People often ask me what the difference is between spiritual direction and counseling.There are so many answers to that question. Here is just one of them....
"Spiritual directors [as opposed to counselors] make their empathic focus not primarily the other person
but the Spirit. This means that
the spiritual director's goal
is not primarily to understand
how the person seeking direction feels. Nor is it to enter the person's experience and see the world as he or she does. Rather, it is to help the person come more closely in touch with the Spirit of God…. the empathic focus of the director is not primarily the other person but the Spirit of God."
(Sacred Companions, David G. Benner, p. 93)
yay! thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat explanation, Roberta!
ReplyDeleteRoberta, all our priests and seminarians should read this.
ReplyDeleteL,
Monica
Helps explain why counselors always leave me hungry .
ReplyDeleteSo Spiritual Direction gets one in touch with reality then...which makes life much more friendly than it would be focusing on self.
ReplyDelete