Spiritual direction

Spiritual direction is a confidential, ongoing relationship in which one person helps another attend to and discern their experience of prayer, faith, and religious practice.

Discernment: The process of interpreting choices or experiences to determine a fitting course of action. The director helps distinguish spiritual movements and possible responses without making decisions for the directee.
Prayer: A practice of communicating or attending to the divine, sacred, or transcendent. Prayer is often the central experience explored in direction.
Desert Fathers: Early Christian ascetics whose teachings and practices shaped monastic spirituality from the third century onward. Their counsel and stories established influential models of spiritual guidance.
Psychotherapy: The treatment of psychological distress or disorders through structured therapeutic methods and relationships. Direction is not a substitute for clinical treatment when psychological care is needed.
Spiritual director: A person trained or experienced in accompanying others in prayer and spiritual discernment. This role listens, asks questions, and supports the directee’s own encounter with the sacred.
Contemplative prayer: A form of prayer centered on receptive attention to God or the sacred rather than spoken petitions. Its quiet, inward practice often gives direction concrete material for reflection.
Evagrius Ponticus: A fourth-century Christian monk and theologian whose writings shaped early monastic spirituality. His analysis of thoughts and prayer influenced traditions of spiritual discernment.
Pastoral care: Support and guidance offered by religious leaders to people facing personal, communal, or spiritual needs. Pastoral care is broader and may be brief or problem-focused rather than centered on prayer over time.
Spiritual autobiography: A first-person account of a person’s religious or spiritual development and experience. Recounting a spiritual history can reveal patterns that inform direction.
Religious experience: An experience interpreted as an encounter with the divine, sacred, or transcendent. Directees may bring such experiences for reflection and discernment.

Linked from 12 pages