06/08/2026
𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑼𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯 𝑴𝑬𝑬𝑻
This is something I've wanted to talk about for a while.
Not just as someone who works with people...
But as someone who's lived it.
During my time in the Army, I resisted seeking help for my own mental health for a long time.
Partly because of the stigma that still surrounded mental health.
I also watched people around me carry that same fear.
People who were struggling...
But worried that asking for help or taking medication would somehow be seen as weakness.
Years later, working with people in a spiritual setting, I've encountered a different kind of stigma.
I've had clients tell me they're afraid to start medication because they've been told it will block their intuition...
- Disconnect them from Spirit...
- Or take away their gifts.
I've even had people tell me that someone who is genuinely spiritual shouldn't take medication.
Personally, I think that's one of the most harmful messages we can give someone.
Today, I'm open about the fact that I take medication for my mental health and my ADHD.
Not because it "fixed" me...
But because it became one of the tools that helped me function more effectively, think more clearly, and continue doing the deeper work on myself.
It hasn't made me any less compassionate.
It hasn't taken away my intuition.
And it certainly hasn't stopped me from doing the work I'm passionate about.
Over the years, I've also had many conversations with clients about medication.
Not as a doctor.
Not as a psychologist.
Simply as someone who's walked a similar path.
One thing I've noticed is that people often talk about medication as though it's all the same.
It isn't.
Sometimes the first medication isn't the right fit.
- Sometimes the dosage needs adjusting.
- Sometimes another approach works better.
- Those are conversations to have with your
doctor or treating team.
But I think it's important to remember that one difficult experience doesn't mean every option will be the same.
Finding the right support can sometimes take time.
And there's no shame in that.
Do I believe there can be a spiritual aspect to mental health?
Absolutely.
- Our experiences...
- Our beliefs...
- Our relationships...
- Our trauma...
- Our sense of purpose and connection...
All of these can influence how we experience the world.
Sometimes healing comes through self-reflection.
- Sometimes through meditation.
- Through nature.
- Through ritual or spiritual practice.
- Through difficult conversations.
- Through learning to reconnect with ourselves.
But that doesn't mean medication has no place.
Sometimes healing also comes through doctors.
- Through psychologists.
- Through counsellors.
- Through psychiatrists.
- Through medication that helps quiet the storm long enough for someone to actually begin the deeper work.
I don't see spirituality and modern medicine as enemies.
I see them as different tools.
If someone broke their leg, we wouldn't tell them to meditate until the bone healed.
We'd set the bone...
And then support the healing.
For some people, mental health deserves that same compassion.
Needing medication doesn't make you weak.
It doesn't make you less spiritual.
It doesn't mean you've failed.
And it certainly doesn't mean you've lost your gifts.
If anything, when someone is no longer overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, trauma, or the constant noise of their own mind, they're often in a far better place to reconnect with themselves and whatever spirituality means to them.
Perhaps true wisdom isn't found in rejecting one path in favour of another...
Perhaps it's found in having the humility to recognise when each has something valuable to offer.
I don't believe spirituality and science have to compete.
I believe they can complement one another.
Each offers something different.
Each helps us understand ourselves in different ways.
There's no shame in seeking help.
Whether that help comes from a therapist...
- A trusted friend...
- A spiritual practice...
- A prescription...
Or, in many cases, a combination of them all.
Just as we don't expect one healing modality to meet every need we have, we shouldn't expect one approach to healing our mental health either. Sometimes healing asks us to draw on more than one source of support, and that's okay.
Because healing rarely happens because of one thing alone.
Sometimes the strongest thing we can do isn't choosing between science and spirituality...
It's allowing both to help us heal.
Healing isn't a competition.
It's a journey.
And if sharing my own experience helps even one person let go of the fear or shame around asking for help, then it's a conversation worth having.
If our beliefs ever convince us to avoid seeking the help we genuinely need...
Perhaps it's worth asking whether those beliefs are supporting our healing...
Or simply becoming another obstacle to it.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever felt pressure to choose between your beliefs and getting the help you needed?
