INTRODUCTION: THE Require For a SHARED LANGUAGE
The increased focus and attention on spirituality in our culture is effortlessly finding its way to the psychotherapy setting. Clients are increasingly interested in their spirituality. It's not uncommon today for therapists to become questioned within the first phone contact having a prospective consumer as to regardless of whether they're qualified or experienced in working with spiritual issues. These shoppers frequently report that they are not interested in intensive therapy per se; they just wish to jobs on their spirituality.
The words religion and spirituality often create dis-ease and anxiety for people trained as secular counselors and psychotherapists. Quite a few therapists are turning down these "spiritually" focused customers mainly because they jobs under the illusion and mistaken belief that psychotherapy and spirituality are inherently 2 incredibly different disciplines.
This is unfortunate simply because psychotherapy is spiritual formation. Simply because psychotherapy and spiritual formation use very similar goals and methodologies, secular therapists are usually the best trained spiritual directors and teachers in our Western culture. In other words, therapists need to not be put off by consumers interested in spiritual growth.
THE TOWER OF BABEL: THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE And the LANGUAGE OF SPIRITUALITY
The splitting of psychotherapy and spirituality into a couple of apparently different separate disciplines was merely an illusion made after science and religion parted company hundreds of many years ago. Science created a language to study the physical world and religion claimed exclusive use of theological language to find out God. Both agreed not to intrude into each others realm.
At the time, this was a quite helpful distinction in that it allowed scientists to understand the physical world with no directly threatening the theology and beliefs from the Christian church. Of course it wasn't extended ahead of scientific discoveries in astronomy, evolution, biology, and physics seriously threatened and challenged many on the ancient theological views of the Church.
Even these days numerous conservative scientists and theologians continue the struggle to maintain science and spirituality apart. Fortunately, modern day quantum physics look for is in the system of rejoining the physical world in the scientist and also the spiritual globe of the mystic into a single common unified view of reality.
It stands out as the belief of this author how the disciplines of psychotherapy and spiritual direction need to develop a popular language bridge which will permit psychotherapists to accurately and seamlessly reinterpret analytic language and clinical therapeutic method in spiritual terms, and vice versa. Only as soon as these kinds of a unified language exists, will psychotherapists discover being comfortable with spirituality, and spiritual directors less intimidated by psychology.
This article will briefly explore some of the goals and methods applied by each on the disciplines, highlight their similarity; and demonstrate how psychotherapy is, in fact, spiritual formation.
IN THE BEGINNING: THE SURVIVAL SKILLS OF CHILDHOOD
In childhood, when we encounter criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, rejection, abandonment, indifference, invisibility, a sense of not feeling heard, or not being understood in the things that matter to us, we experience fear and sadness. There's an anxious sense of danger. We know that somehow we are being attacked and wounded by people who are supposed to love us and care for us.
Two in the principal survival instincts of the person experiencing danger are isolation and fragmentation. Once our globe feels dangerous, isolation stands out as the only safe option. We develop a survival skill of spending more and more time alone.
We also learn to fragment or partition off the painful feelings and traumatic memories, and drive them deep to the shadows of our unconscious. This survival skill protects us from feelings which are usually significantly as well painful for us to deal with like a child. To consider safe around the dangerous caretakers in our life, we understand to behave in methods that appear to please them. We construct a false "self". We build a fragile identity of beliefs and behaviors according to who we believe we are supposed to be. Day by day, outside of our awareness, our authentic self slowly disappears.
Over the many years of our childhood we become convinced that who we extremely are isn't smart, not important, and not adequate. No matter how hard we try being accepted, we consider alone and unloved. We start to shut down our painful feelings and discover to use only our intellect. We lose the memory of a lot of our childhood. But we have a sense that in some incredibly simple way, we are not okay. We aren't loveable. We do not belong.
Through varying degrees of isolation, we attempt to avoid the pain that comes from regarding others. But as soon as we isolate to feel safe, others tell us we are aloof and uncaring. We begin to believe guilty and ashamed. A terrible feeling of emptiness begins to grow inside the center of our being. It usually feels like hunger, but nothing seems to build it go away.
WHAT THE Consumer BRINGS: A LANGUAGE OF PAIN
When consumers arrive to a therapist they usually lump these various painful feelings of childhood under a generalized feeling they call anxiety and depression. They tell the therapist they need to believe a lot more okay (comfortable) about who they are. They just desire to get their lives together and be happy. They're tired of being sad and scared. They do not like who they are.
When consumers occur to a spiritual director these feelings of childhood are embedded in, a longing for additional depth; a sense of unhappiness; a lack of inner peace; a sense of isolation and loneliness; and, a deep hunger to realize the meaning of their lives. They usually lump these various painful feelings under a generalized feeling they refer to as a sense of becoming "called" by God to a deeper place. A place of wholeness and peace exactly where they are able to think more content with who they are. They are usually trying to find a sense of wholeness, and happiness in their lives. They are tired of feeling inadequate and feeling like they don't belong.
