Running head: A SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL 1

A Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Tyler Karren

HW420

Kaplan University
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A Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Life is not always easy, but it can be ecstatic. How to manage the difficulties and taste

the ecstasy is a central challenge of life and a goal of any spiritual practice (Walsh, 1999, p. 1).

Just as life can be difficult and mysterious, it can also be joyous and exciting. As we navigate

this life, we have the profound opportunity to create the lives we want. A spiritual path is one

that can bring true joy and ecstasy into our lives and help us to piece together the mysteries of

the universe (Walsh, 1999). The purpose of this paper is to present a spiritual and psychological

inventory that evaluates an individuals current state of spirituality and overall health and well-

being. The ten inventory questions presented in this paper were asked of the authors spouse,

who responded as a voluntary participant of this spiritual inventory. Further, we will discuss how

these inventory questions can be used in a client-based setting to help others discover their level

of spiritual development.

Beginning here, a set of ten spiritual and psychological inventory questions will be

presented. As you, the reader, reads each question, ponder in your own mind how you would

answer these questions. Then compare your inner response to that of AnnaMaree, our volunteer

interviewee, to evaluate your own state of spiritual progression and overall well-being. We will

then identify briefly why the question is valuable to this spiritual inventory. First, when you hear

the word spirituality, what is your first thought? When I hear the word spirituality, the first

thing I think of is the word peace. Peace that is felt inside, in my heart, in my soul. This life can

be very crazy and hectic, but spirituality can provide a protection of sorts, a protection of peace

and calm (Karren, 2016). This question establishes a basic understanding of spirituality. Its a

starting point to help an individual discover their current interpretation of the term and the

concept of spirituality. Those who are new to this concept are going to have simplistic answers.
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Comparatively, those who are well on their way down a spiritual path will define this term with

deeper meaning. As Seaward (2013) suggests, despite that our world seems to be in crisis, many

people are turning to a spiritual path of some kind to find peace in all the chaos. The term

spirituality is becoming more mainstream, rather than a concept that invites skepticism.

How would you describe the state of your spiritual well-being as compared to your

physical, mental, and emotional well-being? I feel like I am fairly healthy spiritually, but

perhaps I have much more to do to develop this part of my life. My physical health is not good

sometimes. I deal with chronic pain in my legs that brings me into a depressed state of mind

more than I would like to admit. This pain begins to negatively affect my emotional and mental

state, too. Some days its hard to keep going, especially when the doctors dont have answers to

the cause of my pain, but its my desire to be spiritual that lifts me above the clouds on the

darkest days (Karren, 2016). The value of this question in the spiritual inventory is to establish

the relationship between spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health. These four

components make up a personal wellness paradigm, with spirituality being a necessary part of

the whole (Seaward, 2013).

How would you describe your relationship with God or a divine source, and how could

you improve that relationship? I believe strongly in God; he is my foundation. He provides me

strength during my hardest times of life. Believing in God is the foundation of my spirituality.

One way that comes to mind that I can improve my relationship with God is trusting in Him

more. I have to trust that my challenges and difficulties in my life are meant to help me progress

down a spiritual path (Karren, 2016). This question is important to the spiritual inventory,

because is develops the idea that there are many paths to enlightenment, to God, or to some

divine source of life. Each person can take their own personal journey that works for them.
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Seaward (2013) describes various historical figures, each who had their own theories of

spirituality. For example, Carl Jung advances a theory about divine consciousness and how we

are all part of it. Whereas M. Scott Peck describes four stages of spiritual progression that build

on each other.

Do you feel like you have a meaningful purpose in life, and how would you describe it?

Well, this is a hard question. Yes, I feel like I have a meaningful purpose in life, but that

purpose changes throughout life. For example, I have been raising five children the past 16 years

so far, and my purpose is to be a mother and properly nurture these kids through their early

developmental stages of life and into adulthood. Later, when they grow up and leave the house,

my meaningful purpose in life will change to something else. Im not to that point in life, but

ultimately, I want to be part of making life on this planet the best it can be (Karren, 2016). This

question is valuable in the sense that it helps an individual understand the depth of their

spirituality, and it helps them understand why they are here and what purpose life has for them.

