Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Spiritual development'

Spirituality is a topic of growing interest for college students and scholars and yet personal accounts of spiritual development among college students remains limited. This study investigated the spiritual development of seven traditional-aged, University of the Pacific students in their senior year of course study. Interviews were conducted using an interview guide. Participants were requested through chain sampling techniques. Interviews were used to gain knowledge about the experiences students have that contribute to the ways in which they define spirituality and how those experiences affected them personally. Responses from interviews of Pacific students will be compared to Fowler's Stages of Faith and the work of Parks, Chickering and other's conclusions made regarding how students and people across generations and cultures develop a sense of meaning and purpose.

It is increasingly evident that current corporate environmental management activities are insufficient to move organisations towards sustainable development, the quest for which will require alternative tools and strategies, which recognise social and environmental issues. It is suggested that spirituality - which appears to offer great capacity for encompassing social and environmental considerations - could represent a catalyst for change. The aim of the research was to explore the potential of spirituality to enhance the sustainable development approaches of organisations working with spirituality, by examining the social experiences within the organisations and the environmental approaches being undertaken. A theoretical base was constructed by exploring three different pairs of literature: business and the environment, including an assessment of current corporate environmental management approaches; the sustainable development aspects of spirituality, including discussions on Buddhism, Shamanism and Christian Dimensions; and the emergent area of spirituality and business. U sing core concepts extracted from the literature review, fieldwork was undertaken into the experiences of leaders and staff within fourteen organisations working with spirituality. Seeking to understand reality through the participants' eyes, the case studies aimed to discover the influences, rationales, processes, implications and constraints to incorporating spirituality into business. Although the case study organisations were relatively small, as pioneers of applying spirituality to business they displayed a rich variety of experiences. Using concepts derived from the exploration ofthe literature within a framework derived from the Theory of Reasoned Action, the fieldwork data were analysed in order to extract generalisable processes. From this a list of propositions was developed concerning generalised influences, rationales, processes, implications and constraints to the incorporation of spirituality into business. It was recognised that there were also processes unique to individual organisations, which indicated the presence of an influencing factor - their 'worldview', encompassing motivating factors, the scope of organisational vision, the nature of reality for the organisation, and the understanding of what is spirituality and spiritual. Thus it was discovered that there is a connection between spirituality and sustainable development whereby spirituality has implications on the social experiences within organisations, and impacts on attitudes and behaviours related to the environment. Its strength as a tool for organisational transformation is its relevance to each organisation's worldview. To be effective the approach adopted must recognise, reflect and resonate with the organisational worldview, creating a framework of relevant actions and aims. Such strategies will minimise the adoption of short term prescriptive measures and aid in the design of a long term, developmental programme. To expedite this the research constructed a model to assist organisations in the discovery of their worldview which, along with the generalisable propositions and individual organisational approaches, can be used as an agenda for change towards the state of sustainable development. i

Spiritual development is a major theme in Eliot's poetry. Most previous criticism, both that focused on the life and that focused on the poetry has represented his spiritual biography either as being purely Christian or as being divided into two stages (atheist and Anglican respectively). Other criticism has highlighted non-Christian influences in Eliot's poetry, but without considering how they interact with his Christianity. In fact, Eliot developed two kinds of belief: the first an exoteric belief which presents him formally as an Anglican, and the second an esoteric, more private spirituality, expressed through his poetry in which Eliot incorporates multiple beliefs into one new whole. Even after conversion, Eliot's poetry continues to present Christian and non-Christian themes which show continuity with his earlier poetry. This thesis argues that Eliot's belief, as developed through his poetry, is a highly unconventional version of belief which constructs a new spirituality from elements of Unitarianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism and Anglicanism. Eliot started his spiritual journey at an early stage. Although his early poems do not give a clear idea about his beliefs, they show the initial shaping and incorporation of multiple themes. The early chapters of this thesis examine the shaping of Eliot's unconventional belief. In early poems, Eliot uses the method of observing places and people and relating episodes as well as experimenting with the poetic forms in order to convey his spiritual views. He also presents modem civilisation and urban aspects, like traffic, as hostile to any spiritual experience. The sixth and seventh chapters investigate how Eliot develops the same themes of earlier poems such as Indie concepts of karma, reincarnation, Nirvana; Sufi images of travel and symbols of spirituality; Christian themes of Original Sin and Incarnation and Unitarian interests in people's everyday life rather than afterlife, using fewer episodes and more wisdom-like method. The final chapter, in particular, shows that, by Four Quartets, the urban landscape is used by Eliot as a possible host for meditation and enlightenment. It also examines Four Quartets as Eliot's complete spiritual statement which marks the culmination of his unique experience of constructing his individual unorthodox belief. The main focus in this thesis is on the themes. However, an examination of the form is provided whenever the form particularly highlights the themes.

