Resources
Contributions for Spiritual Life
To believe means to entrust oneself – letting go as a practice and expression of inner freedom
This article invites readers to discover faith as a path of entrusting oneself. In five simple exercises, it encourages becoming aware of one’s habits of control and needs – also through bodily awareness – and gently letting them go. Biblical images and impulses from Ignatian spirituality, especially the idea of indifference, help to develop inner freedom. Letting go is thus experienced not as a demand, but as a relief. Trust can grow – slowly and organically, in the midst of everyday life.
I come to myself in order to come to YOU - Two experiences for one’s personal prayer practice
"A rhythm of prayer would do us so much good – similar to how monks have routines in everyday life: praying, working, resting, working prayerfully. Living and moving and having our being in an increasing awareness of God’s presence… I came across two insights that help me to seek God regularly. The first comes from Ignatius of Loyola. The second from Thomas Keating…"
The article introduces a body-awareness exercise through which one gains tangible contact with one’s inner state and with the intention of spending time before God. Both help to ensure that regular prayer becomes a genuine need rather than dissolving into arbitrariness.
On God’s nonverbal communication - The long-term effect of emotional resonance
God often communicates with us beyond words – through inner touch, resonance, and a quiet sense of connectedness. Such moments resemble meaningful encounters between people in which we feel seen and understood. This article invites readers to look for such bonding experiences in everyday life, to savor them, and to allow them to have an effect.
Focusing – body awareness as a path of healing
Focusing is a way of listening attentively to one’s own body and taking it seriously as part of the body–mind–soul unity. A loving, alert inward gaze has a healing effect – similar to a good, deep conversation in which one truly feels understood. What has long been overlooked can show itself, change, and release new vitality. The article shows how Focusing becomes both a path of self-knowledge and a spiritual approach in which God’s closeness can be experienced within one’s own inner life.
The missing link between gut and brain
How I found access to my feelings through my body – and became more alive along the way.
Many people – especially men – feel deeply, yet have little language or conscious access to their inner movements. This article combines personal experience, Focusing, and Christian spirituality into a path of emotional maturation. The body thus becomes an important place of inner clarification and spiritual experience. An exercise and questions for small groups conclude the text.
Accompanying traumatized people
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted" Psalm 34:19
With this promise we touch a scandalous paradox of human experience. If God is lovingly near and cares for us, why does God not protect vulnerable individuals and groups from the breaking of heart and body and from the life-altering damage of traumatic violence? …
Spiritual accompaniment in a group
It was the most intense group experience I have ever had. As trust grew, we were able to become truthful with one another, to show vulnerability, to weep together, to laugh together, and to marvel at how God’s Spirit heals and unfolds personalities.
About a group process inspired by the Quaker (Society of Friends) method of the Clearness Committee.
On the way home – Spiritual Direction
In this article I describe what spiritual accompaniment is, where this form of pastoral care comes from, what characterizes it, and how it contributes to the unfolding and healing of our personality.
An Anabaptist perspective on how spiritual accompaniment can enrich congregational life and everyday discipleship.
How Body Awareness Informs the Practice of Spiritual Direction
After a brief introduction about the role of the body in spirituality, the essay develops the main themes: Part A is about the physical sensibility to the movements of the Holy Spirit and the bodily perception of consolations. Part B is about the importance of body awareness for the spiritual director in the direction process. A few verbatim excerpts provide examples to my theses. Part C focuses on awareness towards a directee’s body language and the implications of this. At each end of these parts I added a personal note, giving an example of how the described content has been significant in my own personal life and/or in my spiritual direction ministry.
Wie Körperwahrnehmung die Praxis Geistlicher Begleitung bereichert
Nach einer kurzen Einführung über die Rolle des Körpers in der Spiritualität entwickelt der Aufsatz die Hauptthemen: Teil A handelt von der körperlichen Sensibilität für die Bewegungen des Heiligen Geistes und der körperlichen Wahrnehmung von Tröstungen. In Teil B geht es um die Bedeutung der Körperwahrnehmung für die/den Geistlichen Begleiter/In im Begleitprozess. Einige Verbatims zeigen Beispiele zu meinen Thesen. Teil C konzentriert sich auf das Bewusstsein für die Körpersprache einer begleiteten Person und die Auswirkungen davon. An jedem Ende dieser Teile habe ich eine persönliche Anmerkung hinzugefügt, die ein Beispiel dafür gibt, wie wichtig der beschriebene Inhalt in meinem eigenen persönlichen Leben und/oder in meiner Begleitpraxis war.