Healing starts with Him

Traditional Counseling's goal is to generally adjust 'bad' behavior (physical acts) and/or thinking (cognitive distortions).  These 'acts' or 'distortions impact and literally direct your emotional well-being. Biblical and Pastoral Counseling understands the missing and primary dynamic, The Holy Spirit as the true orchestrator of your connection with Christ (spirit), call of your life (purpose), and your emotional and cognitive care (soul). Thus SLW's goal is to be a bridge between the psychology of the person, the sociology of the culture and community, and the theology of the Gospel. "Both the counseling and spiritual direction worlds move along the same path of spiritual transformation when they fully expect the Holy Spirit to intervene and cause a supernatural change in the life of the client" (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2002).

 

Psalm 31:7 states, "I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have 

seen my affliction.  You know the troubles of my soul."

 

The Latin words for the care of souls are cura animarum. Cura means the “care of” or “cure for,” and animarum means “breath, breeze, air, wind.”  According to Merton (1960), "the purpose of spiritual direction is to dig beneath the surface underneath the typical Christian façade and bring people to their inmost Truth, the center of their soul.

 

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils 

the breath of life; and man became a living soul."  Genesis 2:7

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The word soul is the Greek word psuche/psychí  (where we get our English word, psychology) and in Hebrew, Nephesh. Both have nearly identical meaning, breath, life, living being, breath of life. If God truly formed mankind, breathed into mankind, and mankind became a living soul, then He knows how to bring peace to your soul. The Holy Spirit instructs in the harmony of the physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual core of every born again believer.  

 

I aim to prove it to you because He proved it to me.