The article by Blanton (2010) is a review of literature of Centering Prayer, a form of mindful practice. The practice of mindfulness has received a lot of attention recently, and counselors have created the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to help patients with stress-related disorders. With all the focus on mindfulness, other mindful practices have been ignored. In the article, Blanton (2010) describes Centering Prayer and compares it with mindfulness. Centering prayer uses a Christian perspective, and it can help patients to remain present during their prayers. The article also explores the clinical implications of Centering Prayer, and how it can be integrated into therapy.
Summary
According to Blanton (2010), Centering Prayer is a Christian contemplation tradition developed by Meninger, Pennington, and Keating in 1975. Centering Prayer is traced to the Desert Fathers and Mothers from the third and fourth centuries. It is a method of pure prayer, and the first rule of Centering Prayer is choosing a sacred word to symbolize one’s intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. When an individual finds himself/herself drifting, he/she uses the sacred word to return the attention towards God. The second strategy is to sit comfortably and to introduce the sacred word as a symbol of one’s consent to God’s presence and action within. The third step involves becoming aware of one’s thoughts and returning gently to the sacred word. Lastly, one should end the prayer period by remaining silent with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.
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Blanton (2010) compares Centering prayer with mindfulness before exploring the benefits and how it can be integrated with psychotherapy. Both mindfulness and Centering Prayer have a similar purpose by making one aware of the present. The main difference is that Centering Prayer is about building a special connection with God so that one can share and listen to God without any distraction. According to Blanton (2010), Centering Prayer can free up our minds from the restraints of language enabling clients to see how their minds work to get rid of rigid identification of activities. Secondly, incorporating Centering Prayer will allow one to access his/her deeper primary self.
In the article, Blanton outlines three ways in which Centering Prayer can be incorporated into psychotherapy. First, a psychotherapist can come to the session when he/she is mindfully aware. Secondly, the psychotherapist can use Centering Prayer to inform the therapeutic processes, attitude, and outcome. Lastly, the psychotherapist can teach clients how to use Centering Prayer on their own. The article ends with a case study which incorporates Centering Prayer as an adjunct to couples therapy. The couple, Don and Sarah joined the Centering Prayer group and agreed to practice Centering Prayer for twenty minutes every day during couple’s therapy. By the end of the couple’s therapy, Don and Sarah were happy about the changes in their relationship. Don was less critical while Sarah was more respectful, and the intimacy in the relationship also improved.
Reflection
The concept of Centering Prayer is entirely new, particularly in the field of counseling. In the article, Blanton (2010) describes centering prayer as coming before God in silence to communion with God. It is about sitting in the presence of God for twenty minutes to rest in God beyond thoughts, emotions, and petition. In the article, Blanton (2010) does an excellent job of introducing the new concept of centering prayer and compares it in detail with mindfulness.
The article uses extensive literature review on centering prayer to support its relevance in the field of counseling. Some of the studies used such as the study by Hayes et al. (2004) demonstrate the importance of mindfulness in counseling. Aside from the comprehensive literature review, the author includes a case study to show how to incorporate of centering prayer as well as its benefits. The author shares the couple’s therapy journey for Don and Sarah, and the application of centering prayer as a supplementary to the couple’s therapy. By the end of six weeks, Don and Sarah’s relationship had changed for better; they were more intimate and respectful of each other.
Blanton (2010) concludes the article by citing the benefits of centering praying as seen in the case study. However, the study design used is ineffective. The study used a case study, but it failed to capture the situation in a more in-depth manner. Case studies are different from other study designs because it gives a detailed account of an event. Blanton (2010) summarized the use of centering prayer for Don and Sarah’s couple’s therapy such that one cannot tell if the study took place or not. The article should have focused more on the case study rather than the literature review on centering prayer to show how it can be applied in counseling. The researcher should have also used a control group to test the effectiveness of centering prayer. Sarah and Don were part of a centering prayer group, but it is hard to tell if centering prayer helped because it was used as an addition to normal couple’s therapy.
How to Apply Centering Prayer in Counselling
I will apply centering prayer when working with clients with substance abuse problems to identify the cause of their problem and to help them make better choices. Individuals with substance abuse problems rely on the wrong narratives they have created, and these narratives perpetuate substance abuse. For example, some of them have told themselves they can be at peace or happy when they are using. The narrative represents an internal dialogue, which is often confused as complete selfhood.
According to Blanton (2010), the application of centering Prayer requires a set of skills: identifying, separating, releasing and encountering. The process of identifying is about noticing inner dialogues that exist with little recognition and understanding that the dialogues are stories, but not a representative of the person. The second skill is separating which is the process of separating the difference between a story and complete selfhood. The third skill is learning how to let go of inner monologue and to experience the silence so that they can be in the moment.
After teaching the client with substance abuse problem on the necessary skills on centering prayer, we will take part in a centering prayer session together. We will begin by identifying a sacred word to represent God’s presence and action in the client’s life. Then sit quietly in a comfortable place without any distractions for 20 minutes. We will be in a state of prayer, whereby each one of us repeats the sacred word until we reach a state of peace. At this moment, we will enjoy the presence of God without any distraction from thoughts, feelings, and memories. As the thoughts pass by, the client will gently let them pass and continue at a state of peace. Centering prayer is not the absence of thought; it is the intentional letting go of thoughts that dominate our conscious experience with the aim of understanding them and changing our lives.
In conclusion, Centering Prayer works like mindfulness. It will help clients to understand their thought processes, to be more present to address their issues from with a clear perspective. Centering Prayer also enables clients to be closer to God as they face different problems.
