Religious & Spiritual Transitions

So, you’re thinking of changing your religion, or faith, or spirituality in some way.

Maybe you are trying to leave a religious community that no longer feels safe or supportive for you—or never did. If this is the case, you may want to also look at my page on religious trauma. Perhaps you feel like you’ve lost the plot of the spiritual story in which you find yourself, and you are questioning which way to go.

Maybe you’ve become curious about a different path than the one you’ve been on…you’re already learning and questioning and feeling a deep pull toward something new. Or you’ve already made a significant conversion and are having second thoughts. It hasn’t turned out to be what you expected…or you’ve changed, too, and your choice no longer fits.

It could be that an interfaith relationship is drawing you toward considering options that never previously crossed your mind. You may be asking yourself if you’re considering this for “the right” reasons. What are “right” or “wrong” reasons to convert, anyway? You might be feeling pressure to make a choice you’re not confident is a good one for you.

Perhaps you are about to take religious vows that represent a profound commitment and want to feel more at peace with your discernment process. Maybe you are trying to recover from painful experiences of moral injury.

Whatever may be happening for you on your path, you do have the freedom and right to determine your beliefs and/or practices, even if your current context is not supportive.

Any kind of conversion or spiritual transition can be exciting and inspiring. It can also generate some anxiety and fear about the unknown, and the unknowable. You may find yourself asking a lot of questions without easy, obvious answers.

I know this terrain extremely well. I have deep, lived experience of spiritual exploration/transition and religious conversion. I converted to Islam in 2004 after almost ten years of contemplation, study, and questioning. Conversion and spiritual transitions were also major areas of research for me in one of my graduate programs, and a focus of my work as a professional researcher after graduation.

I have made a lifelong practice of being spiritually open, flexible, and curious. I am not afraid to explore these questions with you. I am prepared to support you as you confront profound moral, existential, and spiritual concerns.

With my expertise, I can help you:

• Explore your discernment process

• Make sense of a new or changing identity

• Navigate relationships with members of your former religious/spiritual community, or your new one

• Learn how to accept uncertainty

• Understand what spirituality means for you

• Cope with conflict and estrangement related to your spiritual path

I have helped many clients with concerns like yours, and I would like to help you as you write the next chapter of your spiritual narrative.

If you feel drawn to working with someone who can hold considerable space for these kinds of questions in therapy, please contact me today for your free and confidential 20-minute video consultation.