Body and Imagination: Healing Trauma through Ignatian Meditation and Bio-Spiritual Focusing
Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1353/scs.2024.a938551 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractTrauma affects both psyche and body, and two Christian spiritual practices—Ignatian meditation and bio-spiritual focusing (BSF)—offer healing pathways. The essay, originally a presidential address, outlines trauma's nature and sources, then explores how imaginative Ignatian prayer and BSF can aid recovery. It also examines the theological significance of Christ's solidarity with sufferers, proposing that Christ provides compassionate witness and embodied presence for those healing from trauma.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Proposes that Ignatian meditation and bio-spiritual focusing hold healing potential for trauma recovery, and that Christ's solidarity offers compassionate witness and embodied presence for sufferers. |
Abstract
Abstract: Ignatian meditation and bio-spiritual focusing (or BSF) hold healing potential for those recovering from the effects of trauma. This essay, originally delivered as the presidential address of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality in November 2023, outlines the nature and sources of trauma, explores its effects on the human psyche and body, and offers healing pathways from two streams in Christian spirituality—imaginative Ignatian prayer and BSF. It also explores the theological and spiritual implications of Christ's solidarity with the sufferer, and some of the ways in which Christ offers compassionate witness and embodied presence for those on the healing journey.