Seaward states that there are three pillars to spirituality: healthy relationships, a personal values

system, and a meaningful purpose in life (2013). This question touches on one of the three

components.

What are some roadblocks that can or already have hindered your progress on your

spiritual path? I mentioned one already, and that is my physical health. The last several months

I have unexplained pain in my hips and legs. Some days its bad enough I cannot walk. The

doctors have run all kinds of tests, but the cause remains allusive. This is emotionally frustrating,

because I want to know what is wrong with me. Stress is another major roadblock for me; raising

teenagers, for example, is more stress than I want in my life. Another obstacle is my personality;

I want to help everyone. I can never say no. This results in my spending so much time helping
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and doing for others, I rarely stop and have me time (Karren, 2016). On our journey through

life, we often make mountains out of molehills. We can unnecessary stress on ourselves, which

acts as one of many types of roadblocks or distractions on our spiritual journey (Seaward, 2013).

This question illustrates that fact that no spiritual path is without challenges or obstacles. Asking

this question can help us see if our client understands this concept and evaluate what obstacles

they have faced so far. If we find that our clients cannot overcome obstacles, then we need to

help them learn how to manage and deal with lifes many trials.

What is your understanding of the connection between stress and disease? I think if you

get stressed out too much, then you end up getting sick more often. It is very possible that this

pain issue in my legs is being caused by too much stress, but the doctors havent made that

connection in their consultations with me. My kids cause me a lot of stress, and I dont deal with

it very well (Karren, 2016). Seaward (2013) points out that there is a direct link between stress

and disease. Those who experience higher levels of stress (and emotions such as fear, guilt, and

anger), seem more likely to develop chronic diseases. This question allows the client to elaborate

on the level of stress in their life. Additionally, stress can be a roadblock to spiritual progression,

as discussed in the last question.

Beyond the five senses, what experiences have you had that you consider to be of a

mystical, divine nature (Seaward, 2013)? Yes, I have had many of those. The one most

memorable to me is the feeling that my deceased grandmother, who I was extremely close to

when she was alive, is around to comfort me during my hardest and darkest times of life. For

example, when our daughter was born a preemie and nearly died, I felt my grandmother hug

me and comfort me during that really tough emotional time. I believe that our dead relatives can

come back from the other side to visit us (Karren, 2016). This question assesses the clients
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ability to believe in or comprehend the mystical parts of spirituality. Those who have a difficulty

grasping the mysteries will more than likely not progress as fast spiritually as those who do.

Simply stated, anyone who can appreciate the mysterious and mystical events in life qualifies as

a good mystic (Seaward, 2013, p. 185).

What spiritual practices, such as prayer or meditation, do you use to cleanse and balance

the mind? I know what meditation is, but I dont practice it. When I think of meditation, I think

of some one sitting on the ground chanting a strange sound. I dont do that. But I am a firm

believer in prayer. I pray to God every day, sometimes several times a day. I kneel by my

bedside and pray, but I often have a prayer in my heart as I go through each day. Meditation is

still misunderstood in Western culture, but it has been around for millennia in the East. Western

culture does not emphasis the need to turn inward for self-reflection, but this practice is an

essential part of spirituality and allows for a healthy psychological mindset (Seaward, 2013).

This question assesses the clients understanding of meditation and willingness to accept its

practice. While prayer and meditation are not the same, they are related, and prayer is also a

healthy spiritual activity (Seaward, 2013).

Describe the role that forgiveness plays in your life. Forgiveness is an easy one for me,

mostly. I dislike holding a grudge, because it puts an emotional burden on me. Im the hardest on

myself, meaning that I have a hard time forgiving myself when I mess up. I am my worst critic.

