Hello. I’m Dianne Edleman, a spiritual director since 2011. I typically work with adults over 50 who identify as spiritually progressive, spiritual but not religious, or spiritually independent.

What is a spiritual progressive?
Spiritual progressives believe that spirituality is something that evolves over time. They embrace continuous learning and self-reflection. They are open to spiritual insights and practices from diverse traditions. They value personal experience, intuition, and direct connection with the divine. They resonate with perennial wisdom over dogma.

Freedoms and challenges.
Living a spiritually independent life can be freeing, but also challenging. Freeing, in that it enables you to be fully authentic about your beliefs and values, and how you want them to guide your life. Challenging, in the sense that you’re doing this on your own, oftentimes while facing difficult life situations that can raise all manner of spiritual questions.

Support for your spiritual journey.
As a spiritual director, I take some of the aloneness out of the equation. I accompany you on your journey, honoring your right to seek a meaningful relationship with the divine in your own way, while giving you the opportunity to think and talk about what’s going on in your life within the context of your beliefs and values.

In practice…

  • I listen to you deeply, lovingly, and sometimes intuitively, in confidence and without judgment.

  • I occasionally ask you questions that may stimulate new thinking and valuable insights.

  • I make suggestions, if and when you invite them, that may be helpful to your spiritual growth.

  • I affirm your insights and breakthroughs.

I also serve as empathic presence for you. I’ve been a hospital chaplain, a hospice worker, and a disaster spiritual care volunteer. By way of my own experience or that of those I’ve cared for, I’m intimately familiar with many of the challenges that can affect one’s spirituality. These include institutional (religious) conditioning, illness, LGBTQ issues, major life changes, profound losses, compassion fatigue, aging, dying, death, and grief, among others.

Want to know more?
Here’s my Bio. Here’s more about my Spiritual Direction practice. For a broader overview of spiritual direction, read Spiritual Direction Unveiled. Click here for Testimonials from current and past directees and spiritual coaching clients.

My practice credentials:

  • I earned my doctoral degree, which focused primarily on human potential development, at the Union Institute in Cincinnati, OH.

  • I trained as a Spiritual Director/Supervisor at the Urban Spirituality Center in Portland, OR.

  • In my years as a chaplain at Duke Raleigh Hospital and UNC Rex Healthcare, I provided over 4,000 individuals—patients, family members, and staff—with emotional and spiritual support during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic.

  • I have been a Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care team member and a hospice volunteer for many years.

  • My personal theology is influenced by aspects of Christianity, Buddhism, Spiritualism, New Thought, the Human Potential Development movement, mysticism, and the insights of Near-Death Experiencers.

  • I am a member of Spiritual Directors International.

  • I’ve authored several books on practical spirituality.

I meet with clients both in-person and virtually. Please contact me to schedule a brief, introductory phone consultation. There’s no obligation.

Thank you for visiting. I look forward to hearing from you.