Why Study Spiritual Psychology?

When we come to the study of Mind Body Nutrition, it becomes very apparent that there’s more to the human being than just the brain and the biology. In fact there’s a whole underlying story at work beneath the surface of each person.

Before the term psychology was “invented,” the workings of our minds and behavior in this way came under the auspices of philosophy in Ancient Greece.

But in the late 19^th century, about 150 years ago, psychology moved into the realm of science. Sigmund Freud put the human psyche on the map, and ever since then, psychology has been an ever-unfolding study of how we think, feel and see the world.

The study of psychology has given us words and ways of understanding why we do what we do, as well as tools to change the way we feel and act in the world.

Here, in the 21^st century, we look at our inner landscape through many powerful lenses, such as feminist psychology, Interpersonal psychology, Family Systems Theory and more, but even though we are more sophisticated when it comes to psychology, we still tend to focus on the realm of our mind, our feelings, and our behavior.

Mind, feelings and behavior are certainly important, but they are not the whole story. In order for us to see the “big picture” of how we experience and operate in our lives, we need to include our spiritual self, which is why Spiritual Psychology is such a necessary approach.

Here at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating, we understand the importance of acknowledging our more than physical aspect, beyond our brain and body, by bringing a spiritual component to the psychology table. This is a unique aspect in our Eating Psychology Coach Certification Training.

Spiritual Psychology walks into the more amorphous world of energy, spirit and life force, and maintains 4 Important Perspectives that make it unique and essential in our health and transformation.

1. Spiritual Psychology takes the approach that we don’t need to be fixed.

Even though we experience pain or suffering, as human beings: we are not fundamentally broken. At the core, there is nothing “wrong” with us. We may have been wounded and may continue to be in need of healing, but that does not mean that in our essence we are faulted. Spiritual Psychology takes the compassionate path of seeing our elemental wholeness, and helps us to reconnect to that place of peace and clarity.

2. Spiritual Psychology affirms the reality that we are more than our biology.

Our bodies are absolutely brilliant. The intelligence of our cells and molecules and the power of every system in the body are truly astounding. However, when we view ourselves simply as biology – a mere collection of cells and molecules – we actually underestimate our ability and power as human beings. One of the reasons why Spiritual Psychology is so needed now is that it acknowledges the immense ability we have to heal ourselves when we tap into the bigger and deeper soul and spirit level. When we work with our relationship to the divine, our connection to our soul, and lean into the support of the universe, we can more profoundly affect healing on many different levels.

3. Spiritual Psychology sees and honors our natural urge to evolve and grow.

People have a natural tendency to learn and change. Spiritual Psychology acknowledges that inclination. In Spiritual Psychology, there’s an understanding that push or force is unnecessary when it comes to helping the human character progress. We simply need compassion, support and guidance, and we will open up into our fullest potential.

4. Spiritual Psychology views our challenges in life as soul lessons.

Part of trusting our path of growth and change, is holding the perspective that all of the challenges we face are opportunities that life is giving us to encourage that we evolve. Every problem we encounter is an opportunity for us to learn. Our current obstacle in life, whatever it is, is a lesson for our soul – it’s a chance to understand and embrace ourselves more deeply, so that we can live more fully.

When it comes to shifting out of unwanted eating habits – such as binging, chronic-dieting and compulsive overeating – using an approach that incorporates Spiritual Psychology allows us to work beyond food and emotions. Spiritual Psychology helps us see that our issues with food are a doorway to deeper soul issues and an opportunity for healing.

Spiritual Psychology is at the cutting edge of personal growth and transformation, right now. Spiritual Psychology affirms that we are whole and perfect as we are, and yet gives us the framework, and support to step into living our life in a way that allows us to express ourselves fully, and offer the world the gifts that we uniquely hold.

Here at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, we offer a powerful training that certifies our graduates as Eating Psychology Coaches. We make sure to include many different approaches and tools that can help people with the challenges of weight issues, binge eating, overeating, emotional eating, body image concerns, digestive ailments, low mood, low energy and more. Spiritual Psychology is one such approach that we incorporate as a way to help people see the wisdom in their challenges with food, body and health.