Brockman's Spiritual Evaluation

"As a chaplain, I've supported hundreds of people going through life's toughest moments," wrote Trauma Chaplain Abby Brockman in a social media post. She went on to note that despite our Western emphasis on wellness of mind, body and spirit, descriptions or signs of spiritual healthiness are often vague and unclear.

Anyone practicing the art of spiritual caregiving admits the necessary non-specific nature of such assessments as the one that follows below; after all, we each express ourselves very differently at different times. Progress related to what many call "grief processing" is not linear. No experience, even shared ones, are perceived by everyone exactly the same way. "Spiritual healthiness" doesn't mean saint-like perfection - it's better described perhaps as a deep-rooted awareness. 

I've had surprisingly reflective conversations with people who described themselves as not spiritual at all. Later, many wonder if maybe they really meant that they were "not religious," or "lost faith in a religion."

In any case, I agree with Abby's thoughts as she describes what she's identified as some evidence of our own embodied spirits: 

• You can cry. Those able to, understand it as a way to connect with grief, loss, disappointment. Those who cannot, often long for the relief of letting go of emotion locked within.
• You can hear the inner voice within yourself. Especially in these screen-driven days, other influencers speak more clearly to us than the small still voice within – the one with our best interests at heart. Not the tape rolling on repeat that's filled with past negative influences, or that tells us in so many words to just suck it up, whatever it is.
• You can ask for help. If you can ask for and receive help from others, this is a good sign. Spiritual traditions have stressed the importance of communal concern and caring. Some don't quite deliver for some people, but that sense of interconnection we seem to depend upon as humans is available in other places as well, if only we ask.
• You can see from multiple perspectives. As Abby puts it, "survival mode and fear narrow our lens as we hyper focus on the threat…if you can zoom in and out, hold multiple truths, and see the gray, it's a good sign." I would add that if you can see the hope in what's apparently hopeless, that's a sort of superpower. In my experience, it is available to those who seek it.
• If you have rituals, or somatic embodied practices to help you navigate through life, that's a good sign. Spiritual traditions have rituals as the basis of services. If you don't follow a specific tradition, you can create your own.

Abby has written ten of these check-in signs on various social media platforms. Look up Abby Brockman, Trauma Chaplain & Spiritual Care Consultant on the social media platform of your choice to read more.

And here's a recent podcast review of her life's journey and the nature of her work. You may be surprised at what you hear. I was – she's young to have realized so much - and is definitely on her own path, and desires the same for all of us.