The increased focus and attention on spirituality in our culture is effortlessly finding its way to the psychotherapy setting. Clients are increasingly interested in their spirituality. It's not uncommon today for therapists to become questioned within the first phone contact having a prospective consumer as to regardless of whether they're qualified or experienced in working with spiritual issues. These shoppers frequently report that they are not interested in intensive therapy per se; they just wish to jobs on their spirituality.
The words religion and spirituality often create dis-ease and anxiety for people trained as secular counselors and psychotherapists. Quite a few therapists are turning down these "spiritually" focused customers mainly because they jobs under the illusion and mistaken belief that psychotherapy and spirituality are inherently 2 incredibly different disciplines.
This is unfortunate simply because psychotherapy is spiritual formation. Simply because psychotherapy and spiritual formation use very similar goals and methodologies, secular therapists are usually the best trained spiritual directors and teachers in our Western culture. In other words, therapists need to not be put off by consumers interested in spiritual growth.
THE TOWER OF BABEL: THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE And the LANGUAGE OF SPIRITUALITY
The splitting of psychotherapy and spirituality into a couple of apparently different separate disciplines was merely an illusion made after science and religion parted company hundreds of many years ago. Science created a language to study the physical world and religion claimed exclusive use of theological language to find out God. Both agreed not to intrude into each others realm.
At the time, this was a quite helpful distinction in that it allowed scientists to understand the physical world with no directly threatening the theology and beliefs from the Christian church. Of course it wasn't extended ahead of scientific discoveries in astronomy, evolution, biology, and physics seriously threatened and challenged many on the ancient theological views of the Church.
Even these days numerous conservative scientists and theologians continue the struggle to maintain science and spirituality apart. Fortunately, modern day quantum physics look for is in the system of rejoining the physical world in the scientist and also the spiritual globe of the mystic into a single common unified view of reality.
It stands out as the belief of this author how the disciplines of psychotherapy and spiritual direction need to develop a popular language bridge which will permit psychotherapists to accurately and seamlessly reinterpret analytic language and clinical therapeutic method in spiritual terms, and vice versa. Only as soon as these kinds of a unified language exists, will psychotherapists discover being comfortable with spirituality, and spiritual directors less intimidated by psychology.
This article will briefly explore some of the goals and methods applied by each on the disciplines, highlight their similarity; and demonstrate how psychotherapy is, in fact, spiritual formation.
IN THE BEGINNING: THE SURVIVAL SKILLS OF CHILDHOOD
In childhood, when we encounter criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, rejection, abandonment, indifference, invisibility, a sense of not feeling heard, or not being understood in the things that matter to us, we experience fear and sadness. There's an anxious sense of danger. We know that somehow we are being attacked and wounded by people who are supposed to love us and care for us.
Two in the principal survival instincts of the person experiencing danger are isolation and fragmentation. Once our globe feels dangerous, isolation stands out as the only safe option. We develop a survival skill of spending more and more time alone.
We also learn to fragment or partition off the painful feelings and traumatic memories, and drive them deep to the shadows of our unconscious. This survival skill protects us from feelings which are usually significantly as well painful for us to deal with like a child. To consider safe around the dangerous caretakers in our life, we understand to behave in methods that appear to please them. We construct a false "self". We build a fragile identity of beliefs and behaviors according to who we believe we are supposed to be. Day by day, outside of our awareness, our authentic self slowly disappears.
Over the many years of our childhood we become convinced that who we extremely are isn't smart, not important, and not adequate. No matter how hard we try being accepted, we consider alone and unloved. We start to shut down our painful feelings and discover to use only our intellect. We lose the memory of a lot of our childhood. But we have a sense that in some incredibly simple way, we are not okay. We aren't loveable. We do not belong.
Through varying degrees of isolation, we attempt to avoid the pain that comes from regarding others. But as soon as we isolate to feel safe, others tell us we are aloof and uncaring. We begin to believe guilty and ashamed. A terrible feeling of emptiness begins to grow inside the center of our being. It usually feels like hunger, but nothing seems to build it go away.
WHAT THE Consumer BRINGS: A LANGUAGE OF PAIN
When consumers arrive to a therapist they usually lump these various painful feelings of childhood under a generalized feeling they call anxiety and depression. They tell the therapist they need to believe a lot more okay (comfortable) about who they are. They just desire to get their lives together and be happy. They're tired of being sad and scared. They do not like who they are.
When consumers occur to a spiritual director these feelings of childhood are embedded in, a longing for additional depth; a sense of unhappiness; a lack of inner peace; a sense of isolation and loneliness; and, a deep hunger to realize the meaning of their lives. They usually lump these various painful feelings under a generalized feeling they refer to as a sense of becoming "called" by God to a deeper place. A place of wholeness and peace exactly where they are able to think more content with who they are. They are usually trying to find a sense of wholeness, and happiness in their lives. They are tired of feeling inadequate and feeling like they don't belong.
About the Author:
Psychotherapy and religious enlargement - a topic of Language and the Tower of Babal - Check Out spiritual and spiritual quotes
No comments:
Post a Comment