Reflections on Spirituality and well-being

I used to not know what spirituality meant in my life and still I wonder, although I have had a long standing interest in religion for many years since studying Philosophy and Theology at Heythrop College, University of London. This was an unusual college where Jesuit priests were trained and at first I thought that I would never make any friends there. I did and had a lot of fun whilst receiving the toughest and most influential education. On reflection, it was tough trying to understand the mindsets of ancient male philosophers, but this enabled me to see the slightest loophole in any argument. Then, training in psychotherapy and reversing intellectual debate into sensitive emotional communication and exchange was a challenge which I managed to overcome through personal analysis.

Encountering spirituality may lead to a variety of religious experiences, which would be fascinating to learn more about in therapy. It is proposed that there are ten possible kinds of Spirituality & Spiritual Practices, which we can explore in 2024. It is fascinating perhaps to think why religious congregations may be declining amidst secularism, for a plethora of reasons. However, over the last ten years, individuals’ interest in a variety of spiritualities has increased substantially. Alongside the increase in interest has been a creation of wide-ranging information on this topic. Perhaps, as through history, people are looking for a sense of belonging at a time when life is tough. Religion originates from groups of humans socializing together with a common belief or value, becoming the binding force of the development of religion (religare = to bind together).

The range of choices of spiritualities makes it more tricky to know which spiritual path reaps the most fruit, if you like. It can be daunting to know where to start with our spiritual well-being. I can relate to this seeming unapproachable mountain of a topic, to me it’s understandable.. Spirituality is a multifaceted topic, one that I will try and shed some light on in this article. Let’s start by considering what spirituality means.

What Is Spirituality?

I think that everyone’s definition would define something of their personal perspective on spirituality. It could be said that spirituality is the place within yourselves where your soul can find a sense of peace. Interestingly, it’s a concept completely liberated from any rules, institutions or hierarchy, dedicated to the human soul. W can all define it, within reason (?). Additionally, we could say that spirituality is a personal experience that creates a system of personal beliefs when searching for purpose and meaning in life. It stands for something greater in life than the physical or material world, a presence beyond humanity, which whether real or imagined helps to put ourselves into perspective and have higher collective aims perhaps. I think also that spirituality paves a way to dealing with everyday challenges in life and connecting with something bigger than ourselves.

Being spiritual will mean different things to different people. For some, spirituality can be related to religion and even higher power. For others, it can be a non-religious experience such as connecting with nature, art, yoga, meditation, etc.