In this episode, Mirian Vilela talks with Dr. Lisa Miller about the role of spirituality in mental and emotional health, the importance of spirituality in education, and the connections between her work and the Earth Charter. Dr. Miller explains that while religion is completely environmentally and culturally transmitted, we are born with an innate physical capacity for spirituality. She emphasizes that religion is not a requirement to fulfill this capacity for a transcendent relationship, but that this connection to a whole can be experienced through a god, the universe, ancestors, or another higher power. However, this innate spirituality is being socialized out of children which she believes is resulting in many of the emotional and mental health problems in today’s societies.

In response to this, Dr. Miller created the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education to develop spaces for spirituality in K-12 schools. She believes that the most important work for a parent, teacher, or caregiver is to strengthen children’s spiritual form by modeling this behavior. To foster spiritual growth, parents must both “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” equally.

In her book, The Awakened Brain, Dr. Miller discusses the need for awakened awareness. An obstacle to this is the transactional, achievement-oriented mindset that focuses on attaining more money, prestige, and material wealth. Instead, we must focus on the “deep in-and-of-itself of living”, spiritual value, and quality of life. Counterintuitively, this will lead to more outward success.

Dr. Miller sees the connection between her work and that of the Earth Charter because of the focus on the interconnectedness and oneness with the environmental, spiritual, social, and political. Her work at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute identifies a need for a spiritual voice in environmental protection and education. In Principle 14, the Earth Charter emphasizes the importance of moral and spiritual education which parallels her work with the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education. Finally, both the Earth Charter and Dr. Miller recognize the importance of a transcendent relationship through our connection to the greater whole.

Learn more about Dr. Miller’s work at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute and the Collaborative for Spirituality in Education at these websites:

https://spiritualitymindbody.tc.columbia.edu/

https://spiritualityineducation.org/

Stephen Sterling | Transformative Learning and Education for Sustainable Development