by Jared Kass, Ph.D.

In studies at Harvard and other centers, the following INSPIRIT and WELL-BEING tests have shown how tapping into your spiritual core can boost self-confidence, lower heart attack risk factors, reduce cravings for alcohol, and help stop smoking. Take a few minutes to complete the tests and consider what strengthening your spirituality might do for you.

As well as giving you a better understanding of yourself, we hope to collect data for the first worldwide study on spirituality and health. Your answers are anonymous. No one can know who you are. But we will update this page periodically to let you know more about the spiritual lives of our Internet community.

Start the Tests (Give yourself ten minutes)

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Evaluate your own spiritual grounding and discover how you can gain greater fulfillment in the midst of stress.

Do you experience a sense of purpose, self-confidence and well-being? Take this test to evaluate your own spiritual grounding, and to discover how you can gain greater fulfillment in the midst of stress.

This Index of Core Spiritual Experience, called INSPIRIT, was developed over years of research that has shown such experience to be normal and health enhancing. The INSPIRIT recognizes that people have many different definitions and images of the higher power or spiritual core that we often call God. The INSPIRIT will help you assess your depth of spiritual awareness. There are no right or wrong answers.

Click on the number of the answer that is most true for you.

How spiritual or religious do you consider yourself to be?	Not at all spiritual Not very spiritual Somewhat spiritual Very spiritual
How often do you spend time on spiritual or religious practices?	Once per year or less Once per month to several times per year Once per week to several times per month Several times per day to several times per week
How often have you felt close to a powerful spiritual force that seemed to lift you outside yourself?	Never Once or twice Several times Often
Use your own definition and image of God when answering the following questions.
How close do you feel to God?	I don't believe in God Not very close Somewhat close Extremely close
Have you ever had an experience that has convinced you that God exists?	No I don't know Maybe Yes
Indicate whether you agree or disagree with this statement: "God dwells within you".	Definitely disagree Tend to disagree Tend to agree Definitely agree
Indicate if you have had any of these experiences and the extent to which each of them has affected you.

		Had this experience and it:
Spiritual Experiences:	Never had this experience	Did not strengthen conviction that God exists	Strengthened conviction that God exists	Convinced me of God's existence
An experience of God's energy or presence
An experience of a great spiritual figure (e.g. Jesus, Mary, Elijah, Buddha)
An experience of angels or guiding spirits
An experience of communication with someone who has died
Meeting or listening to a spiritual teacher or master
An overwhelming experience of love
An experience of profound inner peace
An experience of complete joy and ecstasy
A miraculous (or not normally occurring) event
A healing of your body or mind (or witnessed such a healing)
A feeling of unity with the earth and all living beings
An experience with near death or life after death
Other experience

Part Two: Your Sense of Well-Being

This Well-Being test is helpful in assessing whether your spirituality is empowering you to achieve well-being through

1. a sense of life purpose and satisfaction and
2. self-confidence during perceived stress.

Your answers here will begin to give a picture of whether, as Thoreau put it, we are living lives of "quiet desperation" or whether our lives have underlying harmony.

On each scale of opposite extremes, click on the number that is most true for you.

During most of the day, my energy level is
very low	very high
When there is a great deal of pressure being placed on me
I get tense	I remain calm
As a whole, my life seems
dull	vibrant
My daily activities are
not a source of satisfaction	a source of satisfaction
During stressful circumstances, I experience anxiety
all the time	never
I have come to expect that every day will be
exactly the same	new and different
During stressful circumstances, I am fearful
all the time	never
When I think deeply about life
I do not feel there is any purpose to it	I feel there is a purpose to it
I feel that my life so far has
been productive	not been productive
When I have made a mistake during a stressful situation
I feel extreme dislike for myself	I continue to like myself
I feel that the work* I am doing *The definition of work is not limited to income-producing jobs. It includes childcare, housework, studies, and volunteer services.
is of no value	is of great value
I wish I were different than who I am.
agree strongly	disagree strongly
At this time, I have
no clearly defined goals for my life	clearly defined goals for my life
When a situation becomes difficult, I find myself worrying that something bad is going to happen to me or those I love.
all the time	never
In a stressful situation
I cannot concentrate easily	I can concentrate easily
When I need to stand up for myself
I cannot do it	I can do it quite easily
I feel less than adequate when I am in difficult situations.
agree strongly	disagree strongly
In a difficult situation, I am confident that I will receive the help that I need.
disagree strongly	agree strongly
I react to problems and difficulties
with a great deal of frustration	with no frustration
When sad things happen to me or other people
I cannot feel positive about life	I continue to feel positive about life
When I think about what I have done with my life, I feel
worthless	worthwhile
During times of stress, I feel isolated and alone.
agree strongly	disagree strongly
My present life
does not satisfy me	satisfies me
I feel joy in my heart
never	all the time
In really difficult situations
I feel unable to respond in positive ways	I feel able to respond in positive ways
When I need to relax during stressful times
I experience no peace — only thoughts and worries	I experience a peacefulness free of thoughts or worries
I feel trapped by the circumstances of my life.
agree strongly	disagree strongly
When I am in a frightening situation
I panic	I remain calm
When I think about my past
I feel many regrets	I feel no regrets
Deep inside myself
I do not feel loved	I feel loved
During stressful times in my life, I worry about the future
all the time	never
When I think about the problems that I have
I do not feel hopeful about solving them	I feel very hopeful about solving them

Part Three: Your Stress Load and How You Respond

In each of the following categories, indicate the amount of stress you have felt during the past six months

Physical health None Mild Moderate Strong Physical appearance None Mild Moderate Strong Health of family members None Mild Moderate Strong

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