integrative approach that combines evidence-based therapeutic techniques with psychospiritual practices drawn from eastern wisdom traditions, ancient healing modalities, and contemporary spiritual understandings.
Spiritual therapy sessions flow much like traditional talk therapy but with a wider lens that includes spiritual and existential dimensions. Your therapist will help you explore questions of meaning, purpose, and connection in ways that resonate deeply with your authentic self, without imposing any specific beliefs or practices
Traditional therapeutic approaches our therapists use in spiritual therapy include:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Brainspotting
EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy)
Nervous System Regulation Tools
In addition to traditional talk therapy, spiritual therapy may also incorporate the following holistic modalities:
Mindfulness and meditation
Breathwork
Guided visualization
Existential questioning and meaning-making
Connecting with inner wisdom and intuition
Energy work
Yoga
Hypnotherapy
Guided Meditations
Grounding Practices
We provide a unique and personalized approach for each client, no cookie cutter treatment plans here!
When you begin your journey with a spiritual therapist here at The Holistic Counseling Center, we'll help you connect with your personal values, beliefs and spirituality which will increase your capacity for self-love, self-acceptance and compassion for your healing journey.
What Actually Happens During Spiritual Therapy?
A typical spiritual therapy session includes a short grounding meditation or energy clearing to start the session. Then, similar to traditional talk therapy, you will explore your goals, challenges, and talk about what's going on in your life. Depending on what particular issues you are growing through, your therapist will weave together various practices to support you.
Here's an overview of what spiritual therapy sessions look like:
1. Creating a Safe and Sacred Container
The therapeutic relationship in spiritual therapy is one of deep respect, compassion, and honoring of your unique journey. Your therapist creates a space where all aspects of your experience, including those that might seem unusual or difficult to articulate, can be explored without judgment.
2. Exploring Your Life
Together, we’ll explore what's arising in your life, including challenges, symptoms, insights, and questions. Your therapist will help you unpack these experiences with an eye toward both psychological understanding and spiritual significance.
3. Addressing Immediate Concerns
If you're experiencing significant distress, your therapist will work with you to establish stability and develop practical tools for managing symptoms. This might include practices for nervous system regulation, grounding, and self-compassion.
4. Deepening Awareness and Understanding
As you get in a groove with your therapist, and the work deepens, you'll begin to explore the deeper patterns, beliefs, and experiences that underlie your current challenges. This exploration integrates psychological understanding with spiritual perspectives, helping you see your journey in a broader context.
5. Tools and Practices for Growth
Your therapist may introduce specific practices or exercises to support your healing and growth. These might include mindfulness techniques, somatic awareness practices, journaling prompts, or spiritual practices aligned with your values and beliefs.
6. Integration and Embodiment
The ultimate goal of spiritual therapy is not just intellectual understanding but embodiment and awakening. Your therapist will support you in integrating insights and embodying new ways of being in your daily life, relationships, and work.
Throughout this process, you remain the authority on your own experience. Your therapist serves as a guide and companion, offering perspectives and practices that might be helpful but always honoring your wisdom and autonomy.
Spiritual Therapy at The Holistic Counseling Center
Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, our approach to spiritual therapy is both deeply honoring of your unique path and grounded in clinical excellence. What sets us apart is how we weave together the science of psychology with the wisdom of spiritual traditions, creating a therapeutic experience that speaks to all aspects of who you are.
At the heart of our practice, we believe in wholeness over fixing, integration over separation, and empowerment over dependence. We see your symptoms not as problems to eliminate but as wise messengers guiding you toward deeper healing, and we trust in your innate capacity to transform pain into wisdom when given the right support and sacred space.
Our core values guide everything we do, ensuring you receive care that is:
Evidence-Based + Soul-Led
We integrate evidence-based therapeutic modalities with intuitive exploration, bringing together the best of modern psychology and timeless wisdom traditions. This means you receive both effective techniques for symptom relief and spiritual practices for deeper insights and integral healing.
Grounded + Mystical
Our therapists understand both the psychological and spiritual dimensions of existence, helping you navigate the human experience and the mystical nature of being. We create a space where all of your experiences are welcome, from processing trauma to exploring spiritual experiences.
Integrated + Holistic
We recognize that true healing requires addressing all dimensions of this human experience. Our approach honors the interconnection between your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, heart alchemy and spiritual knowing, helping you create greater coherence and integration of all the parts of yourself.
Sacred + Safe
We create an environment where all aspects of your journey are welcome, from discussing your family of origin, to exploring how to work with your spirit guides. Nothing is too "woo-woo" or off-limits to discuss in our sessions.
