So much has been taken, tainted, lost or forgotten.
This is an evolving area of focus in my therapy practice. I do not claim to be an expert or have all of the answers. This offering is for those who wish to include spirituality as part of their mental health journey.
As a disclaimer: I am limited in my scope and my approach as a cis-het white woman of Czech & Irish heritage who was raised Catholic. I believe it is important for folks to connect with sources of spiritual wisdom, guidance, and community rooted in their specific lineage(s), heritage(s), and practice(s). And, my offering of holding space for people reclaiming spiritual practice is in many ways, a response (and a rejection) of how we are often taught to keep spirit out of therapy sessions.
With that said, another disclaimer: what I offer, is not rooted in any specific religious tradition or practice. I was raised Catholic and it is one aspect of my identity that does inform (for better or for worse) the work that I do. I am most knowledgeable about Catholicism, having been raised in Catholic schools by two Catholic school teachers. While it is impossible to separate my orientation around spiritual practice entirely from the religion in which I was raised, I care deeply about ensuring I am not perpetuating further coercion, domination, and colonization as a white, cis-het, Christian settler.
In recent years, I have wandered on my own journey of reconnecting and reclaiming spiritual practices that reject white supremacy, that reject transphobia, and homophobia, and classism, and colonialism, and racism, and sexism, and ableism. And I feel called to walk with others who seek to do the same. I am here to support people as they unlearn harmful religious indoctrination and begin to heal from religious trauma. I am here to support people as they (re)connect with ancestral practices rooted in relationship & reciprocity with the land, with each other, with themselves, and with spirit, in loving, heart-centered, and culturally-appropriate ways.
I am here to acknowledge the harms that organized religions have caused. I feel particularly called to help folks unpack the ways Catholicism and Christianity have been violently intertwined with white supremacy and colonization. I have found it healing to learn more about my ancestral traditions, and to learn about ways spiritual practice goes beyond religion (and perhaps still found within it, though that is for each person to discern & decide).
I say this all to say, reclaiming spiritual practice can and may look very different, based on each person’s social location, form(s) of marginalization, and lived experiences. There is no one right way to do this work (though there are many harmful and dangerous ways to do it). I am here for folks who are looking to strengthen their mental health through spiritual practice(s). And as I said before, I do not have all of the answers. I do have a lot of questions. And I am here to support those on the journey of reclaiming spiritual connection.