This book synthesizes perspectives on how ‘place’ is deeply intertwined with our spirituality and well-being. Split into three sections, this book brings together contributions from global scholars across a range of disciplines to unravel how the personal, social, and cultural spheres of place shape our spiritual experiences and overall well-being. It is an essential read for those interested in enriching their knowledge of the linkages between place, spirituality, and well-being, while also providing a foundation for future research on place and its intersections with both spirituality and well-being.
Victor Counted, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University and Faculty Affiliate of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. He earned his PhD in Psychology at Western Sydney University and has a second PhD in Religion at the University of Groningen. He has published extensively on the science and practice of human flourishing and well-being, grounded in everyday psychosocial and psychospiritual processes, including how the interactions between people and their environments affect health and behavior.
Haywantee Ramkissoon, Ph.D., is a Professor at UniSA Business, University of South Australia, and at the College of Business, Law, and Social Sciences, University of Derby, UK, Johannesburg Business School, University of Johannesburg, South Africa and Centre for Innovation in Tourism, Taylor’s University, Malaysia. She has also been in teaching and research roles at Monash Business School, Department of Marketing, Monash University, Australia and the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway. Her expertise is in Sustainability Research, including Social and Environmental Psychology, Tourism, Marketing and Healthcare. She is recognised as one of the Clarivate Highly Cited Elite Group of Researchers for 2021 and 2022. She is also in Stanford list of World’s top 2% most cited scientists for 2021 and 2022.
Laura E. Captari, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Danielsen Institute at Boston University. Her research explores the developmental and relational impacts of trauma, disaster, and loss, with attention to the intersections of culture, spirituality, and the mind-body connection as potential pathways to resilience and flourishing.
Richard G. Cowden, Ph.D., is a social-personality psychologist and Research Associate for the Human FlourishingProgram at Harvard University. He is broadly interested in psychological, social, and religious/spiritual dynamics that shape adaptive functioning, personal growth, and well-being. Much of his research agenda focuses on topics related to adversity (e.g., suffering), character strengths (e.g., forgiveness), and religion/spirituality (e.g., religious/spiritual struggles), and their implications for health and well-being in diverse cultures and contexts. He has written numerous scholarly articles and book chapters that address various aspects of human flourishing in a wide range of populations, and recently co-authored Place and Post-Pandemic Flourishing: Disruption, Adjustment, and Healthy Behaviors (Springer, 2021).