This is minor field study conducted in Gävle, Sweden. The purpose of the field study is to find answers to questions related to morality and spirituality with the main concern of investigating the phenomena in the gymnasium. Aspects of this presentation focus on the role of religion in moral development, on whether spirituality necessarily evokes a sense of morality or if they are entirely separate issues. This presentation also explains briefly what spirituality is, as well as expatiating on certain moral theories propounded by certain scholars and its relevance to the study. Since morality can sometimes be relative to persons in different places, I also did a brief comparative work by looking at the situation in Ghana and Sweden when it comes to morality.

The phenomenological method was chosen in conducting this research. In line with this I interviewed two students in the gymnasium, I distributed questionnaires to twenty three other students and I interviewed a priest twice to gather some information which was resourceful in organising this study. In Ghana, morality is averagely a matter of social importance and most persons, though not everyone, serve as a check to ensure that what are believed to be right actions are distinguished from wrong actions. Religion forms the core of spirituality for most Ghanaians. With 93.3% of the population claiming to be religious, this issue is not surprising. It is with much interest therefore that I conducted a fieldwork in Sweden to know the varied views in spirituality and morality. There are a lot of similarities to say, in terms of morality and spirituality in Sweden and in Ghana. However, the enormous differences cannot be left out.

By integrating spiritual development theories with Sanford's theory of challenge and support and study findings, this mixed methods study examines how spiritual development may be occurring through service-learning. The relationship between service-learning participation and spiritual growth is analyzed by addressing the following research questions: 1) Does spiritual growth occur among undergraduates participating in service-learning? 2) Which aspects of the service-learning experience relate to the occurrence of spiritual growth? 3) What role do "challenge" and "support" play in the process of spiritual growth?

The 272 study participants are drawn from the Boston College PULSE Program, a service-learning program that requires 10-12 hours of weekly service for the full academic year while students simultaneously take an interdisciplinary philosophy and theology course entitled, Person and Social Responsibility. The quantitative strand of this study sought to objectively understand the components of the PULSE program that may relate to spiritual development among undergraduates through a pre-test/post-test survey adapted from the College Student Beliefs and Values instrument created by Astin, Astin, & Lindholm (2011). The qualitative strand consisted of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with eleven study participants whose quantitative survey results demonstrated particularly high or low levels of spiritual change.

Study findings indicate that nearly 80% of study participants grew spiritually during the service-learning experience. Consistent with Sanford's (1962, 1966,1967) theory of college student development and the spiritual development theories of Fowler (1981) and Daloz Parks (2000), spiritual growth was most likely to occur when students experienced significant challenge balanced with support. Qualitative and quantitative results found that challenge was related to the eye opening experience of witnessing injustice at service sites while simultaneously being exposed to diverse perspectives through course assignments and discussions. This eye opening experience led students to struggle spiritually as they questioned prior assumptions and beliefs. Support was found in relationships and effective integration of course content with the service experience.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore spiritual development differences between online and on-campus students. For this study, spiritual maturation was measured by the locus of authority and view of self and others, primarily as measured by the God Image Scales. The assumption was that development is marked by a shift in locus of authority from an external to internal orientation and, along with this process, an individual's focus also moves from self to others. The first phase of the study was quantitative and consisted of the administration of the God Image Scales and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The latter scales was administered to control for potential influence of participants providing responses they deemed to be expected or socially appropriate. Results revealed differences in the perspectives and experiences shared by the younger on-campus students and those shared by older online and graduate students. A second, qualitative phase of the study consisted of small group interviews conducted in chat rooms and email interviews conducted with individual students. Findings from this phase consisted of students' perceptions about God, spirituality, spiritual development, and spiritual maturity. Lastly, mixed methods analyses compared and contrasted the quantitative and qualitative results. Significant findings are summarized and discussed, and recommendations are offered to assist administration to support and challenge college students' spiritual development.

In a child's life, the church has minimal time to make a maximum impact. The time children are in church must not be wasted, but should be spent in valuable and life changing ways. Stories have long been included in Christian education, but is the practice of telling stories something that is continued merely because "we've always done it this way," or is there merit in continuing their use? Story is a wildly popular theme in Christian education today and children love stories, but there is more to a story than mere amusement? Parents and Christian educators wrestle with questions such as "How do stories have lasting meaning and life changing influence on children's lives?" "How can stories be used to affect children's spiritual growth?" "What kinds of stories should be included?" These are important questions to consider as Christian educators set pedagogical goals and specific methodology is followed.

