Faith and Therapy for Service Members: Trauma, Meaning, and Healing

Along with the occasional patron confusing our clinic for a veterinary practice, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern in my work with service members, where some approach therapy almost as if it were a religious practice, while others remain deeply resistant to therapy because of their current faith beliefs.

Either approach can be workable. As I often say in session, my role is not to act as a superior or tell someone how they should feel, but to serve as a guide. I remain mindful of the inherent authority that comes with my role as a clinician, and I continue to strengthen my clinical confidence and boundary-setting so that my actions, not just my words, establish safety and trust within the therapeutic alliance.

That being said, in nearly two years of working with service members, I’ve frequently observed the belief that faith and therapy cannot coexist, that they must remain separate, or that one must take precedence over the other. Yet the stories service members share tell a more complex truth.

Both combat and non-combat military service expose service members to experiences and systems that fundamentally shape how they see themselves, others, and the world. A service member is influenced not only by life before the military, but also by the demands, values, and expectations encountered during service. When layered with trauma, moral injury, loss, and increased responsibility, the internal weight can be immense.

In these moments, faith and spirituality often emerge as grounding tools, ways to orient oneself in a world that can feel chaotic, unpredictable, or morally dissonant. Rather than existing in opposition to therapy, faith can be part of how service members seek stability, meaning, and psychological survival.

Faith and Therapy for Service Members as a Framework for Meaning-Making

For service members who practice a faith and those who do not, there is often a shared viewpoint that trauma and readjustment challenges profoundly disrupt core beliefs about safety, purpose, and identity.

For those with a faith tradition, spirituality can offer language, structure, and community to help process experiences that feel unspeakable. Faith can provide a framework capable of holding grief, anger, guilt, and hope at the same time without forcing resolution before someone is ready.

For some, faith can help answer questions such as:

• How do I live with myself after what I’ve seen or done?

• Who am I now that my service has ended?

• How do I rebuild meaning after loss or injury?

• How do I forgive myself or others who harmed me or left me behind?

• What does team, family, and love look like for me now?

Faith traditions can support this process of meaning-making by helping servicemembers place painful experiences into a broader narrative that includes purpose, values, forgiveness, and service beyond self. When approached with nuance and care, faith does not erase trauma, but it can help contextualize it in ways that support healing and growth.

Growth Without Minimizing Trauma

In my group focused on Military Racial Trauma, I intentionally ground discussions in clear reference points around post-traumatic growth. While faith and religion are not explicitly discussed in the group, my experience across previous clinical settings has shown how faith can meaningfully support post-traumatic growth for some individuals.

Post-traumatic growth does not suggest that trauma was good, necessary, or deserved. Rather, it recognizes that some individuals experience positive psychological shifts alongside pain. This can include rebuilding identity and purpose without denying the reality of suffering, developing deeper compassion and empathy for others, and cultivating a greater appreciation for life.

Faith as a Framework for Emotional Regulation

As individuals begin to rebuild identity and meaning after trauma, regulation of the nervous system becomes a critical part of sustaining growth. Practices such as prayer, meditation, or contemplative reading can help regulate the central nervous system by supporting reflection rather than avoidance during periods of dysregulation.

At the same time, healing does not occur in isolation, and leaving the military often means losing a built-in community and shared mission. Faith communities can sometimes help fill that gap by offering belonging beyond rank or role, social connection during reintegration, and opportunities for service and leadership.

When Faith Becomes a Struggle

While faith and spiritual practices can support regulation, meaning-making, and community, it’s important to recognize that faith is not always a source of comfort after military service. Some service members experience spiritual struggle, moral injury, or what some call “Church Hurt.” These experiences are not failures of faith; rather, they often signal deep moral and psychological injury. Addressing these struggles requires collaborative support from trauma-trained clinicians and spiritually informed leaders to foster a space for healing and reflection.

Faith and Therapy Are Not Opposites

Recognizing the challenges of spiritual struggles and moral injury highlights a common myth in military and faith communities. The myth that seeking therapy reflects weak faith, or that faith alone should be sufficient for healing. However, it is important to recognize that mental health treatment does not replace faith. For many, it provides the safety and support needed to engage with faith more honestly and sustainably, allowing both healing and spiritual growth to coexist.

As a final reminder, whether you are a service member, clinician, or you just so happen to be enticed by the title, understand that you can be:

• Be faithful and need therapy!

• Pray and take medication!

• Seek spiritual guidance and trauma-informed care!