Spirituality can be thought of as the meaning in life that a person gains in relation to something bigger than themselves or “transcendent.” This meaning may or may not come from formal religious traditions (Huguelet et al., 2016; Mizuno et al., 2018). The search for meaning and purpose is central to the human experience. The reality is that spirituality influences our whole selves. When we are in spiritual distress, it negatively affects our mental health—emotions, mind, body, spirit, and relationships. When our mental health is struggling, when we experience mental suffering, it affects our spirituality and we are confronted with existential questions like “what is my purpose?” and “why did this happen?” among other feelings of disconnection and helplessness. (Abu-Raiya et al., 2015; Braam, 2017).
Spirituality is also a very personal thing. Everyone has their own definition. It’s very complex! The above definition is widely understood to encapsulate what spirituality is in general.
When I talk about spiritual well-being and promoting spiritual well-being, I’m talking about a sense of meaning in life and peacefulness, and the sense of strength and comfort from one’s faith (Mizuno et al., 2018). Spirituality has many benefits to our overall health, including inner strength, comfort, peace, lower distress, less anxiety, fewer depressive symptoms, lower risk of suicide, and the ability to cope with debilitating feelings (Lavorato-Neto et al., 2018). I believe spiritual well-being is essential to weathering the storms of life and has the potential to bring us back from the brink of disaster.
What spiritual practices have protected you from distress, illness, relapse? Do you struggle with engaging in spiritual practices? What do they look like for you?
Sources
Abu-Raiya, H., Pargament, K.I., & Exline, J.J. (2015). Understanding and Addressing Religious and Spiritual Struggles in Health Care. Health and Social Work,, 40(4) 126-134. doi: 10.1093/hsw/hlv055
Braam, A.W. (2017). Towards a multidisciplinary guidelines religiousness, spirituality, and psychiatry: what do we need? Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 20(6), 579-588. doi:10.1080/13674676.2017.1377949
Huguelet, P., Mohr, S.M., Olié, E., Vidal, S., Hasler, R., Prada, P., Bancila, M., Courtet, P., Guillaume, S., & Perroud, N. (2016). Spiritual meaning in life and values in patients with severe mental disorder. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(6), 409-414. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000495
Lavorato-Neto, G., Rodrigues, L., Rozendo da Silva, D.A., Turato, E.R., & Campos, C.J.G. (2018). Spirituality review on mental health and psychiatric nursing. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 71(supple 5), 2323-2333. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2016-042
Mizuno, Y., Hofer, A., Frajo-Apor, B., Wartelsteiner, F., Kemmler, G., Pardeller, S., Suzuki, T., Mimura, M., Fleischhacker, W.W., & Uchida, H. (2018). Religiosity and psychological resilience in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: An international cross-sectional study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 137(4), 316-327. https://doi-org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/10.1111/acps.12838
2 responses to “What Do You Mean By spirituality?”
Hi Michelle, thank you again for a beautiful and thought-provoking piece of content!
My own struggle with spirituality relates more to the formal religious tradition that I was forced, by my family and wider community, to observe until I reached adulthood. I was intuitively aware, even as a small child, that I did not believe in God and therefore could not participate in the rites and ceremonies of Roman Catholicism (the denomination of Christianity observed by my family). Although I appreciate and contemplate many teachings in Christianity (as well as other faith traditions such as Hinduism and Islam), agnosticism is kind of a non-starter when it comes to actually observing Christianity or another deity-focused religion.
The intolerance and persecution I experienced throughout my youth because of others’ refusal to accept my agnosticism was very harmful to me. Only now am I realizing how extremely damaging it was for me, as a youth, to be made by others to feel that something was wrong with me, that I was somehow “bad” for simply being true to myself. I still carry the pain and scars of that terrible experience, and to this day I am triggered by attending Catholic-aligned services such as funerals. However, being the ostracized minority also taught me to have compassion for those who are different and afforded me with a valuable outsider perspective. Nevertheless, I regret the harm I sustained and I wish my childhood and adolescence had instead been empowering and supportive.
Today, I still do not observe any spiritual practices. I have done some exploration of contemplative and Indigenous wisdom traditions, and those approaches resonate more with how I have always felt inside. While I don’t engage in practices myself, it is validating to know that other paths exist wherein one can be connected and whole with or without a deity figure or divine being, institutionalized religion, or formalized structure. In the end, we are all the same; we follow different paths based upon what works for our own unique situations, but the ultimate truth is universal and the destination is already known. That sense of safety and diversity is really what best serves my own spirituality!
Mandy, I’m sorry that you carry pain and scars from being forced to observe your family’s religious tradition. The adolescent years are fundamental for developing our identity. They are a time when figuring out whether the principles, values, religious traditions, and customs we learned as a child will continue on or not. You were true to yourself about your beliefs, which I think is very important, in all areas of life. I learned early on that everyone comes from different faith backgrounds and worldviews, and you can’t force others to believe what you believe, although people will try. You were also agnostic when we were in grade 6. I remember asking you, “Where do you go when you die then?” Even back then, my 12-year-old self was very curious about where people go when they die. This shows me that spirituality was always an interest of mine; it just never left!
The word spiritual has historically been associated with religion, religious attendance, and belief in God, however, more recently and through the research I have done on spirituality so far, I can say that spirituality moves beyond religion, which has been my contention! Spirituality is concerned with the meaning in life that someone gets in relation to something bigger than themselves and is quite set apart from religion, although there is some overlap. I believe we all have spirit, regardless of our belief in God, religion, or worldview. Being a human means that you have a spirit, you have a purpose, you are valued, and come from somewhere, that, we really don’t know. Nobody does for sure! Saying this, and knowing you, I would argue that you have spiritual practices. Spiritual practices are self-care activities that facilitate knowledge and self-awareness, for example, reflection, journaling, meditation, relaxation techniques, and listening to music. They are not reserved for believers or religious people; just people!
I agree that people can be and are connected and whole without organized and institutionalized religion and that the ultimate truth is universal. I am cautious of anyone or any group of people who believe they know everything. That is a dangerous place to be. As a Christian, I believe that only God knows everything, the divine, majestic, creator of the universe. I will never pretend to know it all. As a scientist, I live within the mystery and accept the unknown; experimenting, discovering, and learning things as they come into my awareness. “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1. For me, my Christian faith has been a very personal journey. Something I came to believe in through personal experiences and growing up with examples from faithful, loving people. We all follow different paths. For me, faith in God lifts my spirit, gives me peace, and brings me home all the time. For that, I am forever grateful!