This research attempts to address these questions by investigating empirical, theoretical, and theological literature related to two domains: (a) what characterizes the spiritual life and development of children, and (b) how story can be used by Christian educators and parents to benefit the instruction and spiritual growth of children. Beginning with an analysis of the spiritual life of children, it will then be shown how story affects the whole person, rendering it a very powerful medium. Using Luke 10:27 as an organizing principle, story is analyzed as to how it affects the heart, the affective realm; the soul, the spiritual realm; strength, the behavioral realm; the mind, the cognitive realm; and loving neighbor as oneself, the social realm. These realms, together, comprise a faith that involves a totality of commitment. Recommendations are then made as to how parents and Christian educators can use the power of story to benefit the instruction and spiritual growth of children. The use of story can be a spark for children's spiritual growth and holds great potential benefit for the church and for the children who are a part of the community of faith.

This study addresses two questions. What light does the work of George MacDonald shed on the concept of 'spiritual development' and what is the pedagogical function of his fantasy? The thesis is largely concerned to clarify these conceptual issues but the reason for raising them is practical. The promotion of spiritual development in schools is a statutory requirement. The conclusions of this thesis contain implications for curricular strategies for meeting that requirement and attention will be drawn to them. Two major claims are made. The first concerns the issue of whether a coherent spirituality necessarily depends on - and thus must be promoted within - a religious framework. The implication of MacDonald's recourse to fantasy, a discourse dispensing with traditional religious categories, to explore the theme of spiritual development is that a spiritual pedagogy does not need to be rooted in traditional religious concepts and truth-claims. The two discourses, the 'theistic' and the 'non-theistic', are compatible and complementary. Secondly, the concept of 'transfiguring fantasy' is introduced and commended. MacDonald's transfiguring fantasy functions pedagogically, as potentially does all such unclosed flmtasy, by calling in question the distinction between the narrative one reads and one's own life-story. The two realms, those of the text in one's hands and the life one is leading, elide and the task of resolving the enigmas of the fantasy becomes one with the unfinished business of making sense of one's own story. This thesis also considers the familiar Romantic themes of nature, childhood and the imagination, which MacDonald treats with original insight. Nature is akin to fantasy in its capacity to engage and direct the attentive spirit. Childhood is the pattern of what we must become. The imagination's role is to summon us to press beyond the borders of what may be scientifically proven or rationally articulated.

Although research has been conducted on journaling, spirituality and art making separately, few studies investigate the potential for these modalities when combined together in a therapeutic context. This investigation explored the way that combining art making and journaling can contribute to spiritual growth and development during times of transformation. Specifically, by using self study and archival research approaches to conduct a systematic analysis of 5 of my previous journals and 5 of my previous art pieces which were created during times of transformation. Components illustrating spiritual growth such as contemplation, awareness, meaning making, connection, externalization, values and beliefs (Aten, 2011; Bryne & McKinlay, 2012; Hieb, 2005; Wiggins, 2011) were indicated. During this investigation, spirituality was examined through transpersonal and existential perspectives. The findings of this study suggest that examining a person’s core values, beliefs and how they seek meaning and connection with others is beneficial because it may be the source of unproductive thoughts, behaviors and feelings which motivate an individual to seek psychotherapeutic treatment. This study also illuminates the potential for spiritual development and maturation in spaces of disconnection.

