Spiritual Development

Spiritual Development for a Meaningful Life

Spiritual development has evolve dramatically in the past few decades. There are numerous spiritual development ‘gurus’ out there, all pontificating their virtues and experience and guidance, but how is a person to know if spiritual development is the right path for them? How can an individual decipher one expert from another, especially when the advice seems to all blend into one conglomerate of enlightenment? Are all spiritual development programs the same?

Someone once asked me whether all the spiritual development programs were essentially the same. My initial reaction was the laugh and say, ‘No.’ Unequivocally, no. Then I went home that evening with the question still ringing in my head. Was that the right answer? Are they all the same? It started me thinking and the question continues to linger today.

The answer is one that confounds me. Mostly because it is no, but is also yes. Spiritual development is, at its core, all the same. Whether you are listening to one person or another, they are all essentially touting the same premise, that spiritual enlightenment and fulfillment is the key to happiness and also the key to overcoming any number of personal issues, including depression and addiction.

Yet the manner in which people set about to help others achieve that all-important spiritual development is often quite different. In many cases, these so-called ‘experts’ write books and programs that are engineered for a general audience. Their exercises and plans and processes are rooted in the existential qualities that supposedly underlie us all. The problem with that is that each person is an individual. That individual then needs a program and guidance that takes into account his or her own unique set of qualities, his or her own unique manner by which they deal with issues important and inherent to their own life.

Is spiritual development right for you?

The question is another one of the most popular ones that I have heard asked in the past. Some people worry that seeking spiritual development outside of their chosen religion would be an insult to their god or their soul. Spiritual development isn’t about faith or the discovery of the existence of God or any other deity. It’s about personal development, about finding the source of happiness from within and bringing it to the surface where it can breathe and grow and become rooted in the eternal sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Let me ask you a question now. A series of them, in fact.

First, are you happy? Do you wake up in the middle of the night wondering what’s missing? Do you often feel as though you are simply not doing the right thing with your life? Do you question what it is that you’re missing within your life?

Second, have you spent time working on yourself, trying to improve yourself, whether it’s through yoga or a fitness program or reading self help books, but still feel as though something is missing?

Third, do you feel as though your spiritual life has been neglected? That there wasn’t enough done to help you foster it and help it to grow?

Lastly, do you feel a sense of loss of purpose, that you’re not connected with God or some external presence or entity?

Humankind is on a planet that rests in the middle of nowhere. Sure, there are billions of stars and galaxies throughout the universe, but essentially we are alone, isolated, and cut off from the rest of it. It would take more than one lifetime for a person to travel to another planet outside of our Solar System. This knowledge, this fact, is often a very lonely concept and people feel the need to be connected in some spiritual way to something beyond our world.

Or connected to others in a visceral way.

With all of the spiritual development experts out there, it can be lonely

As mentioned already, there are far more spiritual development professionals and experts coming out of the wood work everyday, all of them proselytizing their genius or their ability to set your spirit free, to help you find meaning in a world that has lost much of it. The problem is that it is similar to psychics; there are many illusions and half-truths that are easy to buy into.

Dr. Fleming, with his groundbreaking book, The Half-Truth: Breaking the Illusions of the Most Powerful Drug in Life & Business, he teaches you about the half-truths of spiritual development that elude most practitioners in this field. Armed with knowledge and insight from many different religions, clinical psychology training, and the neuroscience of faith formation, Dr. Fleming outlines a way to discern what makes sense from what is fully true within your spiritual quest.

Dr. Fleming’s solution:

Dr. Fleming has long been working on studying the brain and psychology and addiction for most of his professional career and, through his efforts, has unlocked a number of incredible keys to overcoming any number of challenges. His customized one-on-one approach has helped thousands of clients from around the world improve their lives, overcome addictions, and become better people.

Dr. Fleming’s vast experience includes: