Believing in a “higher power”

The following is an excerpt from page 39 of “The Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Workbook: Practice DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance” (2007) M. McKay, J.C. Wood, J.

Brantley.

“Whether you believe in God, many gods, a divine universe or the goodness that exists within

each human being, having faith in something bigger and more powerful than yourself can often make you feel empowered, safe and calm. This is what people mean when they talk about believing in a “higher power” or seeing “the big picture” in life. Believing in something divine, holy, or special can help you endure stressful situations as well as help you soothe yourself.

At some point in life, we all feel hopeless or powerless. We’ve all experienced unfortunate

situations during which we felt alone and needed strength. Sometimes unexpected

circumstances hurt us or the people we care about. These situations often include being the

victim of a crime, getting into an accident, having someone close to us die, or being diagnosed with a serious illness. Having faith in something special during times like these can often help you to feel connected to a bigger purpose in life. And remember your faith doesn’t have to involve God if that’s not what you believe in. Some people only put their faith in the goodness of people they love. Yet basic beliefs like these are often powerful enough to help people find the strength and comfort to lead happy, healthy, lives.

While you are exploring your spirituality, remember that your spiritual beliefs can change over

time. Sometimes a person is raised in a spiritual tradition that no longer makes sense or feels

helpful. Yet despite these feelings, a person will sometimes continue to attend the services of

that tradition because he or she thinks “its the right thing to do”. The truth is, if your spiritual

tradition is no longer giving you peace and strength, it’s ok to reexamine that faith and to

change traditions if necessary.”

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