Spirituality

A Spiritual Journey

Juliana Kuhno’s spiritual journey began with her mother’s interest in astrology and came to a head when she wandered into a small crystal shop.

“I had no idea what crystals were at the time,” the Elon University sophomore said, “and then the worker, she came to us, just like, that's actually crystal. She kind of gave us the whole spiel that's actually amethyst. And she told us it's supposed to help with stress and relieve tension in your body and stuff. And I was like, Mom, I need that.”

Her crystal collection grew in 2020, and her spiritual awakening truly commenced last November, motivated by hard times and emotional turmoil. Enhanced by COVID isolation and lack of clarity for the future associated with a pandemic, Kuhno’s grades and health had been in decline.

“It was not who I am. I'm a very energetic, outgoing, fun individual. And that wasn't me.”
-- Juliana Kuhno

“It was kind of like this weird depression sort of thing,” Kuhno said, describing her previous lack of energy, insomnia, and self-isolation from her social circles. “It was not who I am. I'm a very energetic, outgoing, fun individual. And that wasn't me.”

She started by putting her crystals beneath her pillow as she slept, supplemented by meditations using those crystals and guidance from her guitar teacher turned spiritual mentor. With eyes shut, Kuhno will put the crystal in her non-dominant hand which she designated as best for absorbing the crystal’s energy.

“And I close my eyes, I feel what the crystal feels like,” she narrated. “The thing is, you have to feel its energy in order for the energy to connect with you. Because you could have just crystals in your presence, but it's not going to do anything if you don't connect with them. You really have to make that conscious effort to connect with them, in order for them to connect with you.”

For Kuhno, that genuine connection and intention is crucial for healing. Using crystals is a trend she sees on social media for aesthetic purposes and may not be effective that way, she explained.

Rather than online, Kuhno prefers to learn about how to use crystals from books. Her apartment is flush with books on spirituality and crystal use for emotional wellbeing. Her favorites, the Crystal Bibles act as a dictionary for different crystals and their potential uses. For as much reading though, Kuhno is still an enthusiastic student in crystal healing, accepting of the fact that she doesn’t know everything yet. As she learns though and elevates her practice, she noted improvement in her mental health.

“I would say my mental health has drastically gotten better,” Kuhno said. “I have more energy. I feel like more myself in some ways. ...It really helped me connect with who I truly am more and you know, I'm still learning I'm still growing. And I'm just hoping my crystals continue to help me grow and reach my fullest potential.”

While Kuhno hopes to use crystals to further improve her mental health and wellbeing, the efficacy of crystal healing is not proven among the scientific community and many point to phenomena such as the placebo effect as a potential contributor. Kuhno has found meaning in crystal use, but that does not mean that everyone struggling with mental health will too.

Kuhno shares her journey in spirituality.

Numen Lumen pavilion is home to the Truitt Center, Elon's home for religious and spiritual life.

Chaplain Tremblay has has a makeshift privacy wall in his office, intended to serve students seeking spiritual assistance related to mental health.

Hanging on Tremblay's office wall, a sign promotes in-person spiritual interaction.

Tremblay offers confidential confessional settings to help students grappling with anxiety, grief and frustration.

Father Peter Tremblay, Elon Chaplain

Meanwhile, Father Peter Tremblay offers spiritual sanctuary from his office in Numen Lumen Pavilion. While Kuhno’s spiritual practice may seem new-age, Tremblay’s floor-length robes and Catholic affiliation speak to age-old religious tradition.

Through this lens, Tremblay offers spiritual counseling with an emphasis on mental health to students within his role as one of Elon’s associate chaplains. Mental health and religion are tied, he said, because spirituality speaks to the deepest part of who people are. This doesn’t apply just to those explicitly religious though, and he stressed that his doors are open to everyone, not just Catholic or Christian students.

“Spirituality, I think, is probably the deepest part of who we are,” Tremblay explained, “and so of course, it's going to be part of your foundation. If the depth of who you are is in turmoil, then the upper levels ... that doesn't mean they're on a good foundation. So I think it's got to be a comprehensive approach.”

This holistic methodology for mental health also includes taking care of one’s physical body in addition to their spiritual one. He recommends to students that seek his help, no matter what they’re grappling with, drink water, eat healthy, exercise and practice healthy sleeping habits.

Tremblay worries that the pandemic may have disrupted people’s spiritual foundations though, down to their very humanity. And transitioning away from strict pandemic-era precautions may be similarly troubling.

“I think something as simple as the switch away from social distancing had this subtle but real effect, where our humanity felt dangerous or poisonous,” he said. “We're built to be in proximity, whether it's, whether it's hugs, whether it's handshakes, whether it's sitting next to somebody, whatever the case may be, but if you live, literally and you're creating this bubble of isolation, that's devastating to your mental health, whether anyone was comfortable admitting that, I think that was very much the case.”

With the easing of social distancing though, Tremblay feels better equipped to help students. He expressed feeling an imposing distance when conducting sessions on the phone and feels that in-person appointments are much more conducive to conversations about mental health and his ability to create a positive change. According to Tremblay, isolation and masks associated with COVID-19 were not just sources of anxiety symptoms, but hindrances to communication for healing, too.

Tremblay continues to offer mental health support to students by focusing on spirituality, including an anonymous confessional that allows students to vent their frustrations and stressors, judgement-free.

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