This research examines the current requirements and practices of Religious Observance (RO) and spiritual development within Scotland’s ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE). The research is focussed on the nondenominational school sector - approximately 90% of Scottish schools. The CfE has brought a shift in focus from solely curricular content to greater emphasis on character formation. Four key descriptors, termed “capacities”, are used: responsible citizens, effective contributors, successful learners and confident individuals. A number of supplementary programmes are being promoted to achieve this through schemes such as the ‘Rights Respecting School Award’, ‘Inspire-Aspire’, ‘Peer Mediation’ and ‘Restorative Justice’. The CfE details certain age-appropriate experiences and outcomes which pupils are expected to attain across eight core curricular subjects. In contrast, RO and spiritual development are outlined very differently by six key ‘Sensings’ in the ‘Report of the Religious Observance Review Group’ (2004), referred to in this thesis as the RORG. These Sensings have minimal descriptions, no exact definition and do not have detailed age-appropriate experiences and outcomes. The Sensings are: sensing mystery, sensing values, sensing meaningfulness, sensing a changed quality in awareness, sensing ‘otherness’ and sensing challenge. This thesis addresses a number of questions: defining ‘spirituality’ in a way that can sit comfortably within Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE); how RO events and these Sensings are perceived by pupils in particular - their voices are given especial prominence throughout; where RO and spiritual development are perceived as ‘belonging’ or ‘fitting’ within the CfE; how the ‘success’ of Sensing-rich RO events can be assessed and measured; crucially - what the children and young people think of the RO they receive; the validity and ‘completeness’ of the Sensings; how to train school staff and school chaplains in delivering spiritual development. The research involved participant observation and interviews with policymakers (advisors, consultants, Education Scotland staff, Religious Representatives on local Council Education committees, and members of school senior management teams), practitioners (chaplains and youth workers tasked with the actual delivery of RO events), parents of Primary school and Secondary school pupils, and - crucially - pupils (from Primary 3 to Secondary 6). The goal was to record and analyse their principles, practices and lived experience of RO and spiritual development. In total qualitative data was gathered in thirty-four interview sessions from nine policy-makers, eight practitioners, nine parents, seventeen Primary school pupils and thirty-five Secondary school pupils. The practitioners, parents and pupils between them were connected to nondenominational schools covering seven Councils: City of Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, City of Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire. The pupils between them came from four different nondenominational Primary schools, three non-denominational Secondary schools, and one independent School (Christian faith-based, fee-paying). This gave a reasonable sample of Scottish schools. The definition of ‘spirituality’ that I developed (p 44) is that “Spirituality is that uniquely human capacity and need for a sense of identity and of integrity, of place and of purpose, which can only be fully satisfied in relationship with others and with a transcendent Other.” A full explanation for this definition is given in the text. The pilot study showed that pupils of all ages did not grasp the language and vocabulary of the Sensings as given in the RORG and in conclusion I offer an alternative “child-friendly” re-titling as follows: sensing mystery (the “Wow!” moments), sensing values (the “Now ...' moments), sensing meaningfulness (the “How ...? ” moments), sensing a changed quality in awareness (the “Aum” moments), sensing ‘otherness’ (the ‘Narnia’ moments) and sensing challenge (the “Ow!” moments) (p 54). Once reworded and explained all pupils were quick to grasp most of the Sensings though ‘a changed quality in awareness’ and ‘otherness’ - perhaps requiring higher order thinking skills - were only accessible to older pupils (though they could not always discern or define the distinctions between them). I found that Policy-makers had a clear perception of how RO fits within CfE but that the actual practitioners (many of them from faith-based backgrounds) frequently struggled to achieve clarity on this point and were often unable to articulate a clear educational purpose to their RO input (p 113). A lack of contextual awareness, of training, of time, and of ability to think beyond their theological frameworks often hampered them. Clear and positive and fruitful metaphors for RO emerge from the research: RO provides an important ‘space’ within CfE (p 119), and a place for ‘exploration’ and for ‘questioning.’ A consistent conclusion from my data reflects on how both practitioners and participants in RO events viewed them and constructed meaning from them: this was frequently done by offering opposed pairs and, almost literally, placing themselves or their RO events at some point on the continuum between two poles (p 124). A whole spectrum of opposed pairs were found: from indoctrination (RO) to education (RME); from collective (RO) to individual (RME); from emotional (RO) to intellectual (RME), though practitioners were frequently at pains to make clear that this did not mean RO was inferior or in any way anti-intellectual or lacking in intellectual rigour; from experiential (RO) to explorative (RME); and from inspirational (RO) to informational (RME). My findings were that practitioners offered a range of measures for assessing the ‘success’ of their RO events (p 139) which are critiqued: “an RO event is successful” - when I think it is, if it was enjoyed, if a school is “happy with it”, if there is pupil engagement, if pupil feedback says it has been, if your chosen quantifier says it has been, and if there are no complaints about it. I follow this with a discussion on the issues of getting RO ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ (p 152). The view of parents on the qualifications for those delivering RO to their children were also explored at this point, with the great majority strongly favouring faith-based practitioners (p 162). A major feature of this research has been to seek and to summarise the first-hand views and the authentic voices of the children and young people within CfE. Their main reactions are summarised (p 172) as “Don’t make it [RO] a policed endurance test”; “Don’t make it so boring”; “Don’t tell us what to think”; “Let us ask our big questions. Help us find some answers”; and “Don’t exclude us. Let us have a say. Let us help you.” In the light of the research two additional Sensings are strongly indicated: Sensing Stillness (p 192) and Sensing Community (p 200). Sensing Community in particular was identified as offering significant potential benefits for RO (p 206): creating a beneficial group identity or ethos for the school community, building pupil capacity as responsible citizens able to take their place in the wider community beyond the school gates, enabling individual and group resilience in the face of crisis, sharing emotional and spiritual experiences that could enrich the lives of all the participants, and the acquisition and exploration of values together in a safe and protected environment. The final section (p 210) explores the creation and use of a tool for teaching practitioners to identify and explore the Sensings: the ‘Spiritual Moments’ box.
In Educating school staff to experience and deliver the sensings (p 223), it merged that the issue is one of helping secular staff in particular to find a spiritual context for exploration and development of the sensings. In training faith representatives to experience and deliver the sensings (p 227) the issue is one of helping faith practitioners to explore and develop the sensings in the secular educational framework.

With the increasingly widespread adoption of online learning, education is at an important crossroads. Spirituality and character building were once an important part of formal education. In the more secular modern era, many institutions of higher learning have neglected the spiritual aspects of teaching and learning. There is increasing academic interest in the relationship between spirituality and education. At the same time, relatively little attention has been paid to how spiritual and character development can be facilitated in online courses. This study seeks to better understand the how to develop spirituality and character building more effectively in online education through three related studies. The first article explores published research related to spirituality and education. Definitions are derived for two different perspectives, a contemporary North American view, and the Brigham Young University view. A second article reports on a quantitative analysis of how spiritually strengthening and character building, both Aims of a BYU Education, were accomplished in 63 online courses taught recently at BYU from the perspective of approximately 1730 students. The third article, “Spiritual and Character Development in Online Education from the Instructors’ Perspective”, qualitatively investigates the actions of instructors to more effectively accomplish these two Aims in their online courses based on their self-reported responses to six open-ended questions. Students responded to 77 questions (using 7-point Likert Scales) related to these two Aims. Structural Equation Modeling showed four constructs as having significant influence on their spiritual and character development: genuine caring for students (by teachers), Gospel connections, instructor’s morality, and ethics in relation to the course. Twelve subfactors of social, cognitive and teacher presence, and student engagement indicated these four subfactors related to spiritual and character development. Instructors that are more intentional and explicit also utilize active learning techniques. These ask students to do more than just read about or talk about spirituality and character development. Rather, they involve students in active learning activities such as reflecting on ethics, creating personal value statements/constitutions, and setting and periodically reporting on related goals.

Religion and spirituality are vital aspects of many people’s lives both in the United States and across the globe. Although many constructs and measures exist to describe and assess the experience of pursuing the sacred, the complexity of religious and spiritual experience leads to mixed results in relation to well-being and psychopathological traits. However, in broad terms, the relationship appears positive. Over the past 30 years the need for more refined and useful approaches to the study of religious and spiritual behavior has been repeatedly acknowledged. Although authors wisely caution development of further measures without due cause, extant constructs and measures do not provide clear and consistent results for understanding the influence of one’s relationships to religion and spirituality upon behaviors of clinical interest. The present project drew from the functional contextual concept of psychological flexibility, which provides clarity to understanding the encouragement and maintenance of psychological well-being. A new construct of religious and psychological flexibility is explicated as a functional approach to understanding religious and spiritual behavior in a manner that is useful in research and clinical settings alike. The development and evaluation of the Measure of Religious and Spiritual Flexibility (MRSF) is described. The MRSF evidenced adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis results were positive, but indicate further refinement. Analyses suggested good construct validity of the MRSF in relation to psychological well-being and psychopathology; construct validity in relation to extant constructs in the psychology of religion was varied. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2008.
Includes abstract and vita. Translated from Korean. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 199-205).

