Yes, fans, it's Q & A time again. This time I'm answering a bunch of huge, existential questions and if I really had all the answers I could start my own church or perhaps people would start thinking I'm the Messiah. Which I'm not.
How can spirituality
impact healing and recovery? Are there any studies about this?
First
let’s define spirituality. In my book it’s a felt connection to something Beyond,
to something Higher that transcends our individual little selves. I think it also
means how we view life, where we find meaning, what we believe about pain in
life, what we believe happens when we die. These are spiritual questions and different
religions have different answers.
Our
answers to these spiritual questions greatly impact our healing and recovery.
If we believe that life should be daily candy and unicorns then we’re going to
be pretty pissed when we get a flat tire—or a cancer diagnosis.
But
if we believe that everyone gets some sewage thrown their way and that it’s up
to each of us to find meaning in it then we’re going to have an entirely
different life experience.
And
yes, there are many studies out there and all you have to do is Google
“spirituality and healing” and then settle in with enough food and water for a
year because that’s how long it will take you to read through them all. Studies
are criticized because the bottom line for many science peeps is that human consciousness is derived from the brain, and that
its effects are confined to the brain and body of an individual. So forget
about prayer because anything you do can’t affect me. But studies show prayer
makes a difference.
They
are basically saying, “It’s not possible so why study it?” A little
close-minded, don’t you think?
I don’t practice
any organized religion right now, but I’m feeling the need for a spiritual
element in my life. How do I go about finding out what is right for me? There
are so many practices out there, I’m not sure where to start.
A
good place to start is looking at the spiritual beliefs with which you were
raised and asking yourself where are you with those beliefs now. You may be
surprised to find that your beliefs have changed or even more surprised to find
that they are the same. If you haven’t been raised with any beliefs, then what
resonates with you? Ask yourself
the aforementioned questions:
How
do I view life? What do I think about pain and difficulty in life? What do I
think happens when I die? Where do I find meaning in my life? What do I need to
nurture my spiritual life? A supportive community? Spiritual direction?
Solitude?
Don’t
under estimate the value of a supportive community—a church, a sangha, a temple
community. We love to think that organized religion is a bunch of mindless drones
who all believe the same thing. Ha! Wouldn’t that be so much easier? In fact,
my experience is that it is a group of people who are actively exploring their
spiritual beliefs and seeking to live them out with support from one another.
And it’s not that organized.
More questions next time!
