Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Ashley Peterson
HW420 Creating Wellness-Psychological & Spiritual Aspects of Healing
December 15th, 2015
Professor Maule

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Achieving a state of wholeness and wellness is the goal of many people all over the world
but the big question is how do we know when we have achieved this? There is one clear answer
to this question and that is a self inventory. When we stop and reflect on who and what we are
and how we came to be this person we can better judge our spiritual and psychological health. In
this paper I will be discussing twelve vital questions that make up a spiritual and psychological
inventory. Also I will be interviewing my spouse with these twelve questions to determine the
validity and value to each question. From the interview I will be able to determine if and how the
inventory needs to be adjusted.
After careful thought and consideration I compiled twelve questions for my spiritual and
psychological inventory. My first question is How do you set boundaries in your life? Setting
boundaries in our lives are important to our own personal growth. In an age of constant
accessibility, healthy boundaries are essential (Seaward, 2012, p 233). When we set boundaries
we are learning to put health and wellness first and this is an important step in achieving a
balance in your spirituality and wellness. My second question is What are some things that you
do to rejuvenate yourself? In our busy world it is hard to find time for ourselves but making that
time is crucial in our self development and it allows us to be refreshed and brings balance to our
lives. When we do not make time for ourselves it can manifest as rudeness, arrogance,
impatience, cynicism, and other unsociable behaviors (Seaward, 2012, p 233). Making time for
ourselves is important to our health and spirituality.
Third question on my spiritual and psychological inventory is What do you do or what
would you do to achieve balance in your life? Finding balance in our lives is generally a
lifelong pursuit but when done right the results can be vastly beneficial. Not only is achieving a

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healthy work/life balance an attainable goal but workers and businesses alike see the rewards.
When workers are balanced and happy, they are more productive, take fewer sick days, and are
more likely to stay in their jobs (Mental Health America, N.D.). My fourth question is What
are some ways you feed your spirituality? Spirituality has a different meaning for everyone; it
can be prayer, meditation, church, nature, etc. However we define our spirituality one thing is
true, spirituality has many benefits for stress relief and overall mental health (Mayo Clinic,
2013). Cultivating spirituality in our lives can be a tool to help us improve our lives.
The fifth question on my inventory is How do you accept the things you can and cannot
control in your life? Always needing to be in control and controlling situations can lead to an
unhealthy life. It is important to our health and mental well being that we learn to accept that not
all things are in our control. We must also learn the best way to accept the things we do have
control over. My sixth inventory question is What are ways you show compassion to yourself
and to others? Compassion is a huge proponent of our spiritual and psychological health. To
love without reciprocation, to care for someone or something without recognition or reward, this
is compassion (Seaward, 2012, p 135). When we can show compassion to others and ourselves
we demonstrate how strong we are in spirit.
My seventh question is Provide an example of how you have forgiven yourself and/or
others? Do you feel that forgiveness is important? When we are not capable of forgiveness we
create barriers to our spiritual and psychological growth. It is important to be able to forgive
others as well as ourselves so we can continue to experience personal growth. Forgiveness is
often defined a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance
toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your
forgiveness (Berkley University of California, 2015). Forgiveness is a key aspect in our

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spirituality. Question eight on my spiritual and psychological inventory is What brings you true
happiness in life? We all search for happiness but true happiness comes from within. When we
can learn to find happiness within ourselves it shows a strong sense of self.
Ninth on my inventory is How do you cope with pain, grief, and fear in your life? Fear
can often lead to grief and pain in life and all three emotions take a toll on our psychological and
spiritual self. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, and perhaps the biggest
anxietyfear of deathall seem to lurk deep in the shadows of what psychologist Carl Gustav
Jung called our collective unconscious.(Seaward, 2012, p 10). When we learn to embrace our
shadowed side we learn to deal with pain, fear, and grief. Coping with these emotions
strengthens our spirituality. The tenth question on my inventory is How do you show love to
yourself and to others? Love is a powerful emotion that has the ability to make the impossible
seem possible, love has an inherent healing power all its own (Seaward, 2012, p 82). When we
have love in our lives it shines though in our mind, body, and spirit. Of all the important aspects
of our psychological and spiritual self love is at its center.
Eleventh on my inventory is Are there any sacred rituals that you engage in to
strengthen you spirituality? Sacred rituals are acts that remind us of what we value and what is
important in our lives. Examples of sacred rituals are watching the sunrise, calling a distant
friend, reading poetry on Wednesdays, watching birds at the bird feeder, or being of service to
the elderlyanything that reminds us of how sacred life really is (Seaward, 2012, p 234). My
twelfth question is What is your personal definition of faith? When we have faith we are
putting our trust in the hands of something outside of our control. The act of faith is a sign of
spiritual strength and courage.

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Upon completion of my interview I was able to come to multiple conclusions. My first

conclusion is that I need to better develop my questions. Most of my questions are very simply
phrased and can use clarification. To fix this issue I can do one of two things, I can either rewrite the questions to be more detailed or I can have examples for each of the questions to help
better explain the point in each question. An example of this would be adding more detail to my
question about boundaries. Or giving examples of how a person can set boundaries in their life.
As part of improving my questions I feel that there needs to be more questions directly related to
spirituality. For example I can add a question about meditation, prayer, or religious groups.
Another conclusion I came to from my interview was that this inventory, while still vague, is a
great tool in gauging a persons psychological and spiritual health and development level.
From my interview I was able to get a better idea of the interviewees
psychological and spiritual health. Based off of the questions I asked I can tell the interviewee
has a healthy understanding of his spirituality and what is important to his spiritual development.
He understands that his personal time, relationships, and hikes feed his spiritual side. From this
interview I was able to help him pinpoint more ways to strengthen his spirituality. This interview
also showed me that the interviewee has a healthy understanding of his own psychology and
what makes him tick. After further discussing each of the questions I was able to help the
interviewee set up a clear psychological and spiritual development plan. Each of the inventory
questions helped us narrow down what helps him grow spiritually and what things enrich his life.
A spiritual and psychological inventory is a wonderful tool in both a personal and
professional setting. When we take our own spiritual and psychological inventory it allows us to
set up a development plan to further improve our spiritual and psychological health. With this
information, you can focus your search for spirituality on the relationships and activities in life

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

that have helped define you as a person and those that continue to inspire your personal growth
(Mayo Clinic, 2013). This same principle applies in a professional setting, the inventory will help
me focus on the important aspects of my clients life and a plan can be developed from there.

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7
References

Berkley University of California. (2015). What is Forgiveness? Retrieved December 13th, 2015
from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition.
Mayo Clinic. (2013). Spirituality and stress relief: Make the connection. Retrieved December
13th, 2015 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/indepth/stress-relief/art-20044464.
Mental Health America. (N.D.). Work Life Balance. Retrieved December 13th, 2015 from
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/work-life-balance.
Seaward, B. L. (02/2012). Health of the Human Spirit: Spiritual Dimensions for Personal
Health, 2nd Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved December 12th, 2015
from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284090444/.