Letter from the President and CEO November 2024
Dear Reader,
Over the last few weeks, I’ve received many inquiries about whether the Institute will “make a statement” about the upcoming national election, either in anticipation of it or in response to the outcome. I do not feel it is within the Institute’s scope of work to make formal statements, especially concerning political matters. That is not why we exist, and it is not why our community supports us.
Our scope of work, in any season, involves encouraging those we serve to remain conscious of the reality that humans are spiritual beings and helping them tend to this reality as we cultivate and express health and well-being.
It is not lost on me that many people are currently feeling a sense of dis-ease about the overall sociopolitical climate, which is contextualized by incredibly complex and dynamic cultural, economic, and technological forces. Uncertainty and disorientation can be hard to reckon with and can sometimes lead to maladaptive coping strategies and poor physical and mental health. These are some of the rich themes we will explore at next week’s 33rd Annual Psychotherapy & Faith Conference, “Psychotherapy and Faith as Safe Harbors in Turbulent Times.” If you haven’t already signed up, please join us! It will be an incredible day of learning.
As I think about some of the ways we encourage our audiences to “live the relationship between spirituality and health,” even in the midst of struggles, some key teachings come to mind:
Creatively use your innate ability to connect.
Our President Emeritus, Dr. John K. Graham, teaches that spirituality involves our innate ability to connect. We can connect with other people, with the environment and its creatures, with the transcendent mystery many call God, and with our deepest selves. This process can be passive, but it can also be active - driven by the creative capacity we carry within us. How might you find new ways to connect with things that make you feel healthy and whole?
Cultivate warmheartedness and curiosity.
I start every Monday Mind-body Skills Group with a reminder to enter the space in a spirit of warmheartedness and curiosity. Expressed to others, warmheartedness and curiosity help us to see the world as it is and not in caricature. Expressed inwards, they help us listen beyond the mind's constant chatter to hear the inner voice – the voice of the healer within – as we move through life. What everyday things can you see with fresh eyes? What might it mean to more fully express warmheartedness to yourself and others?
Use the power of reflexivity.
Humans have an incredible capacity to take a step back from our own beliefs and worldviews and reflect on them from the outside. One word for this is our ability to be “reflexive.” This can be challenging, but it is an essential skill. Reflexivity means asking things like – Where did a given belief come from? Is it really what I believe, deep down? Is it contributing to my health? Is it possible to reframe it? Ultimately, reflexivity can help us align our beliefs with the way we want to be in the world.
These teachings are a few examples of how we ground our work across our Centers of Excellence. They are applicable within any faith tradition or belief system, and they don’t rely on material things to work.
Insofar as the above is in and of itself a “statement” – there you have it. I was duped into it! However, remember that the strategies here are not just meant for the week ahead – they apply throughout life.
As we move into the fall holiday season, consider: How do you live spiritually and in health?
Warmly,
Stuart
Stuart C. Nelson,
President and CEO