Support & Community
Find understanding, connection, and a next step that feels right for you.
Some experiences change our lives in ways we never expected. Whether you are integrating a spiritual experience, grieving someone you love, recovering from abuse, exploring your identity, or looking for help with addiction, you deserve support that respects your dignity and your individual needs.
This collection brings together places to find community, practical resources, and professional support. You do not need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
Need help right now?
If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a medical emergency, contact your local emergency services.
In the United States and its territories, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline supports people experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress. Call 988, text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/chat/.
Most crisis and abuse resources below serve the United States. Other organizations offer international or online support; check each website for eligibility and availability.
Spiritual Experiences & Integration
A near-death experience, spiritual awakening, or another profound experience can bring comfort, questions, and changes that take time to understand. These organizations offer opportunities to learn, connect, and find support.
IANDS — International Association for Near-Death Studies
Education, research, and supportive communities for people who have had near-death and related experiences, their loved ones, and those interested in learning more.
Explore IANDS · Find groups and online gatherings · Find a local group
ACISTE — American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences
Resources for understanding and integrating spiritually transformative experiences, with directories of mental health professionals, spiritual guidance counselors, coaches, and support groups.
Explore ACISTE · Find integration support
Spiritual Awakenings International
Educational events and experiencer sharing circles for people exploring spiritual awakenings and other spiritually transformative experiences.
Explore Spiritual Awakenings International
Spiritual Emergence Network — USA
A referral directory of professionals who work with spiritual emergence and the challenges that can accompany profound changes in awareness.
Explore the Spiritual Emergence Network directory
Find a Supportive Professional
Finding someone who can listen openly while helping you care for your everyday well-being can make a meaningful difference.
IANDS Mental Health Provider List
Find licensed mental health providers prepared to work with people who have had near-death or related transpersonal experiences. Listings include location, services, and payment information.
Find an IANDS-listed mental health provider
IMHU Spiritual Emergence Coach® Directory
Find coaches trained to support people navigating intense spiritual experiences and integration. Some coaches also hold professional mental health licenses; coaching certification itself is not a clinical license.
Find an IMHU Spiritual Emergence Coach®
Before choosing a provider, ask about their qualifications, experience, fees, confidentiality, and ability to work with someone in your location.
Grief & Life After Loss
Grief does not require a particular belief or a timetable. These resources offer different approaches to finding support while carrying your relationship with someone who has died.
Grief 2 Growth
Brian Smith offers grief guidance, coaching, and resources that include spiritual exploration and questions about meaning after loss.
The Compassionate Friends
Peer support for families grieving the death of a child of any age, including support for parents, siblings, and grandparents. Offers local chapters and online communities.
Find support through The Compassionate Friends
Dougy Center
Grief resources for children, teens, young adults, parents, and caregivers, along with information about finding grief support.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention — Suicide Loss Support Groups
A directory of U.S. and international bereavement groups for people who have lost someone to suicide. These groups offer ongoing loss support rather than emergency crisis care.
Find a suicide loss support group
Sexual Assault, Relationship Abuse & Childhood Trauma
You deserve safety, respect, and support. Harm done to you is not your fault, and seeking help does not require you to minimize what happened or explain it perfectly.
RAINN — Sexual Assault Support
Support for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, as well as loved ones seeking guidance. RAINN offers a national hotline, online support, and referrals to local resources.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Support for people experiencing relationship abuse, including physical violence and controlling behavior. Find advocates, safety-planning information, and connections to local services.
Explore relationship abuse support
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
Support for anyone affected by or concerned about child abuse or neglect. Counselors offer guidance and resources, and the website links to state reporting contacts. Childhelp is not itself an abuse-reporting line or emergency service.
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse — ASCA
A self-help support-group program for adults who experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect in childhood. Offers meetings and recovery materials; it does not provide crisis counseling.
Explore ASCA support and resources
If someone monitors your devices, consider using a safer device when seeking support.
Alcohol, Drugs & Recovery
There are different paths to recovery. These resources include treatment referrals, peer communities, and support for family members affected by another person’s substance use.
FindTreatment.gov
A U.S. treatment locator for substance use and mental health services.
SMART Recovery
Recovery meetings and practical tools for changing addictive behaviors, with additional support for family members and friends.
Alcoholics Anonymous — AA
Find local AA resources and information about in-person and online meetings for people seeking recovery from alcohol problems.
Narcotics Anonymous — NA
A peer recovery community with meeting resources for people seeking support with drug addiction.
Support for people affected by someone else’s drinking, including resources and meetings for teens.
LGBTQ+ Support & Belonging
You deserve support that respects your identity, relationships, and right to belong. These resources offer opportunities for connection, information, and understanding.
PFLAG
Support, education, and community for LGBTQ+ people, families, and allies through local chapters, virtual meetings, and other resources.
LGBT National Help Center
Peer support, online conversations, and community resources, including programs for young people, older adults, and people exploring coming out. Check the website for current service hours.
For suicidal thoughts or acute emotional distress in the United States, the 988 resource at the top of this page is available to LGBTQ+ people of all ages.
Alien, UFO/UAP & Other Unusual Experiences
Some people describe experiences involving apparent nonhuman beings, UFOs/UAPs, or other events that are difficult to explain. Finding someone who listens respectfully can help you explore their impact without pressure to adopt a particular interpretation.
OPUS — Organization for Paranormal Understanding and Support
Offers peer support and connections to providers for people reporting unusual or anomalous experiences, including apparent nonhuman encounters and UFO/UAP-related experiences.
You can seek support for how an experience has affected you while remaining uncertain about its cause. If it is disrupting sleep, relationships, or everyday functioning, consider professional support alongside peer connection.
A Place to Share with Angela
Living Toward Love — Monthly Spiritual Experience Circle
Join Angela Rose Harris for a welcoming online gathering to explore spiritual experiences, reflect on their meaning, and consider how they can enrich everyday life. You may share, listen, or pass at any time. Different beliefs and interpretations are welcome.
First Sunday of each month · 3:30–5:00 p.m. Eastern Time · Online
This circle offers community and reflection; it is not a crisis service or a substitute for professional care.
Choosing the Support That Fits You
This page is a starting point, not an exhaustive directory or a guarantee of any organization’s services. Peer groups, coaching, and licensed clinical care offer different kinds of support. Check each organization’s current availability, fees, eligibility, and privacy policies.
You are allowed to ask questions, set boundaries, and look elsewhere if a service does not feel like a good fit. You deserve care that makes room for your experience and respects your choices.