The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1 - 201

Spiritual Exchange

The conversations were both
personally transforming, in that
participants described the change
in self-perception and the positive

see the mutually transformational experience
shared by each and how the learning that took
place through their exchange has the potential
to shape future dialogue:
Megan: So, how was this for you, this whole
process?

experience of having someone listen
to their story, and also mutually
transforming, in that participants
described the change in how they
viewed others in the process of
spiritual dialogue. Transformation
was especially evident in deep,
personal exchanges.

Transformational Experiences Within
the Exchange
Returning to the notion of transformation,
which was a common theme in many of the
narratives shared, a signiﬁcant component of
our spiritual exchanges was the self-described
transformational experience that participants
had, to one degree or another, as a result of the
exchanges. The conversations were both personally transforming, in that participants described the change in self-perception and the
positive experience of having someone listen
to their story, and also mutually transforming, in that participants described the change
in how they viewed others in the process of
spiritual dialogue. Transformation was especially evident in deep, personal exchanges. In
this closing exchange between Megan (graduate student) and John (undergraduate), we can

John: It was awesome, it was amazing. . . .
We are from two completely different walks
of life. . . . We still view things differently in
some aspect, but we also view some things
the same. . . . People have different views of
the world because they are raised in different
parts of the world. However . . . there remain
these intangibles, I guess, that make people,
people.
Megan: For me, it is a really energizing
experience and it just afﬁrms for me how
much I like to talk to people, you know, about
what they think and about what is similar and
different and that kind of thing.
John: I take from this experience . . . that it is
possible to just sit with an individual and just,
you know, listen to them. And just ﬁgure out
where they are coming from. . . . And I think
it's cool just hearing another person's story
and comparing that to the things I have heard
in the past, or my own viewpoint. And I think
that it just enables me to be more open to
other people.

DISCUSSION
In this study of one-on-one spiritual exchange
it was important for us to understand not only
what was said in conversations, but also how
conversations evolved between strangers on
a topic as personal and potentially divisive as
worldview. As research on campus climate
and intergroup dialogue attests (Bryant, 2011;

201

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1