Christian Contemplative Prayer: An Embodied Spirituality of Healing and Well-Being Through the Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care May 25, 2024 Kathleen M. Holley
Long-term Christian contemplative prayer practice—sustained silent awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence over 2 to 40+ years—is associated with four dimensions of the Holy Spirit's ministry: holistic healing, spiritual formation, soul care, and faith. These findings emerged from interviews with thirty-six practitioners and extend an existing substantive theory that integrates contemplative prayer, well-being, and embodiment. The work provides a conceptual framework for understanding how this embodied spiritual practice may affect practitioners over decades, though the study is qualitative and does not establish causal effects.