Learning Center, Headington InstituteThe Headington Institute has established a learning center to provide valuable resources on psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief personnel worldwide. When you visit the learning center, you'll find articles that are geared specifically toward psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief personnel, as well as links to additional resources that are useful for field workers, office workers, and family members. Also, be sure to browse the concise and helpful tip sheets for self-care.
Three articles in the Headington Institute's Learning Center that we found particularly useful as spiritual resources are:
Aid Workers NetworkAid Workers Network is a comprehensive website that's also host to a number of online forums and guides. This link brings you to a section of the site that serves as a guide to recognizing and meeting common physical and emotional problems encountered during disaster relief activities. By discussing common issues such as culture shock and critical incident stress, you'll find that this guide will not only help you to recognize symptoms in yourself, but also helps you to be aware of the well-being of your colleagues.
Classic and contemporary spiritual texts
The Bible
New International Version or other translations
Collection of the many different sacred writings of the Christian religions.
The Qur'an
Khatib (1986) and other translations
The sacred writings of Islam
Tao te Ching
Lao-tzu
There are many good translations of this Taoist classic. Discusses the role of the enlightened sage.
The Bhagavad Gita
Eknath Easwaran, translation
This Hindu classic, and the editor's introduction, explores the Eastern notion of karma.
The way of man according to the teaching of Hasidism
Martin Buber (1963)
A brief introduction to the Jewish notion of "turning", where a wandering or misdirected life is set back on its path.
Soul food: Stories to nourish the spirit and the heart
Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield (1991)
A collection of spiritual tales from diverse traditions, organized by topic.
Spiritual literacy: Reading the sacred in everyday life
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (1996)
A rich collection of excerpts from contemporary spiritual writers organized around topics such as "nature" "leisure" and "relationships."
God makes the rivers to flow
Eknath Easwaran (ed) (1982)
A beautiful collection of passages drawn from a variety of spiritual traditions.
Prayer, meditation, mindfulness and mentality
Peace is every step: The path of mindfulness in everyday life
Thich Naht Hanh (1991)
This Vietnamese Budhist monk gives a series of simple practices for how to use driving, washing dishes and other everyday acts to summon us back to the present.
Dimensions of prayer
Douglas Steere (1962)
Explores prayer, its meaning and techniques, and its relationship to action.
The practice of the presence of God
Brother Lawrence (1982)
In this simple classic, a 17th century monk describes methods and benefits of conversing with God.
Meditation
Eknath Easwaran (1978)
Presents an eight-point program on living a spiritual life with a key focus on the use of a mantrum.
When the heart waits: Spiritual direction for life's sacred questions
Sue Monk Kidd (1990)
Explores the role of stillness and waiting as part of the spiritual quest
Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life
Jon Kabat-Zin
An accessible guide to cultivating awareness of the moment and our mental processes.
A spirituality named compassion and the healing of the global village, Humpty Dumpty and us
Matthew Fox (1979)
A meditation, by an unorthodox priest, on the personal and global significance of compassion - that ability to enter into another's experience.
Make your life worthwhile
Emmet Fox (1946)
Discusses how positive thinking can improve our inner and outer lives and help us spiritually advance.
Gratefulness: The heart of prayer
Brother David Steindl-Rast (1984)
This Benedictine Monk explores the notion that all prayer is essentially an act of gratitude.
Lovingkindness: The revolutionary art of happiness
Sharon Salzberg (1995)
A rich discussion of Buddist loving-kindness meditation, and ways to integrate it into daily life.
Artistic spiritual disciplines
Managing stress: A creative journal
Brian Luke Seaward (1996)
Provides brief but thought-provoking commentaries on over 75 journal themes that can be selected to reflect immediate need, concern, or sense of belonging emotional state.
The artful journal: A spiritual quest
Maureen Carey, Raymond Fox, and Jacqueline Penney (2002)
Beautifully illustrated book explores for processing the spiritual dimensions by incorporating creative processes of drawing, painting and journaling into the practice of meditation.
Seeds from a birch tree: Writing haiku and the spiritual journey
Clark Strand (1997)
How to write haiku as a spiritual method for opening to self, nature and God.
The artist's way: A spiritual path to higher creativity
Julia Cameron (1992)
A 12-week workbook of exercises and activities designed to unlock your creativity.
Thorson's principles of art therapies
Daniel Brown (1997)
Introductory guide provides suggestions for how to use creative art forms of music, drama, poetry, stories and painting to develop and progress towards greater happiness.
Miscellaneous
How can I help? Stories and reflection on service
Ram Das and Paul Gorman (1985)
Discusses the personal and spiritual joys of service and the many hazards (self-righteousness, detachment, fear, burnout) that can undermine our giving.
Home sweeter home: Creating a haven of simplicity and spirit
Jann Mitchell (1996)
Suggestions for how to turn your home and home life into a nurturing sanctuary.
Games for the soul: 40 playful ways to find fun and fulfillment in a stressful world
By Drew Leder (1998)
Presents a playful twist on spirituality in it's offering of 40 simple, thought provoking games embodying spiritual principles such as forgiveness and gratitude.
Guilt is the teacher: Love is the lesson
Joan Borysenko (1990)
Discusses healing from self-defeating voices of guilt and shame.
Care of the soul
Thomas Moore (1992)
Focuses on the need to accept our wounds, weaknesses and shadow-side if we are to cultivate the richness of the soul.
The Humanitarian Companion
John Ehrenreich, (2004)
There is a brief discussion in this book on the impact humanitarian work can have on spirituality and worldview.
Ritual, Power, Healing, and Community
Malidoma Some (1997)
Malidoma Some, a medicine man presents in this book traditional beliefs about spirit possession and the need for ritual. He concentrates on the need for grief ritual and ways of working with emotion in Western culture. The book is available for purchase at the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140195580/ref=pd_sim_books_1/104-7070488-9753508?v=glance&s=books
Start Where You Are
Pema Chodron (1994)
With insight and humor, Pema Chφdrφn presents down-to-earth teachings on how we can overcome our own suffering as well as the suffering of others. This is only possible, the author says, if we start where we are, embracing rather than pushing away the painful aspects of our lives. The book is available for purchase at the following link:
http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/bookstore1.php
When Things Fall Apart
Pema Chodron (2000)
Spiritual author Pema Chodron discusses using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage; communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down; practices for reversing habitual patterns; methods for working with chaotic situations; and ways for creating effective social action.
http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/bookstore1.php
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