This research is rooted in my professional practice at the newly established international Centre for Spiritual Life Development (CSLD) of The Salvation Army. It is designed to develop a foundation which can shape and enhance the policy and provision of the CSLD. It seeks to answer two questions: How do Salvation Army officers sustain and develop their personal spiritual life in the context of an activist, missional organisation? In what ways can the Centre for Spiritual life Development facilitate and support this process? The research methodology is qualitative, bringing responses to a written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews into mutual critical dialogue with the conceptual framework, which is drawn from the theology and history of evangelicalism and evangelical spirituality, and the theory of theological and vocational education. This has generated a rich description of spiritual life development in Salvation Army officers in the 21st century, leading to new understanding. The empirical research focused upon a particular constituency, delegates to the International College for Officers, thus facilitating understanding of the difference encountered in an organisation that has both global and local influences. It confirmed an expected diversity of understanding and practice in three major areas; definitions of, and practices leading to, spiritual life development; the means used by officers develop their spiritual lives; and the relationship between practice and the spiritual life. The work contributes to academic knowledge about The Salvation Army by locating the organisation, and Salvationist spirituality, within the framework of evangelicalism. A proposal to encourage a holistic understanding of spiritual life development using a process of reflection based upon the integration of, and interrelationships between, ‘knowing, being and doing’, offers a way forward that is applicable in a range of contexts. The evolution of my professional practice during the period of the research demonstrates that the foundations of new policy and practices are taking shape. It therefore contributes to the field of practical theology, as the integration and mutual critique of practice, spirituality and educational theory have led to new understanding and new practice.

This research is rooted in my professional practice at the newly established international Centre for Spiritual Life Development (CSLD) of The Salvation Army. It is designed to develop a foundation which can shape and enhance the policy and provision of the CSLD. It seeks to answer two questions: How do Salvation Army officers sustain and develop their personal spiritual life in the context of an activist, missional organisation? In what ways can the Centre for Spiritual life Development facilitate and support this process? The research methodology is qualitative, bringing responses to a written questionnaire and semi-structured interviews into mutual critical dialogue with the conceptual framework, which is drawn from the theology and history of evangelicalism and evangelical spirituality, and the theory of theological and vocational education. This has generated a rich description of spiritual life development in Salvation Army officers in the 21st century, leading to new understanding. The empirical research focused upon a particular constituency, delegates to the International College for Officers, thus facilitating understanding of the difference encountered in an organisation that has both global and local influences. It confirmed an expected diversity of understanding and practice in three major areas; definitions of, and practices leading to, spiritual life development; the means used by officers develop their spiritual lives; and the relationship between practice and the spiritual life. The work contributes to academic knowledge about The Salvation Army by locating the organisation, and Salvationist spirituality, within the framework of evangelicalism. A proposal to encourage a holistic understanding of spiritual life development using a process of reflection based upon the integration of, and interrelationships between, ‘knowing, being and doing’, offers a way forward that is applicable in a range of contexts. The evolution of my professional practice during the period of the research demonstrates that the foundations of new policy and practices are taking shape. It therefore contributes to the field of practical theology, as the integration and mutual critique of practice, spirituality and educational theory have led to new understanding and new practice.

Pargament and Sweeney (2011) found that when spiritual coping is applied in healing from trauma, the elements of faith and spirituality can bring about feelings of peace, comfort, hope, and joy. The purpose of this research was to explore how spiritual coping following a trauma may offer positive changes in a person’s existential, spiritual, religious, and psychological life (Castella & Simmonds, 2013). This research study implemented the latest research for spiritual coping for trauma survivors into a 2-day psychoeducational program with experiential exercises that taught 10 participants effective spiritual coping constructs and techniques.

The research was conducted in three parts: 1) create a workshop based on the literature review, 2) provide the workshop to interested individuals who met the criteria for the research study, 3) evaluate the workshop using the feedback provided by participants. The researcher used a mixed methods study using quantitative and qualitative methods: 1) 20-item surveys following each module and 2) 20-minute focus group at the conclusion of the workshop. Surveys were analyzed using a quantitative analysis and comparison of percentages. The focus group was analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis highlighting the main themes.

Six modules were created for the workshop using program development: 1) relational trauma and spirituality, 2) spiritual meaning-making, 3) prayer and meditation, 4) hope and happiness, 5) finding meaning through suffering, and 6) integrating spirituality into trauma recovery. Through PAR, participants indicated the following conclusions: 1) addressing spirituality in a group setting highlights the ways spirituality can be a source for human connectedness, self-awareness, strength, and resilience and 2) by utilizing the spiritual coping curriculum participants learned that spirituality can be a healing source by providing opportunities for meaning-making, transformative goals, and post-traumatic growth.

This research study contributes to understanding of the intersection of spiritual coping and trauma recovery in the field of psychology. Spiritual concerns should be included as a part of treatment planning for trauma survivors (Smith, 2004). More work needs to be done to help incorporate spirituality into mainstream mental health care. Further research should be done to identify the aspects of how spirituality that should be incorporated in trauma care. More research needs to be done to find out how this spiritual coping program may be effective for other clinical populations.