“Hybrid” means our annual conference can be experienced in-person in Santa Fe as well as digitally, through live apps and recordings. Building on the unprecedented on-line success of SDI’s Renaissance 2021 (with a record 1,500 participants), our hybrid approach will allow more people to participate and offer new options for convenience and affordability.

• For those who attend in person, there will be the wonderful sense of community that comes from being in the same physical space together. And our host city of Santa Fe offers unique atmosphere, culture and history. We expect a special synergy for all those who can join us in New Mexico
• For those who prefer to join digitally, there are significant cost advantages -the price of registration is lower and of course, attending virtually eliminates travel, meals, and lodging expenses. That means more people can attend from all over the world. We hope this conference will truly represent our international community of spiritual companions.
• For both in-person and virtual participants, the hybrid experience will offer remarkable flexibility. All keynote speeches and standard workshops will be recorded so you can watch when it’s convenient. That means if you are feeling exhausted, you can skip the live version of a keynote or workshop and not miss any of the presentation. You can even watch the recordings for 3 months beyond the end of the conference.
• Our conference app Whova, which we launched in 2021, will offer both in-person and virtual participants multiple opportunities for connection, including group discussion boards and chats, 1 on 1 video dialog, creating your own meeting rooms, perusing books and other offerings through the virtual Exhibition Hall, and more!
• The choice is yours. You can attend the entire SDI Conference from the comfort of your own home. Or come to Santa Fe and experience the joy of face-to-face connection with spiritual companions and spiritual directors from around the world.

Whova, our free conference app, will connect everyone at the conference. While in-person participants don’t have to use Whova, they would be wise to do so – for it will improve their ability to make new friends and meet old ones. In fact, everything related to our conference, including keynote presentations, workshops, meditations, and other gatherings will all be available via the Whova Conference App. It will serve as our Conference Portal, with an easy-to-use interface, access to a Calendar where each event will be listed. For each keynote and workshop, the event will utilize Zoom calls and Whova’s own chat and Q&A technology for easy interaction of people joining through the internet. And everyone, including in-person participants, will access recordings from the conference through Whova. More than 1500 people used it in 2021 at the biggest conference in SDI history – the response from conference participants was very positive.

The Whova Conference App is free and available as a website which can be accessed on any desktop PC, laptop, or tablet, or you can download the Whova App on your mobile device via the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Yes. We understand that the circumstances around COVID-19 are very much unknown and in-flux. If you decide down the road that you’d like to convert your registration, please fill out our change request form. We just ask that you use discernment and patience before making this decision, as it does create additional administrative and logistical work on our end. Converting your registration multiple times may not be honored.

SDI Staff will be available online throughout the hybrid conference to help you navigate the conference offerings. As well, Whova provides multi-tier technical support to assist with any issues.

• Refunds (less the $50 non-refundable registration fee) will be provided with written notice prior to February 16, 2022,
• On or after February 16, 2022, up to and including April 15, 2022, SDI will issue 50% refunds (less the $50 non-refundable registration fee),
• Refunds will not be issued after April 15, 2022.

You do not need to be a member to attend! Everyone curious about spiritual care and compassionate listening is encouraged to participate. However, SDI members receive a discount on event registration. Click here to become a member.

Conference Participants include:

• Spiritual directors, companions, and guides
• Seekers
• Theology faculty and students
• Campus ministers from all spiritual traditions
• Pastoral and spiritual care providers
• Capellanes
• Retreat center directors and retreat leaders
• Hospice and health care providers (nurses, doctors,
  physician assistants, physical therapists, pharmacologists, etc.)
• Holistic body-mind-spirit health care providers
• Social workers
• Lay and ordained clergy
• Art therapists
• Mental health care providers
• Life coaches and mindfulness trainers
• Mindful lawyers, social justice workers, peacemakers
• Contemplatives in the first half of life
• Contemplatives in the second half of life
• Contemplatives who work in academic settings
• InterPlayers
• Centering prayer facilitators
• Courage and Renewal facilitators
• Work-life balance human resource personnel

Yes! Unidades de Educación Continua are available for those who participate in SDI’s educational events. If you are seeking credits for a self-reporting agency, you can request a certificate of participation in the evaluation following the educational events. 

Sorry, no. For 31 years, SDI has been offering contemplative, educational programming. We take into consideration past evaluations, and they indicate that going gradually deeper with one topic as one body works best for building community and best reflects the needs of the contemplative, global learning community. SDI’s design intentionally creates a multi-day experience during which new friendships and collegial relationships may form and old ones may be nourished. And since this is a hybrid conference, with all the keynotes and workshops being available on-demand, we hope you will find the content helpful for weeks and months to come.

Yes! You can register for these without registering for the overall conference. You’ll have the option on our online store to purchase an Institute without purchasing the entire conference. If you need assistance with this, please call the SDI Office: 425-455-1565.

No. SDI is an increasingly diverse contemplative learning community. Individual participants may feel called to go offsite to local houses of worship. Arranging worship is the responsibility of individual participants. During the scheduled educational events, we share reflective time together and participate in contemplative practices specifically designed to celebrate our diverse learning community and model contemplative practices that might be helpful in spiritual direction. A peaceful onsite meditation space will be available during the conference. On Sunday we close with an inter-Mystical service.

Thank you for making donations to the scholarship fund. You can make donations online or mail your check to:

SDI Educational Events Scholarship Fund
PO Box 3584
Bellevue, WA, 98009 USA

For many people, especially students, interns, and people on fixed incomes, participating in the educational events is not possible for financial reasons. Your generosity helps others in need. Thank you.

Yes. All participants are invited to bring brochures and program materials to share with everyone attending the conference in Santa Fe. Both digital attendees and in-person attendees may use their profile in Whova to display a website, resume, and a description of your work as a spiritual companion. If you have more information you want to share or you are interested in selling artwork or books, check out the exhibitor page for details.

This Event is a widely-attended conference. SDI and third parties may photograph and/or audio/video record activities at the Event for many purposes, including but not limited to, reporting, advertising and documentation purposes. This includes recording Zoom workshops and other sessions. By attending the Event, you consent to your image and voice being captured and used.

The small print:

You grant us a license to use, edit, reproduce, record, modify, enhance, encode, translate, distribute, play, perform, make available to other users, prepare derivative works of and to display your image and/or likeness (your -Likeness-), and/or an audio recording of your voice, by any media or methods whether now known or later developed. This license may be exercised in our sole discretion throughout the world at any time. You agree that this license is perpetual, royalty-free and transferable. You agree that we can sub-license this license to third parties. You irrevocably and unconditionally waive, with respect to your Likeness and voice, all moral rights to which you may be entitled and any broadly equivalent rights in any territory of the world. This waiver is made in favor of SDI but will also extend to our sub-licensees, assignees and successors in title.

You may contact us via e-mail or telephone:

E-mail: [email protected] 
Telephone: 01-425-455-1565