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USC Off the Beaten Path: The Search for Spirituality

The Psychology of Sports and Spirituality

By Jessica Roberts, Allison Louie, July 18, 2007

Professor John Callaghan gives some context to the connections that so many people seem to make between sports and spiritual experiences.

What is it like when people achieve these spiritual states?
Why is it that physical activities can lead to certain mental states?
Are these spiritual experiences possible in any sport?
Many athletes describe being in "the zone." What is the zone?
How could sports aid in the development of our spirituality?
The other part of sports and spirituality: the moral side.

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