As a Christian therapist in Nashville, TN specializing in trauma and OCD, I’ve walked alongside many individuals whose spirituality and faith communities have been a source of deep hope—and deep hurt.

Spirituality and religion can be incredibly healing. For many, their faith provides meaning, resilience, connection, and comfort in times of distress. Research even supports the idea that spiritual beliefs can be protective factors in mental health and recovery from trauma. However, not all spiritual experiences are created equal. There is a shadow side to spirituality and religion that, when distorted, can lead to pain, shame, disconnection, and even trauma.

In this post, I want to explore what unhealthy spirituality looks like, how it can impact our mental health, and how therapy can support a healthier, more integrated relationship with faith.

As a licensed therapist in Nashville, TN, I’m seeing more people looking to AI like ChatGPT as a therapeutic tool. But, is that healthy or helpful?

The short answer? Maybe—but it’s not therapy.

Funny enough, it wasn’t until years after completing a graduate-level course in the assessment of psychological disorders—and after becoming a licensed clinical social worker— and after quite a bit of therapy—that I began to realize I was experiencing what’s known as scrupulosity, or religious OCD. For a long time, I genuinely believed I was simply being faithful to my Christian convictions. Looking back, it’s no surprise—religious OCD is known for clouding insight, making it incredibly hard to distinguish devotion from obsessional doubt and compulsion.

It was only as I began working more with clients who had OCD, and started specializing in it myself, that I recognized the signs of religious OCD in my own life.