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SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

“Untitled” — Fabian Lijtmaer 4

destruction of the inner life, leaving an empty shell. For
others, it is the need to leave their country of origin
due to marriage, their partner’s work relocation, war, Normal
famine, or conflict with their family. This leaves them Trauma and
with a sense of displacement that is difficult to shake, life Disruption
even twenty to thirty years later. There are also less
dramatic events or situations which are not obvious,
but these nevertheless scar hands and wound hearts. I
think of the effect of growing up in a straightened and
civically narrow small town that made me feel like I was
an outsider, and this led me to seek my intellectual and Adjustment Emotional
cultural freedom elsewhere: in the city, in libraries, in Acceptance responses, e.g.
art galleries, in education and in the world of popular fight, grief,

music (Yancey, 41 and 129–34). There is also the cor- Healing sadness, denial
rosive effect of our Western culture, with its materialist
and scientific worldview that marginalises the relevance
For most, the steps in this diagram will be their experience, particularly when a physical trauma is
of faith in God and questions the place of religious For most, the steps in this diagram will be their
experienced and the healing processes of the body follow a fairly predictable path. In many
experience in daily life. experience, particularly when a physical trauma is expe-
situations to do with human health and the process of physical recovery, it is a useful diagram. There
Often people are recovering not just from a specific rienced and the healing processes of the body follow a
is an expectation, which is not unreasonable, by people affected by emotional and spiritual trauma
event but from something deeper, less tangible, and fairly predictable path. In many situations to do with
that their experience will proceed smoothly from one box or situation to another, with the eventual
perhaps unsettling, which does not permit them rest. human health and the process of physical recovery, it is
return to the top left box of normality, just as it would if they had a physical injury. But what if the
Such individuals may find it hard to articulate what it a useful diagram. There is an expectation, which is not
effects of the emotional trauma continue for an extended period or continue to interfere with their
is that they are recovering from, but nevertheless it is unreasonable, by people affected by emotional and spiri-
ability to engage freely in their previous experience of God, and the inner freedom which they once
real and continues to disturb their experience of God tual trauma that their experience will proceed smoothly
possessed has been lost or disrupted by their experience? They may hold a deeply ingrained
and relationship with others. They are changed people from one box or situation to another, with the eventual
assumption that the steps need only be followed as it is practised by the best of modern medical
as a result of their trauma and now live as exiles in a dif- return to the top left box of normality, just as it would if
treatment and that they will eventually recover their “spiritual health” (Morrill, 38). Some in our
ferent emotional and religious place from their original they had a physical injury. But what if the effects of the
faith communities, or who are intentional about incorporating spiritual practices in their life, may
homeland. emotional trauma continue for an extended period or
assume that with the right guidance by an appropriate expert, be it a spiritual director, counsellor or
continue to interfere with their ability to engage freely in
psychologist, they will naturally (and quickly) move on to the next stage, only to find that what has
Common Paradigms Which the Spiritual their previous experience of God, and the inner freedom
occurred is a significant life-changing event which affects them deeply and for an undetermined
Director May Unconsciously Adopt or Follow which they once possessed has been lost or disrupted
period of time.
A common way in which both the spiritual direc- by their experience? They may hold a deeply ingrained
tor and the spiritual directee may look at the process assumption that the steps need only be followed as it is
However, spiritual directors differ from the physiotherapist or other health professional treating
of trauma, recovery, and eventual re-establishment and practised by the best of modern medical treatment and
sprained ligaments or muscles in spasm. The deep issues of those who come with brokenness and
the effects of trauma are not usually amenable to having a biomedical model of healing applied. The
return to daily patterns of normality is shown in the fol- that they will eventually recover their “spiritual health”
lowing diagram. (Morrill, 38). Some in our faith communities, or who
spiritual director’s role is more like a captain of a pilot boat who guides the person through the
swirling emotions and depths of the soul; spiritual directors are aware of the shoals and shallows on
36 Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction
which a person can become stranded as they make their way toward the harbour where they seek
peace, wholeness, and above all else, God. Unlike many health professionals, who are focused on
solutions, outcomes, or healing, spiritual directors are focused on being with a person in their place
of difficulty. An additional shortcoming and difficulty with the four-part model (if it is influencing
people who have experienced trauma) is that it may lead to an understandable desire by spiritual
directees (and sometimes spiritual directors) to hasten the healing process and a desire to push
through what emotional obstacles have been encountered. If spiritual directees have had contact
with a church or religious community in which healing has been emphasised, they may feel guilt that
they have not been healed from the trauma and pressured into submitting to various forms of
prayer and healing ministries, which add to their confusion and pain of dealing with the trauma.
3

3 This biomedical model of healing and restoration may be one which is unarticulated but nevertheless assumed within
some churches where healing is emphasised. An appeal to the biblical warrant of the gospels can reinforce and “baptise”
this model into a Christian context where the observation is offered that Jesus healed lepers and the lame; therefore when
he healed, he healed completely—like our modern health professionals. But for those who have endured a traumatic event