Lost Faith and Wandering Souls

A Psychology of Disillusionment, Mourning, and the Return of Hope

David Morris

A psychologically rich exploration of faith loss and spiritual reconstruction in an age of religious disaffiliation.

In Lost Faith and Wandering Souls, religion scholar David Morris offers a psychologically informed investigation of the widespread religious disillusionment shaping contemporary spiritual life. Drawing from psychoanalytic theory, developmental psychology, and sociological research, Morris argues that faith loss should be understood not as mere rebellion or deconversion, but as a profound experience of mourning and moving forward.

The book’s first section engages foundational thinkers—Freud, Erikson, Klein, Winnicott—and reframes religious disaffection through concepts such as transitional space, object loss, and the depressive position. The second section applies this theoretical framework to contemporary spiritual memoirs. Through authors such as Kate Young Caley, Diana Butler Bass, and Randall Balmer, Morris identifies a recurring pattern: withdrawal, disorientation, creative reconstruction, and eventual reengagement with new forms of spiritual meaning.

By examining the psychic and social dynamics of faith disruption, Morris demonstrates that healing requires more than intellectual reassessment—it calls for emotional integration and the cultivation of imaginative play.

With clarity and compassion, Lost Faith and Wandering Souls helps readers name their disillusionment and grieve their losses with agency, creativity, and a sense of belonging. This is essential reading for scholars, clergy, therapists, and spiritual seekers navigating the complex terrain of post-religious life.

Themes: Healing & Wholeness | Mental Health | Identity & Belonging

Recommended by David Morris

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