Stages of spiritual development

Seven Stages of Spiritual Development
By Dr. Daya Singh Sandhu

The psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, and multicultural, are generally identified as four main forces in counseling and psychology. By “force” is meant that each of these perspectives has widely impacted a variety of helping professions, such as counseling, psychology, social work, and nursing. They have also influenced other fields including education and medicine. It must be noted that each of these “forces” are not only pervasive and potent, but also prevalent on a continuing basis. Dr. Daya Singh Sandhu,a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar and Distinguished Professor of Research at the University of Louisville is generally credited to be the first one to suggest that spirituality should be recognized as the fifth force in counseling and psychotherapy.

In addition, he has proposed the following seven stages of spiritual development that are unfolded through human experience in which a religion may or may not play any role.

1.Scourge

This is a stage which can best be described as “a-spiritual,” or a stage when a person’s spiritual interests are dormant. At this level the individual is mostly egocentric and is focused only on materialistic matters. Spirituality is of very little or no interest. Life without spiritual awakening is described as a scourge.

2.Emerge

In some cases, emerging from the previous stage of scourge results from a major life event or trauma, which leads a person to become spiritual. It seems that in a time of crisis, all humans become religious or spiritual. In other cases, an awakening to spiritual life might be facilitated by a spiritual teacher, a preceptor, or a Guru. Of course, a Guru could be any person who removes our spiritual darkness or ignorance and introduces us to the spiritual realm. In the absence of a living Guru, a scripture can serve as the source of inspiration. This stage can be described as a transforming stage, and can also be conducive to transitioning to higher stages. Spirituality becomes important for a person for the first time during this stage. A person takes deliberate interest in it.

3. Purge

Purge is characterized by an individual’s rejecting materialistic and worldly pleasures. At this level the individual changes path. Spiritual concerns become more important than materialistic interests. A part of the purging process may include turning away from a life of scourge. A person makes a conscious effort to manage several deadly habits, such as lust, anger, greed, worldly attachments, and haughtiness as these are the barriers to spiritual life.

4. Diverge

Spiritual ascent is not steady or linear. A person might start experiencing divergence, leaving a spiritual path and going back to old materialistic ways of living. There may be a loss of interest in spiritual matters during this stage. This setback is generally transitory.

5. Resurge

During the Resurgence stage individuals are coming back to a stronger spiritual understanding after having “slipped,” regressed, or suffered a loss of interest in a previous spiritual journey. This spiritual understanding and interest is stronger than previous experiences. At this stage spirituality and religion become important once again. One’s interest in spirituality is revived or renewed even more vigorously.

6. Converge

Persons experiencing convergence are really on their spiritual path. Their spiritual beliefs, spiritual feelings, and spiritual actions are all in synchrony. A spiritual person starts living his or her life according to the special rules for living as required by the scriptures or by high moral and spiritual standards. At this level, a person experiences great solace and satisfaction by balancing spiritual and materialistic matters. Clearly, there is comfort in walking on this path where there is faith, hope, and deep appreciation for life.

7. Merge

Sandhu believes that the merge stage is the ultimate in spiritual development. There is emphasis on experience of union with God or Oneness. This stage also has mystical qualities. This stage is characterized with one uniting with a Higher Being. Life and death are both blessings. At this highest stage of spiritual realization, suffering and comforts are the same as they both come from the same Higher-self or the Supreme Being.

References

Sandhu, D.S. (2007). Seven stages of spiritual development: A
framework to solve psycho-spiritual problems. In O.J. Morgan
(Ed.), Counseling and spirituality: Views from the profession
(pp.64-92). Houghton Mifflin: New York: NY.

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