Spirit and Soul

Spirit

I positively welcome spiritual questioning and reflection in all areas of my work, and believe the spiritual aspect of life to be important. Some people feel nervous of sharing spiritual questions or concerns in counselling or psychotherapy, but I welcome this if it is important to you. My interest is less in 'what', (if anything), you believe (not at all for me to judge or comment) but more in 'how' your beliefs or spiritual experiences may affect you and to what extent they support your well being i.e. whether they bring you peace, comfort, inspiration, strength, or e.g. fear or guilt.

Over the years I have gained considerable insight into both the western Christian and eastern Buddhist traditions. I have empathy for the longing in finding support for a spiritual path and community at a time when institutional and organisational religion may feel inaccessible, for a variety of reasons.

Being part of a spiritual or faith community can bring a sense of belonging but for some is, or has been, the cause of much hurt, anger and confusion. I have much empathy for those feeling damaged, excluded and hurt by spiritual or religious communities due to sexual orientation, gender or abuse and I am well placed to bring understanding and support to this area of spiritual pain and distress. 

Please CONTACT ME if any of this resonates with you, and see my Counselling and Psychotherapy pages.

Soul and Soufulness

I think of soul or soulfulness as multi-dimensional - embracing the physical, energetic, emotional, spiritual and ethereal aspects of human experience of aliveness.

‘Soul is the living connection between the surface and the unfathomable meaning-rich depths of who we are' (Michael Kearney)

There are so many ways we may each come to experience soul. Our cognition and rational thinking are needed to function in our day-to-day world, but tend to keep us in our surface minds. The pathway to the deep, the yet 'unknown', can feel a scary journey and requires courage, but the reward can be a discovery of new dimensions of being. Opening to our sensuality, our imagination, our heart, intuition, gut instincts and body wisdom, spiritual experience and insight, the dreams and messages which we may receive in different ways, and the natural world, relationship with animals…all of these can help us enter these dimensions of soul. 

The exploration of soulfulness may include the language of:

• depth
• pain, tenderness,
• relationship, intimacy
• creativity, playfulness, imagination  
• love
• connection
• contact, sensuality, touch
• the elements, earth, nature, planet, universe, the transcendent, the spiritual realm
• the dark, the underworld, myth, story
• breathing, rest, rhythm, balance, peace
• silence, contemplation, space, void
• surrender, trust, not knowing, dying, death
• nourishment, fulfillment, contentment, wellbeing
• the sacred, offering, honouring, reverence, 
• faith, hope
• integrity, truth, beauty
• complexity, depth, breadth, height, edge, risk,
• difference, queer, quirkiness 

All of this and more... If you are yearning for more meaningful soulful connection in your life and are interested in any aspect of my work please CONTACT ME.