9/22/20151 Finding Your Spiritual Path Well-being, Spiritual Potential, and the Search for Meaning

9/22/20152 Questions About Spirituality  What characterizes a “successful” life?  How much fulfillment should you have in your life?  What things give meaning to life?  What goals give meaning to your life?  Does human life have any transcending purpose?  What determines the quality of our lives?

9/22/20153 Questions about our Spirituality  What are the tools and techniques that are necessary to develop our own level of spiritual health?  Are there discernible steps or stages along the way that indicate attainment of a positive direction in the development of our spiritual nature?  Do all people progress through those same steps?

9/22/20154 Definiton of Spirituality Optimal spiritual health may be considered as the ability to develop our spiritual nature to its fullest potential. This would include our ability to discover and articulate our own basic purpose in life, learn how to experience love, joy, peace and fulfillment, and how to help ourselves and others achieve their full potential.

9/22/20155 Definitions of Spirituality  A process of learning about oneself and one’s personal value system and applying this knowledge to the pursuit of one’s meaningful purpose in life.

9/22/20156 Spiritual Health  Calls for connectedness, harmony within the self, with others, with nature, and (for many) with the Ultimate Other or higher power.  Encourages a balance among all aspects of our personal lives, love, compassion, tolerance and respect for all of creation: human and non-human, organic and inorganic.

9/22/20157 Distinguishing Between a Spiritual and Religious Nature  Victor Frankl: Spirituality does not have a religious connotation, but refers specifically to the human dimension.  Spirituality is a living process of learning about oneself, unlike “being religious” in which this process is shared with others in an organized fashion, sometimes even to the point of creating an addiction to that religion.

9/22/20158 Spirituality/Religion  Religion is a specific dogma, an active application of a specific set of organized rules and guidelines based upon the ideology of the human spirit.  A person can be very spiritual yet not religious.  A person can be very religious but have a poor awareness of his or her own spirituality.

9/22/20159 What is the Meaning & Purpose of Life?

9/22/ Meaning & Purpose in Life  A specific meaning for each individual at a particular moment in time.  Accomplishment of goals.  Experience of deep values.  Personal suffering or loss in which one turns personal tragedy into triumph.

9/22/ The Purpose of Life  To serve others  To make an original contribution to mankind  To serve God  To maximize personal pleasure  To attain personal security  To feel valuable  To actualize human potential  To live a full life

9/22/ The Human Spirit  Integration of three facets: 1. An insightful relationship with oneself and others 2. A Strong personal value system 3. A meaningful purpose to one’s life

9/22/ Personal Spiritual Relationship  Ability to be honest with oneself regarding feelings, attitudes, and self-perceptions.  Self-reliance, self-efficacy, self- esteem, self-acceptance, and self- love.  Activities of solitude, meditation, reflection, or prayer (all promote resolution of inner conflict and decrease perceptions of stress).

9/22/ External Spiritual Relationships  One’s attitude and behavior toward all individuals  Open tolerance & acceptance of other people’s opinions, beliefs, and values  Forgiving attitude toward others for behavior which may appear different or inconsistent with one’s own ideals.  Built on connectedness, community

9/22/ Healthy Spirituality Spiritual health calls for:  Connectedness  Harmony within the self, others, nature and/or a higher power  A balance between all aspects of our personal lives, love, compassion, tolerance, and respect for all of creation

9/22/ Spiritual Enlightenment  Optimism  Connectedness  Compassion/love  Forgiveness  Humility  Insight  Community

9/22/ Roadblocks to Spiritual Health  Stress  Fear/Anger  Greed/Laziness  Negative Values  Unresolved Value Conflict  Immaturity/Underdevelopment  Hopelessness/Helplessness  Pessimism  Guilt/Worry

9/22/ Wounded Spirituality  mental: depression, anxiety, panic, addictions, compulsivity, pessimism  Emotional: grief, loss, fear, shame, low self-esteem, rage, anger, worry guilt  Victim role: feeling helpless, powerless, unable to take risks, make choices or take actions  Co-dependency: over-control or approval seeking

9/22/ Wounded Spirituality  Sudden loss of hope  Sudden loss of courage  Sudden Feelings of helplessness  Sudden despair  Sudden loneliness/isolation

9/22/ Causes of Wounded Spirituality  Dysfunctional family of origin  Negative or unhealthy childhood messages  Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

9/22/ What are some ways you might nurture your spiritual growth?

9/22/ Find Your Spiritual Path  Love  forgiving  passion  relationships  change

9/22/ Finding Your Spiritual Path  Attention  Compassion  Forgiveness  Meditation

Get Connected to Others  Isolated and lonely people die earlier  Friendships enrich our self-esteem and give comfort  Social support is one of the best ways of staying balanced 9/22/201524

Get Connected With Others  Develop rituals  Be more romantic  Plan time with friends and relatives  Look for opportunities to touch  Connect with family in little ways  Build a support network  Be with positive people 9/22/201525

Connecting to the Big Picture  Orient around your values: living with integrity  Develop your spirituality  Find your passion  Develop meaning and purpose 9/22/201526

9/22/ Attaining Spiritual Wholeness  Seek treatment  identify unhealthy childhood messages  learn skills of empowerment  use tools for creating self esteem  create a balanced lifestyle

9/22/ Keys to Spiritual Healing  Improve your Self Esteem  Develop intimacy with another person  Create a sense of purpose in your life  Practice mindfulness (the present moment)  Improve your sensual awareness

9/22/ Essentials for Creating Spiritual Balance  Worship  Meditation  Journaling  Singing  Exercise  Therapy  Massage  Meaningful work  Mindfulness  Group support  Meaningful relationships  Yoga/tai chi  Music  Self-help books  Lifestyle practices  Volunteering  Hobbies  Art  Get a pet  forgiveness

9/22/ Ways to Remove Roadblocks to Spirituality  Journal Writing  Yoga/Tai Chi  Meditation  Social Support  Value Assessment/Values Clarification

9/22/ Develop an Attitude of  Tolerance  Forgiveness  Patience  Sympathy  Compassion  Gratitude  humility

9/22/ Spirituality Research  The Power of Prayer & Health (Larry Dossey)  Relaxation Response: Herbert Benson  Victor Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning  Scott Peck: A Road Less Traveled  Dean Ornish: Love & Survival

9/22/ What Would Your Life Look Like if it were Spiritually Healthier?

9/22/ Community Spirituality  Individuals know that others will help them in time of need and that the community provides resources for physical, mental, spiritual support during these times.