What is the purpose of spiritual direction?

To listen people into life as they tell their stories, and engage with their quests for meaning and wholeness. It offers quality listening and assistance in hearing God’s voice, reflecting on your personal journey, and facing into the movements of grace in your life.

Spiritual direction is a relationship focussed on fostering the bond of love between the soul (the Beloved) and God (The Lover)  -by paying attention to God’s personal communication to the person, exploring how to respond to and grow in intimacy with this personally communicating God and seeking ways of living out the consequences of this relationship with God.

Who uses spiritual direction? 

Anyone longing to become more aware of God’s presence and how to discern where that presence is leading them. There is no prerequisite for coming to spiritual direction.

What kinds of experiences do people talk about in spiritual direction?

People frequently come wondering, “where is God in all this busy-ness of my life?” Some have had powerful spiritual experiences and want to talk to someone who will take them seriously. Others come needing to make a crucial decision in their life and want assistance in prayer and discernment. Some people come because their relationship with God feels stale and they want to work on that–others come because their relationship with God is growing and they want to savour and celebrate that.

How do I find a suitable Spiritual Director?

When choosing a Director, look for someone you resonate with, someone who listens well, a person who has an active commitment to prayer and is growing in their own spiritual life and someone who helps you find the wisdom God has given you–within you.

How is spiritual direction different from therapy, counselling, mentoring?

There are a number of helping and therapeutic relationships and they have very real differences between them. In counselling, mentoring, therapy and spiritual direction the agenda, process, role of the practitioner and goal of the participant are quite distinctive e.g. in counselling the agenda is set by the client and the counsellor facilitates problem solving, goal setting, crisis management or healing of past wounds.

Spiritual Directors are trained to focus on your spiritual questions, deep longings, sacred experience and your response to what is holy and meaningful in your life. Therapy/counselling is designed to help you work on thoughts, emotions and behaviours that impact your life and relationships.

Spiritual Directors are not trained in psychotherapy or counselling (unless you encounter one who is trained to do both) so they do not diagnose or attempt to “fix” anyone’s problems. The focus is on God, listening for hope and discernment.

Spiritual Directors may see people who are in therapy and spiritual direction may complement counselling, however, it is never a substitute for it.

What if I am not religious but want spiritual direction? 

You are welcome in spiritual direction. In fact, more and more people are seeking spiritual direction these days! A Spiritual Director isn’t going to push you to affiliate with any particular religious tradition. They are about listening to your sacred story, not pushing you one way or another.