Reclaiming Your Spiritual Identity
Meredith Kilgore
Spiritual Health Director
After a painful or confusing experience with religion, many people are left wondering what to do with the parts of themselves that still long for meaning, connection, or something bigger than themselves. You may have walked away from a specific belief system, but that doesn’t mean you’ve stopped asking questions about purpose, values, or what it means to feel grounded.
This is the heart of spiritual identity. Not what you were taught to believe, but what you’re learning to believe now. Not what others told you to do, but what feels true, safe, and meaningful to you.
Reclaiming your spiritual identity is not about returning to old beliefs. It’s about discovering what belongs to you now.
You Get to Decide What Spirituality Means
For some people, reclaiming their spiritual identity means reconnecting with rituals or values they lost touch with. For others, it means finding language or practices that have nothing to do with the tradition they grew up in. And for many, it means letting go of religious identity altogether while still tending to the deeper questions of life with curiosity and care.
You don’t have to label it. You don’t have to make it fit into a box. You just have to stay open to what resonates with you.
Spirituality might show up in:
Mindfulness or breath practices
Time spent in nature
Artistic or creative work
Community or acts of service
Moments of stillness, reflection, or awe
There’s no one right way to be spiritual. The path is yours.
Untangling What Was Yours From What Wasn’t
If you grew up in a faith tradition that felt rigid, fear-based, or harmful, it can be hard to separate your personal values from what was imposed on you. Sometimes even the words (God, prayer, church, sacred) can feel loaded or painful.
In therapy, you can begin to sort through the difference between inherited beliefs and chosen ones. You can ask questions, name what you no longer believe, and notice what you might want to keep or reinterpret. There is space here for grief, confusion, and discovery.
This Is Your Journey
Reclaiming your spiritual identity doesn’t follow a linear path. It can feel empowering one day and disorienting the next. That’s normal. This work is tender and personal, and it often brings up layers of emotion. Grief, anger, longing, hope.
Our role as therapists is not to give you answers. It’s to hold space while you find your own.
Whether you’re rebuilding a relationship with faith, finding peace outside of it, or simply trying to understand what feels authentic now, we’re here to support you in that process.
We Are Here For You
At Nashville Therapy Group, our team of clinicians is here to help you work through what’s hard and move toward meaningful change. Connect with us today to get started. We’d be honored to help you heal.
