Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice

Spirituality--How It Makes Us Stronger

With her previous bestsellers, Dr. Bren Brown helped us realize that vulnerability is the birthplace for trust, courage, joy, creativity, and love. Yet a willingness to be vulnerable means accepting that life will sometimes knock us down. Where do we find the strength to get back up? In her research on resilient people, Bren discovered a key factor. "Without exception," she says, "the concept of spirituality emerged from the data as a critical component of resilience and overcoming struggle." On Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice, Bren offers an in-depth exploration of this key aspect of wholehearted living, including:

- The spiritual dimension of the Rising Strong process: the Reckoning, the Rumble, and the Revolution
- A sense of belonging--how spirituality encourages us to be ourselves instead of trying to change in order to fit in
- Why the sense of perspective provided by a spiritual practice helps us find meaning and purpose
- "Are we doing the best we can?"--How faith in humanity can help us become more compassionate and less judgmental
- Why the spiritual understanding of death and rebirth are invaluable in the process of forgiveness

On Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice, Bren defines spirituality as something not reliant on religion, theology, or dogma--rather, it is a belief in our interconnectedness and in a loving force greater than ourselves. Whether you access the sacred through traditional worship, solitary meditation, communion with nature, or creative pursuits, one thing is clear: cultivating your own approach to spirituality gives you an irreplaceable resource to help you persevere through hard times and arise stronger and wiser than before.

About the Author:

PhD, LMSW Brene Brown
Bren Brown, PhD, LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work who has spent the past 10 years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She is a nationally renowned speaker and has won numerous teaching awards, including the college's Outstanding Faculty Award. Her groundbreaking work has been featured on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Her 2010 TEDxHouston talk on the power of vulnerability is one of most watched talks on TED.com. Her most recent TED talk, "Listening to Shame," was released in March 2012.

Bren is the author of The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't). She is also the author of Connections, a psychoeducational shame resilience curriculum that is being facilitated across the nation by mental health and addiction professionals.

Bren 's current research focuses on wholeheartedness in families, schools, and organizations. She lives in Houston with her husband and their two young children.