Affirming that the Sacred is present in every circumstance of life, I define spiritual direction as conversation aimed at taking the next step toward growth in the Divine for the sake of the world.
This definition has four movements:
Most clients in my practice are Christian, and the above definition of spiritual direction reflects a Christian frame of reference. But what about spiritually independent, fluid, or persons belonging to another world's great religious tradition? In these cases, wholeness relates to a client's highest ideal or chosen spiritual perspective. So, in the case of a Buddhist, we imagine sacred growth in terms of Buddhist teachings and categories. Put more succinctly, the client's spiritual identity or frame of reference drives our work together. I meet the client wherever she is.
A helpful metaphor: the spiritual director as a field guide
Longtime spiritual director and author Teresa Blythe offers a helpful metaphor for persons trying to understand what spiritual directors do. She speaks of the spiritual director as a field guide: "Spiritual directors today are like field guides along the spiritual walk, pointing out interesting highlights and asking directees to think more deeply about certain questions. . . A field guide observes the walk with the person we are guiding, aware that God is leading the way and is in relationship with them the whole time."--Teresa Blythe, Spiritual Direction 101: The Basics of Spiritual Guidance, p. 4.
My promises
When I meet with each client, we are on sacred ground. I listen and sometimes share perspectives in a totally safe and confidential environment. And I make the following promises, which I have adapted from a text by San Francisco spiritual director Karen Ehrlichman, D Min, LCSW:
Spiritual Direction, pastoral care, therapy. Some persons are concerned about the distinctions between spiritual direction, pastoral care, psychological counseling, and psychotherapy. A comprehensive resource developed by Christine Luna Munger outlining differences and similarities between helping professions can be found here:
souladventure.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/2/7/10272977/comparison_of_helping_fields.pdf
On this same topic, you may want to listen to the audio file in Dan's October 15, 2017 blog titled "Discussion on Spiritual Direction, Psychotherapy, Pastoral Care":
souladventure.weebly.com/soul-adventuring-blog-with-dan/discussion-on-spiritual-direction-psychotherapy-pastoral-care
"We're all just walking each other home."--Ram Dass
This definition has four movements:
- Conversation. We look for the Spirit's work and presence using the raw material of life, including stories and experiences of all kinds. The theme or themes of the conversation are up to the client. There is no pressure on the client to discuss anything, and it is always okay to decline to answer a question or to indicate discomfort with a theme that has surfaced. Contemplative pauses and silence punctuate the conversation.
- The next step. Out of our conversations, the client identifies what the next step on the journey will be. Sometimes, this takes one or two sessions. Sometimes this takes a year. . . or even more! The idea is movement into spaciousness, expansiveness, and inner freedom. Using the language of "next step" means that we affirm the emergence of new thoughts, practices, and ways of being. As the Spirit works with us, we rarely remain in the same place as when we started. Yet, the next step does not imply a linear approach, as in "From here to there." Spiritual direction is non-linear, focusing on themes as they emerge and are brought to the spiritual direction space by the client. Over time, the client may notice a convergence and integration of the themes and topics.
- Growth in the Divine. We hope for organic growth in the Divine. There is no cookie-cutter for this. Each person grows into the Divine differently and uniquely. If desired by the client, we can explore specific practices promoting sacred growth.
- For the sake of the world. Even though spiritual direction focuses on the inner life, it is not navel-gazing. In the Abrahamic contemplative traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) as well as in Buddhism, it nudges spiritually attuned persons into the world, working for the sake of the world. Spiritual direction is a welcoming, hospitable practice that cares for the common good. Those marked by it carry welcome, justice, and hospitality into everyday life events.
Most clients in my practice are Christian, and the above definition of spiritual direction reflects a Christian frame of reference. But what about spiritually independent, fluid, or persons belonging to another world's great religious tradition? In these cases, wholeness relates to a client's highest ideal or chosen spiritual perspective. So, in the case of a Buddhist, we imagine sacred growth in terms of Buddhist teachings and categories. Put more succinctly, the client's spiritual identity or frame of reference drives our work together. I meet the client wherever she is.
A helpful metaphor: the spiritual director as a field guide
Longtime spiritual director and author Teresa Blythe offers a helpful metaphor for persons trying to understand what spiritual directors do. She speaks of the spiritual director as a field guide: "Spiritual directors today are like field guides along the spiritual walk, pointing out interesting highlights and asking directees to think more deeply about certain questions. . . A field guide observes the walk with the person we are guiding, aware that God is leading the way and is in relationship with them the whole time."--Teresa Blythe, Spiritual Direction 101: The Basics of Spiritual Guidance, p. 4.
My promises
When I meet with each client, we are on sacred ground. I listen and sometimes share perspectives in a totally safe and confidential environment. And I make the following promises, which I have adapted from a text by San Francisco spiritual director Karen Ehrlichman, D Min, LCSW:
- I will provide a safe, non-judgmental place for you.
- I will not try to fix, save, persuade, or change you.
- I am in this with you. I am steady, and God is with us.
- I have trustworthy boundaries.
- I will address my biases, judgments, feelings, and assumptions.
- There are spiritual resources to support you in your spiritual journey.
Spiritual Direction, pastoral care, therapy. Some persons are concerned about the distinctions between spiritual direction, pastoral care, psychological counseling, and psychotherapy. A comprehensive resource developed by Christine Luna Munger outlining differences and similarities between helping professions can be found here:
souladventure.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/2/7/10272977/comparison_of_helping_fields.pdf
On this same topic, you may want to listen to the audio file in Dan's October 15, 2017 blog titled "Discussion on Spiritual Direction, Psychotherapy, Pastoral Care":
souladventure.weebly.com/soul-adventuring-blog-with-dan/discussion-on-spiritual-direction-psychotherapy-pastoral-care
"We're all just walking each other home."--Ram Dass
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