SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

CREATE AN ACCOUNT FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

CREATE ACCOUNT

ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT?

IAHIP

CALL: +353 (0)1 284 1665
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
    • Publications
    • Services
    • Training
    • All Ads
    • Submit Ad
  • News
    • IAHIP News
    • Blog
  • Members
    • AGM 2020 & 2019
    • Events Calendar
    • Professional Conduct
    • Continued Professional Development -CPD- For Accredited Psychotherapists
    • Accreditation
    • Re-accreditation
    • Supervision
    • Honorary Membership
    • Child and Adolescent
    • Garda Vetting
    • Resources
      • Members’ Resources
    • Payments
  • SIGN UP
  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • About
    • About IAHIP
    • Governing Body
    • Committees
      • Committees
      • Regional Development
    • Complaints
    • Constitutional Documents
      • Articles of Association
      • Bye-Laws of the Association
    • IAHIP in N.I.
    • Considering a career in psychotherapy?
  • Psychotherapy
    • About Psychotherapy
    • How Psychotherapy Can Help Me
    • Choosing a Psychotherapist
    • Useful Links
  • Join
    • Join IAHIP
    • Why Join IAHIP?
    • Benefits of Membership of IAHIP
    • Categories of Membership
    • Fees
  • Publications
    • Inside Out
    • Subscribe
    • Buy Back Issues
    • Buy Full Page Ad
    • Buy Half Page Ad
    • Advertising
  • Training
    • Online Workshops 2020 – 2021
    • Recognised Training Courses IAHIP
    • Pay for a Workshop
    • European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP)
  • Find a Therapist
  • Home
  • Inside Out
  • Issue 47: Winter 2005
  • Book Review: Spiritual Issues in Therapy: Relating Experience to Practice

Book Review: Spiritual Issues in Therapy: Relating Experience to Practice

William West

Palgrave Macmillan 2004 ISBN 0-333-99041-2

This is a delightful book, ideal for anyone who wants to think about spirituality as it relates to counselling or psychotherapy.  On the whole it is an easy read, but there are also some hard-hitting words about the way in which many trainings avoid any mention of spirituality and many supervisors refuse to deal with spiritual issues as they arise in the work with clients.  The author is frank about his own experience, and gives many examples of how spirituality can arise in the therapeutic relationship.  “Therapeutically I work within a broadly humanistic-integrated framework within a spiritual context.”

Chapter 2 is entitled ‘Psychotherapists as Shaman’, and raises some interesting issues around shamanism.  Chapter 3 is ‘The personal encounter with spirituality’, and in it the author says:

I have elsewhere argued that the regular practice of being a therapist in itself constitutes a form of spiritual practice.  For example, being attentive to one’s clients whist being aware of oneself, one’s inner processes and doing this for hours at a time, week in week out, over a number of years is unwitting doing or rather being something akin to what Buddhists call mindfulness.  (p.44)

This is a good thought, and well worth the consideration of many therapists who have not thought in that way before.  There is a good chapter on clients and their wants and needs, which covers a lot of ground in an attractive way, and another good chapter on research.

The final chapter is called ‘Soul attending’ which West believes to be the original definition of a psychotherapist.

For anyone who wants to explore the transpersonal (including the ideas of Ken Wilber) this is an excellent introduction, encouraging rather than intimidating.

John Rowan is an international figure in the world of humanistic and integrative psychotherapy. His Publications are widely acclaimed. He continues to work in  private practice.

Search Inside Out

Latest from the Blog

Latest News

  • Spanda India in Association with Ochre Ireland – Online 2021
  • Pieta House – Psychotherapists / Counselling Psychologists (Lucan)

Upcoming Events

Contact Us

The Administrator,
The Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Ltd.
40 Northumberland Avenue,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin

Telephone: +353 (0)1 284 1665
Email: admin@iahip.org

Office Hours

9.30am – 4.00pm Monday
9.30am – 5.00pm Tuesday to Friday

Telephone Line Answered
Monday – Friday 9.30am – 1.00pm.

Disclaimer

IAHIP Ltd. cannot be held liable for the services, products or information contained in ads posted on this website.

FIND A THERAPIST

Search in radius 0 miles
  • Contact Details
  • Privacy Statement
  • Code of Ethics for Psychotherapists
  • Company Registration

© 2018 All rights reserved.

TOP
This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.