Beyond the Inner Witness: Spiritual Direction and the Contemplative Path
George M. Maxwell
Anglican theological review November 4, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/00033286261501945 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that psychological formation tools—typological frameworks, therapeutic practice, and prayer maps—are necessary but "penultimate" to the contemplative path, and that the Christian mystical tradition, aided by Samuel Wells's Trinitarian account, points to a transformation beyond them. Proposes a four-movement framework for spiritual directors, including what directors should resist doing at each stage. |
Abstract
The tools of modern psychological formation—typological frameworks, therapeutic practice, and maps of prayer—serve the journey of spiritual formation well. They are not, however, the whole journey. This essay argues that these tools belong to a necessary but penultimate stage of the contemplative path, and that the Christian mystical tradition points toward a transformation that lies beyond what they can map—one that Samuel Wells’s account of the inner workings of the Trinity helps to name and locate. Understanding this relationship has direct practical implications for the practice of spiritual direction. A four-movement account of the interior journey is proposed as a practical framework for directors, with particular attention to what the director needs to recognize—and resist the temptation to do—at each movement. The essay concludes with an account of the transformed life the journey is moving toward.