Abstract
Reviewed by: Richard P. Olson, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Shawnee, Kansas, USA. Email: richardolson1902@gmail.com
When I explore a new book, I ask two questions: What promise does the author make? And is this promise kept?
Russell Siler Jones is clear about his promise. In his words, he sensed a call to write a book on psychotherapy and spirituality “in … plain, down-to-earth language … practical, not theoretical … pack it with … much clinical dialogue … Make it adaptable for use with almost any psychotherapy model … write from your heart. Let it be a book that feels spiritual, so the tone of the book might be a match for the topic.” (p. 7)
While he has high regard for much of what has been written about psychotherapy and religion and names his five favorite books on this topic, none of them does what he offers—a book that demonstrates what these spiritual conversations sound like, and describes themes, structure, sequence, and flow of such conversations. Of all this, his “chief intention … [is] to teach you a framework.” (p. 6)
He does this in three parts. First, he gently leads readers into the presumptions of spiritual counsel. He starts with a chapter about God, which he says is a “poetic word” with many variations and names, a mysterious reality that many presume and experience even if God’s existence cannot be logically proved or disproved. He introduces the term “spirituality” with a collage of brief descriptions-experiences, and then conceptually as “all the ways you and God relate to each other.” (p. 30)
In the second part, he describes the process of including spiritual counsel in psychotherapy. He speaks of how it begins, and how and when to make spiritual interventions, with special attention to interventions when harmful spirituality is taking place. He notes that sometimes a client initiates a spiritual topic, and sometimes the therapist does. He notes the implicit and explicit themes that might arise and offers many questions and topics that may launch a spiritual investigation. He demonstrates these with clinical conversations of which he has been a part.
The third part of the book guides the therapist in working on one’s own spirituality. He notes the therapist’s spirituality is “always in the room.” He suggests giving attention “to the unconscious material that bubbles up moment to moment in response to your clients—the steady stream of sensation, emotion, and memory, that we call countertransference.” (p. 171, italics his) He goes on to say that spiritual countertransference is often mentioned in a cautionary warning. However, it has potential, if properly monitored, to offer helpful therapy as the experiences of two humans make contact. With openness to the spirituality of both self and client, it is possible that one’s therapy practice can be/become a spiritual practice.
At the outset Jones said he would offer a framework. At the conclusion he notes the framework he described “includes a bit of theory, lots of skills and strategies, and ample portion of my own spiritual values and assumptions.” (p. 225)
Of all the good things he offers, I somehow feel a bit of disappointment in his treatment of spiritually harmful spiritualities. It is good he includes this topic. I wish there had been wider variety in the harmful spiritualities he describes and attention to how serious and deadly these can be.
Has this author kept his promise? Yes, especially for his stated primary audience, which are beginning or experienced therapists who want to learn how to engage the spiritual concerns of their clients. Jones has a gift for breaking complex theories and processes into simpler steps or components. He writes collegially, crediting the scholars that inform him, and he communicates both sharing himself and his experience and with deep openness to those of other persuasions.
What is its value for those of us who are chaplains and pastoral counselors? Our professions’ mission statements claim a spiritually integrated helping process. Therefore, this book may be more familiar territory for many of us. (Jones referenced some recent scholars I have not yet read but did not speak of the pioneers who guided me in this quest early on—Clinebell, Weatherhead, and others.) Still, many may find it an enjoyable read, offering a reaffirming, strengthening, and enriching perspective, as this reviewer did.
