Welcome to The Center for Spiritual Resilience.
We live in turbulent times. Surrounded by discord and distress, we struggle to bring our best selves to each day. How do we find the hope, strength and stamina we need to rise to the call? How do we stay resilient?
Spiritual resilience rests on a foundation of positive spiritual emotions that help us thrive and give us energy to reach out and help others. Some people come by these qualities naturally. Most of us wander off into the weeds if we're not paying attention.
The Center for Spiritual Resilience offers tools to help cultivate positive spiritual emotions and process challenges. We blend centuries-old spiritual practices with current scientific research on human resilience. Our resources aid us in engaging the world with compassion, courage and hope. Our approach is rooted in the Christian tradition but adaptable to a variety of settings.
United in the Spirit, we seek to transform ourselves and the world.
What People Are Saying
In campus ministry, I notice that our students are longing for support and encouragement when they are feeling exhausted, directionless or lonely. There are infinite resources in the secular world. I’ve learned meaningful ways to enter faith and spirituality into conversations about resilience. For our students it has been a breath of fresh air. They’re more empowered, more confident, and more creative in the ways that they love each other and themselves.
— Josh Kestner ELCA Campus Ministry Clemson University, Clemson, SC
The material was the perfect focus for our parish online retreat. The spiritual practices she suggested were offered with clarity, good pacing, and gentle humor.
— Chris Kosowski Parish Pastoral Care Director St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Community Minneapolis, MN
Soul Habits is a wonderful asset because it’s practical. Through clear guidance of specific practices, I found myself more resilient to the challenges of the world around me and more connected to my sense of purpose.
— Drew Tucker, University Pastor and Dir. of the Center for Faith and Learning Capital University, Columbus, OH
I have SO appreciated my experience - to have it available for myself, family, & friends, is a WONDER-FULL gift! You are skipping stones making ripples on the pond of life :-)”
— Laureen, Class Participant
This 3-session course was well-organized, informative, and wonderfully open to both religious and secular definitions of spirituality. It brought up deep topics in an accessible way. I highly recomend it.
- Sandy Rausch, Hospice RN
I was surprised and delighted to find a resource that puts into one place so many practical tools for building spiritual resilience in individuals and communities. I appreciate the combination of research on brain science and spiritual practices, as well as naming spiritual emotions. In my ELCA Lutheran tradition, we walk by faith but very much endorse the gift from God that is science! I look forward to using Soul Habits with college students, staff and faculty alike in the coming semesters. Thank you, Connie, for this gift!
— Sarah Semmler Smith, Campus Pastor Finlandia University, Finlandia, MI
Not just a good practice, but one long overdue. Thank you for creating and writing. Wonderful - just what was needed.
— Nina, Spiritual Director
The teachings from Connie will absolutely give a caregiver the tools to recognize ways to be resilient, aware and compassionate with self and others.
- Mary Spurling, RN