Spiritual Lives Of Women

There are even more people who have no idea what it is, let alone that they can participate in it. And those are the questions that are being prayed over by Spiritual Directors world wide: How do we, (Spiritual Directors), help people understand Spiritual Direction and that it is for them.

One of the problems might be…
That Spiritual Direction and counseling share similar practices. Having spent ten years as a social worker and now, being a Spiritual Director for ten years, I feel I can see both sides of the fence and give you a good overview of the goings on in both. Both counseling and Direction will ask questions about your life: How are you doing, how has your week been, that sort of thing, but the emphasis is very different.

In counseling the emphasis is on the emotional-psychological. ===from Wikipedia: “Psychology (from Greek, “psyche”, soul, and science, “logos”) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Psychologists attempt to unravel the functioning of the brain as it is manifest in behavior, in contrast to the physiological approach used by neurologists. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including issues related to daily life”e.g. family, education, and work”and the treatment of mental health problems.”

While the emphasis of Spiritual Direction is how the emotional inpacts the spiritual. ===again from Wikipedia: “Spiritual Direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking Direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing spiritual issues. The Director listens and asks questions to assist the Directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Spiritual Direction develops a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human. It is not psychotherapy, counseling, or financial planning.