Our spiritual therapists bring both extensive clinical training and personal understanding of the spiritual journey, offering guidance that's both professionally sound and deeply honoring of your path. Whether you join us in person in El Dorado Hills (near Folsom and Sacramento), San Francisco, San Anselmo, or work with us online, you'll find a safe space to explore, heal, and grow.
How Do I Find a Spiritual Therapist?
If you’re looking for psychospiritual therapy, it's important to work with a licensed mental health professional who has additional training and experience in spiritual or transpersonal approaches. All of our therapists at The Holistic Counseling Center are licensed to practice psychotherapy and have extensive training in both clinical modalities and spiritual healing approaches.
Before choosing a spiritual therapist, there are a few things to consider:
Make sure that the spiritual therapist is a certified and qualified professional with experience. Licenses can include: AMFT, LMFT, LPCC, APCC, ACSW, LCSW.
Make sure that their spiritual support and orientation is compatible with your beliefs and expectations. It's totally okay to ask your potential new therapist how they work with your particular spiritual and/or religious beliefs to make sure you feel comfortable working together.
Their experience with the specific concerns you're facing.
Their approach to spirituality and whether it resonates with you.
Your comfort level and sense of trust with them.
Decide if you are looking for an in-person therapist, or open to online therapy.
Getting Started With Spiritual Therapy
If you're feeling called to explore spiritual therapy, we'd love to support you! At The Holistic Counseling Center, we offer both in-person and online spiritual therapy with therapists who bring depth, compassion, and expertise to this sacred work.
Spiritual Therapy In-Person and Online
If you are in California we’d love to work with you in-person! We are accepting new clients for in-person spiritual counseling in San Francisco, San Anselmo and El Dorado Hills. We also offer virtual therapy! You can book a consultation call HERE to learn more about working with us.
If you are outside of California, you can begin your journey to finding a spiritual therapist by researching "spiritual therapist near me" online, or by asking family or friends for referrals if they have had positive experiences with a spiritual therapist in your area.
Taking the first step is simple:
Schedule a Free Consultation Call: During this 15-minute conversation, we'll listen to what's bringing you to therapy, answer any questions, and help determine if spiritual therapy is right for you.
Match With the Right Therapist: Based on your needs, preferences, and scheduling requirements, we'll connect you with a therapist who can best support your unique journey.
Begin Your Healing Journey: In your first session, you'll have the opportunity to share your story, explore your goals, and begin developing a personalized approach to your healing and growth.
Remember, healing is not about "fixing" yourself, because you are not broken. What's broken is hustle culture, a society that views mental health as separate from our spiritual life, and an obsession with independence over interdependence.
The truth is: there has never been anyone in existence exactly like you, with your unique combination of strengths, challenges, insights, purpose, and potential. Spiritual therapy is about discovering and honoring that uniqueness, helping you come home to your authentic self and create a life aligned with your deepest truth.
Takeaway
Spiritual therapy isn't just about symptom relief, it's about remembering who you truly are. By addressing your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual layers, this therapeutic approach honors the wide range of your human experience and your innate capacity for healing and transformation. Whether you're exploring the deeper meaning of anxiety, navigating a spiritual awakening, or simply craving a more soul-centered approach to therapy, spiritual therapy creates space for all parts of you to be seen, held, and supported. You don't have to heal alone. If you're feeling the nudge, the quiet inner call to go deeper, we're here.
Book a free consultation call to take the next step toward healing, connection, and lasting change.
References
Miller, L. (2021). The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life. Random House.
Mueller, P. S., Plevak, D. J., & Rummans, T. A. (2001). Religious involvement, spirituality, and medicine: Implications for clinical practice. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 76(12), 1225-1235.
Rosmarin, D. H., & Koenig, H. G. (Eds.). (2020). Handbook of Spirituality, Religion, and Mental Health (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
Underwood, L. G., & Teresi, J. A. (2002). The daily spiritual experience scale: Development, theoretical description, reliability, exploratory factor analysis, and preliminary construct validity using health-related data. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24(1), 22-33.
VanderWeele, T. J., Li, S., Tsai, A. C., & Kawachi, I. (2016). Association between religious service attendance and lower suicide rates among US women. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(8), 845-851.
About the Author
Kim Burris, LMFT is a licensed holistic psychotherapist, founder of The Holistic Counseling Center, and author of 'The First 90 Days After Birth.'
She honors the mind, body, spirit connection and offers evidence-based psychotherapy with a psychospiritual approach that helps people find relief from anxiety and self-sabotage so they can live life with more joy, freedom and ease.
Kim and her team currently offer holistic counseling to individuals in Marin County, San Francisco, El Dorado Hills and online. Click HERE to book a no-cost consultation call to learn more about working together..
