Spiritual Counselling

December 11th, 2008 by Dave Barthram BA MCS(Acc) MBACP

During the last 50 years or so there has been a growth in interest in things spiritual. High profile events such as the Flower Power movement in the 1960s and the visit of the Beatles to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi were early evidence of this.

The same period has seen a resurgence of interest in Druidry and the growth of the Brahma Kumaris, World Spiritual University, and the National Federation of Spiritual Healers (NFSH), which trains people to be spiritual healers. Also there has been a surge in the production of self-help books which have increasingly had a spiritual basis.

Recently many of these books have been channelled by spiritual beings through earth based authors such as Neale Donald Walsch, ("Conversations with God"), Esther and Gerry Hicks, ("Ask and it is Given" and other books which speak the words of 'Abraham'), and Sonia Choquette, ("Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose").

A number of people have reported near death experiences which has encouraged others to believe in reincarnation and multiple lives. Psychologists Brian Weiss and Michael Newton have written about their work, in which they regress patients into past lives and the times between lives to help them to uncover things that have been affecting them in this life.

At the same time advances in scientific knowledge, particularly quantum mechanics, have made it easier to accept what the mystics have been telling us for years. These advances have spawned a number of books. Biologist Bruce Lipton wrote "The Biology of Belief" about the beliefs he came to hold as a result of his researches. Pharmaceutical scientist David Hamilton's book, "It's the Thought that Counts", resulted from his researches into the mind-body link. Dr Deepak Chopra has written many books and produced inspirational tapes/CDs which incorporate the latest developments in psychology and quantum mechanics.

Books like "The Celestine Prophesy", by James Redfield and "Cosmic Ordering" by Barbel Mohr have popularised the subject area but they still leave people with questions. Increasingly people are coming to talk with a counsellor in order to find the answers they themselves are looking for in the face of the patterns that exist in their lives.

Often people are so close to their issues that they cannot 'see the wood for the trees'. Part of the work of the counsellor is to help clients to broaden their perspectives and through that to find for themselves the way forward that best suits them.

Whilst it is possible to find new perspectives within the confines of the physical world, the ability to distance oneself from the immediate problem and see it in another way is enhanced when taking a view from a spiritual perspective. Counsellors with an interest in, and some experience of, the world of spirit are able to help clients with a wide range of issues.

Whether you have spiritual questions or simply issues that are causing you difficulties in your daily life, if you are interested in your spiritual side or open to working with a spiritual perspective, you may wish to read some or all of the above books or look for a counsellor who expresses an interest in working with spirituality. Such a person will work with what you bring and help you to see yourself as a spiritual being and, with that in mind, help you to work out the best way forward for you.