Contemplative Christian Meditation

A centuries-old spiritual practice become a tool of gentle psychotherapy, at the junction of contemplation and existential clinical work. It rests on four principles: inner silence (hesychia), the release of the possessive ego (Zundel), openness to the Presence and the apophatic way. Its major techniques are Centering Prayer (a sacred word, twenty minutes twice a day), Christian Meditation (John Main's Maranatha mantra) and the four-stage lectio divina. It addresses existential suffering, crises of meaning, bereavements, chronic anxiety, caregiver burnout and end of life, as a complement to psychotherapies; it is distinguished from secularized MBSR by its theological grounding.

This therapy is covered in detail (principles, indications, protocol, level of evidence) in Volume 8 of the Mémento des Psychothérapies. See the volume.