"Taking on the gods is a significant responsibility of pastoral counseling. Confronting those psychic structures, forces, and images which masquerade as God; bringing love, faith, and hope into the lives of persons; and being an extension ministry of Jesus Christ walking in the hells of human existence are all ways of expressing the true evangelistic purposes of pastoral counseling. The thought of taking on the gods in one's clients and in oneself may seem like arrogance or a humbling and awesome challenge. Nevertheless, taking on the gods is at the heart and soul of pastoral counseling."...

This book explores the wise and conscious use of spiritual resources within counselling and psychotherapy. Written by veteran clinicians from different spiritual perspectives, and from various therapeutic schools of thought, this book provides a broad view of how the spiritual is present within therapeutic practice. The work of counselling and psychotherapy is increasingly seeking to ground its efforts within the richness of spiritual traditions. One of the surprising developments of the contemporary psychotherapeutic scene is a growing reliance on both hard, objective sciences - such as, for...