A VERY FRUITFUL “PSYCHOSIRITUAL WELLBEING IN THE POST-MIDLIFE YEARS” PROGRAMME AT SUMEDHA CENTRE

 The 2^nd “Psychospiritual Wellbeing in the post Midlife years” Programme at Sumedha Centre, Jharmari, concluded on the 5^th June. This four-week residential programme commenced on the 9^th May, 2026

There were 7 participants – 6 men and 1 woman (from Brazil).

The programme was based on the book “Psychospiritual Dynamics at Midlife and Beyond: Pathways to Health and Happiness in the Second Half of Life” authored by Dr Jose Parappully, the Director of Sumedha Centre. 

The programme content included:

·         An Assessment of the current state of one’s psychospiritual journey

• Self-Awareness and Self-Transformation
• Somatic Meditation
• Holistic and Process Spiritualties
• Awakening to Post-Midlife
• Psychospiritual Dynamics During Post-Midlife years.
• Post-Midlife Journeying  Inward and Outward
• Emotional Awareness of Mortality
• Awareness of Time Limitation
• Assessment of Life and Priorities
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• Post-Midlife Transformational Processes
• De-Illusioning
• Mourning Losses
• Atonement
• A Re-Look at  Sexuality, Intimacy and Celibacy
• Enhancing Interiority
• Attaining Integrity/Wholeness
• Spiritualties for the Post-Midlife Years.

Methodology was very experiential, using a four-fold approach of Input, Introspection, Interaction and Intercession. This was supplemented by Expressive Arts and Dance, Bioenergetics, Yoga, Qigong and creative liturgies.

Course requirement included reading assigned material and writing Journals and time spent in introspection and integration and active participation in group work and sharing of responsibilities.

Life at Sumedha included celebrations and visits to tourist spots and famous town nearby and a full-day group picnic to Chandigarh.

The participants found the programme immensely beneficial and life at Sumedha very satisfying. Some feedback observations:

·         “It was truly a journey inward and journey outward. It helped me get in touch with myself and plan for the future. I feel more connected with myself now and more energetic. I got help to improve my relationships. It was a wonderful programme. Well thought-out and well executed. I received more than I expected.” R. 53 years

·         “It was helpful to integrate my psychological, emotional, spiritual and relational life. It was helpful to develop appropriate intimacy, empathy, listening skills and healthy boundaries. It helped me look honestly at my life journey. It assisted me to accept my past without regrets, live in the present with gratitude, and face the future with hope” J. 56 years

·         “Sumedha is a powerhouse for body, mind and spirit. The programme led me into the core of my being. It touched me deeply. It has opened up some of the dormant or stagnant areas of my life. It has helped me to get rid of some resentment, doubt, fear, rather helped how to deal with these. It has helped me to turn “crisis” into “Kairos.” It has helped me to deal with declining health and strength and stress.” G. 62 Years

·         “I was really surprised that the programme offered me what I was genuinely longing for. It led to an overhauling of my rigid values and convictions, particularly my perfectionism which were destructive to my happiness and my relationships.” J. 65 years.

·         “Sumedha caused a thorough churning within me – backward and forward. I was amazed at the selection of topics. Just at appropriate depth each topic was covered. The process was just right. It was engaging. The facilitator was awesome. Kindness, acceptance, availability was the hallmark of the Centre. What I carry with me as a result is real joy.” J. 68 years

·         “The programme has brought me healing and wellbeing. It really helped me to look into myself and make an evaluation of my life and prepare myself to grow old gracefully. It helped me let go of my rigid values and expectations and accept people as they are. The input sessions were deep.” A. 69 years.

·         “It was providential I came to Sumedha. The programme helped me to reflect on the emotional awareness of mortality and the brevity of time available. It opened my eyes to a broader and deeper understanding of realities and paradoxes of life and their implications for future life. It helped me understand the nuances of various psychological dynamics of and the scope for gaining gracefully.” J. 73 years.

