Abstract
In this chapter, I open a conversation between the spiritual experience of Christian contemplation, or wordless and agenda-free prayer, and the person-centered therapist’s experience in the offering of the core conditions. I follow Cambridge theologian Sarah Coakley in her understanding of contemplation in terms of a Greek Christian term kenosis, meaning self-emptying. This kenotic understanding of contemplation is helpful because it simultaneously roots wordless contemplation at the heart of the Christian tradition and opens an experiential bridge to the therapeutic offering of the core conditions. Two traditions, spiritual and secular, religious and therapeutic, can thus be held in a sustained mutual openness at the core levels of their experience and identities. I conclude with a personal reflection on possible gains arising from this openness, for Christianity in the practice of love and for the person-centered approach in the articulation of therapist process.
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Fruehwirth, R. (2013). Christian Spirituality and the Person-Centered Approach. In: Cornelius-White, J., Motschnig-Pitrik, R., Lux, M. (eds) Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7141-7_25
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