But forgiving others is in my nature. I think forgiveness goes along with compassion and love,

and those are important parts of my life (Karren, 2016). Human spirituality needs to be an

experience, meaning it requires action of some kind. The act of forgiveness is one of many ways

to experience human spirituality (Seaward, 2013). Forgiveness is more for the person doing

the forgiving than it is for the one who did something wrong. Seaward (2013) advances the idea
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that forgiveness helps us avoid being a victim and allows us to move on in life. If we cannot

learn to forgive, we can get stuck spiritually in the same place with little progression.

We are now at the last question in this spiritual and psychological inventory. What in life

brings you real joy and happiness, and propels you down your spiritual path? That is a deep

question, for sure. I think that feeling the warm sun on my skin, taking a hike in the mountains,

being out in nature, and just feeling alive are many of the things that bring me true joy. I am

learning to discover that material things dont really bring that true happiness in life that we are

all looking for. Also, my connection to God is another way that I find true joy and happiness in

life (Karren, 2016). The ultimate purpose of spirituality is to seek and obtain joy, happiness, and

enlightenment. As we live our joy, we live in the present moment not in the past, or the future.

Living our true joy ultimately brings us inner-peace and balances our body, mind, and spirit

(Seaward, 2013). This is perhaps the most important question in the entire inventory, because it

evaluates a persons ability and/or willingness to really grasp the concept of spirituality.

The spiritual and psychological inventory presented above is just one example of how an

inventory can be handled with any client. In a professional setting, you could have the client sit

comfortably on a couch or reclined in a chair in preparation to asking the questions. It is helpful

if the client is in a relaxed state so that they can go within and search deep for the answers to

these questions. As a wellness professional, it is important to remember to not judge the answers

to the questions. Each person is on their own specific spiritual path and progressing at their own

rate. One key is to grow spiritually at your own pace and not to push yourself or others as souls.

When you connect within, you will naturally move along your path in the timing that is best for

you (Estelle, 2012, p. 1). It is necessary to take notes on the clients responses so that you can

go back and evaluate where they are on their spiritual journey. If you detect specific roadblocks,
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you will need to counsel with the client on how to overcome those obstacles, which will allow

them to begin progressing yet again. Remember, that our ultimate purpose is to help our client

find their true joy and happiness and learn to be true to themselves (Estelle, 2012).

The spiritual inventory questions above worked well with the interview I had with my

wife. She did not really struggle in answering any of the questions. Though she claims to be

more religious than spiritual, I think she realized by answering these questions, that spirituality is

not really all that mysterious. The only change that I would make to this specific set of questions

is to ask more of them. Ten questions did not allow me to dive deep enough into many of the

spiritual topics I would have liked to evaluate. For example, I would consider asking questions

about the ego and how a person deals with their ego. I would also like to ask questions about the

muscles of the soul (Seaward, 2013). A question on how they incorporate humor in their life,

or how they use faith could be additional questions to add to this inventory.

In conclusion, conducting this spiritual and psychological inventory on my spouse gave

me a wonderful experience of what it would be like to work with a wellness client. In world that

is full of chaos and distractions, helping people discover and move down their personal spiritual

path is more important than ever. As Seaward so eloquently states, Although we may not

always understand the mystical nature of spirituality, as we come to appreciate both the subtle

aspects (unbelievable synchronicities) and dynamic events (miraculous spontaneous healings) we

become mystics ourselves (2013, pg. 254).

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References

Estelle. (2012). Spiritual growth - practical keys. Retrieved December 17, 2016, from Spiritual

Growth Keys: http://www.spiritualgrowthkeys.com/

Karren, A. (2016, December 15). Author's Spouse. (T. Karren, Interviewer)

Seaward, B. L. (2013). Health of the human spirit. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Walsh, R. (1999). Essential Spirituality: The 7 central practices to awaken heart and mind. New

York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.