"Psyche & Soul" 1 - Health and Happiness

Jose Parappully, Salesian priest and clinical psychologist,  and Director of Sumedha Centre for Psychospiritual Wellbeing at Jeolikote, Uttarakhand, presents every weekend starting this July a psychospiritual and educational reflection titled “Psyche & Soul.” on Bosco Information Service (www.donboscoindia.org)  In these reflections he uses insights from psychology, sacred scripture as well as the socio-political realities of our everyday life to help us enhance our emotional wellbeing and our spiritual life – our psyche and our soul.

In this first reflection he focuses on health and happiness – our psycho-physical and spiritual wellbeing.

                                                                               .....

Let me begin with a question: What is it that contributes to health and happiness the most in the later years of life? …..

The answer to this question is something that psychology has been searching for years. The answer is now clear, with conclusive data from research.

It is our satisfying and fulfilling close relationships (friendships, marital relationships) in the earlier years that lead to health and happiness in the later years of life.

Research after research has been reaching the same conclusion. Let me cite the most famous of them all.

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, known as the Grant Study, is perhaps the longest running longitudinal study ever. A longitudinal study is one that follows up the same group of people over many years. The Harvard study, begun in 1938, followed up two groups of people, one 268 students from Harvard University, coming from the privileged affluent class and the other 456 young men from Boston’s poorest families. Around 70 of these men are still alive, and are still being studied.

These men were followed year after year, now for over eighty years – with questionnaires and interviews, psychological and medical tests that collected every kind of data. Painstaking analysis of all these data led to several significant conclusions regarding physical and emotional wellbeing . 

In a recent TED presentation entitled “The Good Life” Dr. Robert Waldinger, the current and fourth Director of the Study, declared that the Grant Study provided conclusive evidence to show that it is our close relationships that lead to health and happiness.

Those with the most satisfying relationships in the earlier years were the happiest and healthiest in their 70s’s and 80’s. Those who were isolated from others, who had no friends or satisfying marital relationships, were less happy and less healthy.

A second clear message delivered by the Study, Waldinger observed, is that it is the quality of close relationships, and not the number of relationships that matter. Having a few really good close relationships contributes more to health and happiness than several not so close or healthy ones

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Waldinger’s predecessor, Dr. George Vaillant, published four books based on the findings from the Study. In them Vaillant had already confirmed what Waldinger found. It is our close relationships that really count.  I quote: “Warm, intimate relationships are the most important contributing factor in the establishment of a good life.” 

The capacity for close relationships, in turn, depended significantly on the warm relationships the men in the study had experienced with their parents, siblings and other significant people in childhood. A loving and cohesive home environment had a profound impact on life satisfaction in adult life.

Vaillant’s five-word final conclusion: “Happiness is love. Full stop.”  That’s it, “Happiness is built on love.”

…….

Jesus had said this many years ago. “Love one another,” he had said. That’s the only thing that really matters.

Happiness, according to Jesus, results from loving one another, caring for one another, forgiving one another.  The good life according to Jesus is founded on a society where justice, peace and harmony prevail, where everyone treats one another, irrespective of class, caste, religion and ethnicity as sons and daughters of the same loving God…

The situations in contemporary society, torn apart by dissension and hatred, invite us to give greater consideration to these values essential for health and happiness.

It might be helpful for us to take a few moments, in the context of this reflection, to consider the quality of our relationships, the way we treat one another.

Here are a few questions for us to stay with as we conclude:

Are the insights from the Grant Study and Jesus’ teaching on relationships challenging us in anyway?

How can we enhance love in our relationships? ….. Is there any particular relationship to which we have to bring some changes to make it more loving?

Is there anything God is telling us in regard to our relationships?

We take a few moments to listen to the Spirit within us and we respond in quiet payer, talking to the God who envelops us in love.

A n podcast based on this post  is available at anchor Psyche--soul---health-and-happiness

……

God bless. Have a healthy and happy weekend enhanced by loving relationships.

Bye, till the next weekend.

Jose Parappully SDB, PhD
Director Sumedha Centre