Page 22 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 11
P. 22
as an assistant to the Holy Spirit in the process cal and psychological knowledge. He points to
of psychotherapy (Seamands 1988). imagination and intuition as a way to transsem-
The first generation of Christians, led by the piric experiences, and emphasizes the impor-
Holy Spirit, made the greatest revolution in tance of using metaphors and biblical images to
the history of the world. Today the situation is trigger transformation processes (conversions)
tragic, because thousands of Christians do not in a patient.
even know who the Holy Spirit is, let alone the Due to the inclusion of pneumatology as a field
life following the Spirit, „said Father Blachnicki, of theology and pastoral care and the indica-
founder of the Movement Light - Life. tion of specific ways of spiritual discernment,
Jesus told his disciples that he would send the the author rightly states that „we must look for
Spirit into the world to „convince the world a balance between education and experience,
about sin and about justice and about judg- understanding and contemplation.“ That is why
ment“ (John 16.7-11). The moral life of Chri- „spiritual insight is an indispensable Christian
stians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit psychotherapist“.
that strengthen man in faith. These gifts are: It would be good for the patient and psychothe-
wisdom, reason, advice, bravery, skill, piety and rapist, as well as for those around them, if they
the fear of God. remember that theology and psychology can be
The fruits of the presence of the Holy Spirit in affirmative and transformative. They are two
our lives are: love, joy, peace, patience, kind- wings on which the human spirit rises, thanks
ness, goodness, generosity, kindness, faithful- to the help of the Holy Spirit, to know the truth
ness, modesty, abstinence and purity (vgl. Ga (John Paul II - „Fides et ratio“), which libera-
5,22-23) . They help people in their quest for tes from bondage all that limits freedom and
God, they are a determinant of proper conduct fullness of life. I am glad that, thanks to the ap-
and personal maturity. proach presented by the author of the reviewed
In his text, E. Warren postulates the balance bet- text, my dream about Christian psychotherapy
ween openness to the experiences of the Holy becomes more real and popular.
Spirit and reliance on solid biblical, theologi-
21