Pausing in awe and gratitude and experiencing nature

Pausing in awe and feelings of gratitude as an expression of the ability to resonate with the world around us: sensitisation for a mindful, appreciative perception of the world around us as the starting point for a conscious commitment to others and the environment.

People experience that in certain situations or in certain places they pause as if spellbound, that they are touched and moved by this particular moment. This can be operationalised as an astonished pause in awe. This pausing with subsequent feelings of gratitude can be seen as an expression of a perceptive aspect of spirituality that is also significant for non-religious people. The frequency of this feeling can be measured with the newly developed Awe Gratitude Questionnaire (GrAw-7), which was used in different groups of people. In this way, conditions and contextual factors can be analysed.

Qualitative methods were also used to describe the triggers of these feelings and the resulting feelings, both in the general population and in people with a particular lifestyle and spiritual practice (e.g. religious and yoga practitioners). These can be assigned to the main categories of nature, special people, special moments, aesthetics/art/culture, religious practice and perception of transcendence.

As there is a clear connection with the spiritual background and spiritual practice of certain groups of people, the aim is to sensitise people to this perception in a research project with several sub-steps.

Intervention project to raise awareness of feelings of reverence and gratitude in everyday life

If you are interested, you will find all the necessary information on the intervention project page.