Lisa Miller, a clinical psychologist and director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Columbia University, discusses the increasing 'diseases of despair' in society. She believes the decline of spiritual pluralism has led to disconnection and unhappiness, particularly among young adults. Miller explores the potential for a spiritual renaissance as people yearn for deeper connections. She outlines the stages of spiritual emergence throughout life, emphasizing the importance of personal growth and meaningful contributions to combat despair.
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insights INSIGHT
Loss Of Spiritual Pluralism
Lisa Miller argues that removing religion from public life created spiritual non-conversance and loss of pluralism.
She links this decline to rising 'diseases of despair' and suggests a looming spiritual renaissance.
insights INSIGHT
Three Bridges Of Spiritual Growth
Miller describes three developmental spiritual bridges: emerging adulthood, midlife, and elderhood.
Each bridge drives a hunger to love more deeply and find contribution and meaning.
insights INSIGHT
Depression As A Spiritual Trailhead
Miller presents data linking spiritual awareness and depression during ages 16–26 as a quest for purpose.
She reframes depression as a trailhead of spiritual seeking rather than wasted time.
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Diseases of despair are on the rise. Lisa Miller, a Columbia professor of clinical psychology, thinks spirituality could be a solution.
Clinical psychologist Lisa Miller discusses the loss of “spiritual pluralism” in the U.S., which she believes was caused by our removing religion from the public square over the last 40 years. This, she says, led to the disconnected society we live in today, where many young adults lack a strong spiritual core.
Alongside this spiritual decline has been an uptick in diseases of despair: alcoholism, addiction, and suicide. However, Lisa suggests that we may be on the brink of a spiritual renaissance, with people waking up to the importance of spiritual exploration and connection in a world that demands rationality and productivity.
Lisa identifies three crucial stages of spiritual emergence in life: emerging adulthood, midlife, and elderhood, during which individuals experience growth and a hunger to love more deeply and contribute with meaning. Miller emphasizes the significance of reconnecting with spirituality and understanding ourselves more profoundly to lead fulfilling and purposeful lives.
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About Lisa Miller:
Lisa Miller, Ph.D., is a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the Founder and Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute in spirituality and psychology, and has held over a decade of joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School.
Her innovative research has been published in more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Cerebral Cortex, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child.
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