Members of our faith community – whether in leadership positions or in the pews with us – play key roles in nurturing our spiritual growth.  We look to such persons as models in the ways we develop our relationship with God.

Being neurodivergent can present challenges to how we connect with our faith, how we connect with others, and how we connect with God. 

Ideally, our mentors in faith and spiritual directors will seek to understand our processing and relationship style in such a way that we learn to thrive exactly as we are.

Yet, our neurodivergent needs are not always obvious to others in terms of how we process and relate to our faith.  What is widely accepted as “good practice” by the majority may simply not work for neurodivergent people.

Sometimes, we do not even realize ourselves what we need – only that things don’t seem to fit, and we’re not sure why.

Many of us feel disconnected from God, our faith, and the Church. We may also experience a sense of spiritual impostor syndrome: that is, we may find it difficult (if not impossible) to be authentic before God when we have been repeatedly – and incorrectly – told that our way of being is not proper or acceptable. Knowingly or unknowingly, we may have lifelong habits of masking in order to be accepted. How do we reconcile this with the idea that God loves us unconditionally, and that He designed us to be as we are? Which “self” does God love: Our authentic, messy, needy, unmasked self? Or do we have to suppress all that in order for God to love us, too?

Neurodivergent burnout is also a very real problem facing many individuals. This, too, has repercussions in the spiritual life. So does past trauma. Oftentimes, healing is needed before spiritual growth can begin. This point is unfortunately often overlooked by many well-intentioned people who simply do not know the extent of the impact of being neurodivergent.

Finally, there are many questions surrounding the spiritual needs of individuals whose speech is limited, who require more global neurological support, and those needing frequent or constant co-regulation from others.

None of these need be obstacles to spiritual growth; in fact, it is essential for people regarded as having high support needs to realize their value to the Body of Christ: the scope, validity and potential of their contributions to the community, their capability as fellow disciples, and their belovedness by God. We are glad to help facilitate this connection in any way that is mutually accessible.