18 Interviews With People Who've Been Helped By Religion

We have interviewed 18 people who have overcome struggles with the help of religion. These stories show that religion and faith are some of the most powerful ways to overcome struggles of mental health.

Most recent stories of people helped by religion

Surviving a Workplace Shooting and Navigating PTSD, Insomnia With Marathons and Prayers

Surviving a Workplace Shooting and Navigating PTSD, Insomnia With Marathons and Prayers

April 2, 2024
Helped by: Exercise, Religion, Treatment, Volunteering
How Sobriety, Therapy, and Self-Care Help Me Navigate BPD and Bipolar Disorder Better

How Sobriety, Therapy, and Self-Care Help Me Navigate BPD and Bipolar Disorder Better

March 5, 2024
Helped by: Exercise, Religion, Self-Care, Self-improvement, Social support, Therapy
Overcoming Grief and Assault With 29 Marathons and Now Helping Others Do the Same

Overcoming Grief and Assault With 29 Marathons and Now Helping Others Do the Same

January 25, 2024
Helped by: Exercise, Medication, Religion, Self-Care, Self-improvement

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Are you looking for stories on religion?

I’ve interviewed 18 people who have been helped by religion, and here are the top 5 struggles that these people have overcome:

  1. Depression (11 posts)
  2. Anxiety (9 posts)
  3. Suicidal (6 posts)
  4. Childhood trauma (5 posts)
  5. PTSD (4 posts)

In our many years of publishing helpful mental health content, we always received questions from our readers about specific situations. While we have a lot of helpful tips to share on how to be happier, we simply can’t offer advice for every situation.

That’s why I’ve set out to interview folks with every type of mental health struggle. My job as an interviewer is to categorize these interviews and present them in a way that is most helpful to our readers.

Read all the case studies

Aaron Burros Featured Image

Case studies

Surviving a Workplace Shooting and Navigating PTSD, Insomnia With Marathons and Prayers

“My symptoms began immediately following a workplace shooting on Saturday, November 28, 2015, and were exasperated due to the activity of the company, the criminals, and the cops. The company treated me as if I were a criminal, the criminals attempted to kill me three additional times, and the cops (Houston Police Department Organized Crime Unit) treated me as if I was a thorn in their flesh.”

Struggled with:
Depression
Insomnia
PTSD
Stress

Helped by:
Exercise
Religion
Treatment
Volunteering

Sam Featured Image

Case studies

How Sobriety, Therapy, and Self-Care Help Me Navigate BPD and Bipolar Disorder Better

“I used to have a mindset of: “poor me” – “I’m just a victim” and “none of this is my fault”. Eventually, I knew I had to change that narrative to one of control. I had to take accountability for the things that I could change, and be honest about the things I was doing that were making everything worse.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Depression
Suicidal

Helped by:
Exercise
Religion
Self-Care
Self-improvement

Therapy

Summer Willis Featured Image

Case studies

Overcoming Grief and Assault With 29 Marathons and Now Helping Others Do the Same

“A man spiked my drink and assaulted me, leading to a diagnosis of PTSD and depression. This event fundamentally changed my life, leading me into a violent relationship and a period of repression and struggle. Despite these challenges, life moved on. I got married, and had two beautiful boys, but then faced another intense period of grief, losing seven loved ones in just a few months.”

Struggled with:
Abuse
Assault
Depression
Grief
PTSD

Helped by:
Exercise
Medication
Religion
Self-Care
Self-improvement

Teresa Alesch Featured Image

Case studies

My Lifechanging Cancer Journey and How I Recovered as a Stronger Woman

“What if it could prevent someone else’s journey from taking the destructive twists and turns mine had? What if it could help caregivers and medical providers anticipate the road ahead and help the survivor navigate? What if MY journey could have been a little smoother because I had read or heard about someone else’s journey? Before I knew it, I was on a path to publishing.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Cancer
Grief
Insomnia

Helped by:
Exercise
Medication
Reinventing yourself
Religion
Therapy

Rita Vilhena Featured Image

Case studies

How I Learned to Manage Depression and BPD Through Art and Self-Development

“Do not listen to people who have achieved nothing in life, especially if you are an overachiever and ambitious person, if you have a dream, run after your dream, God has plans for you and he gifted each one of us with something. My gift was in the arts and since I was 14 years old I’ve been after that dream, even if my own family has tried to “cut off” my legs. Fight for your dream, when things are being the hardest and you’re ready to quit, that is when you shouldn’t quit because big things are coming.”

Struggled with:
Borderline Personality Disorder
Bullying
Childhood trauma
Depression
Suicidal

Helped by:
Medication
Religion
Self-Care
Self-improvement
Therapy

Morgan McCarthy Featured Image

Case studies

How Cerebral Palsy Impacts My Mental Health And How I Find Happiness Nonethelss

“At my worst, I would hurt myself so I had an escape and a release. There are points where I feel so out of control in my body that even breathing is a task. I hold my breath. In truth, I have night terrors about what my funeral would be like, who would show up? Would I be missed? Would people come out of the woodwork when I was gone? If I left this body here would I hurt less? I battle every single day with loss. Your mind begins to play tricks on you.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Cerebral palsy
Childhood trauma
Depression
Suicidal

Helped by:
Exercise
Religion

Therapy

Richard Becker Featured Image

Case studies

Navigating a Lifelong Identity Crisis and Finally Finding Happiness in Myself

“I did not have an internal sense of self. It didn’t matter how much I accomplished or how many people I helped. I only measured positive outcomes by how others perceived and recognized me or my actions. The sooner we let go of labels, expectations, or the pain of past experiences, the sooner we will feel joy in our hearts.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Cancer
Childhood trauma
Depression
Identity crisis

Helped by:
Reinventing yourself
Religion
Self-improvement

Krystal Alexander Featured Image 1

Case studies

How I Overcame Persistent Fears & Anxiety With EMDR Therapy and Closeness to Christ

“No matter how much I’d accomplished, because my life wasn’t excelling at the rate that I desired it to, I believed something was wrong with me. I would compare myself to others, and do things I wasn’t interested in or enjoyed, just to be accepted, and in doing so I lost my identity and my ability to be my true authentic self.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Stress

Helped by:
Religion
Self-Care

Therapy