The Rev. Nancy Lane, Ph.D. - A Healing Ministry

Home

Workshops

Healing Centre

Biography

Links

Contact Info

Healing and Spirituality 1 (Two day seminar)

Science has made enormous strides in recent years with the discovery of an indivisible bodymind. Just as the mind is not in one place, so the soul is not to be found in any one place; it is now thought to be throughout the body. The implications of this are that whatever is in the soul is in the bodymind. Understanding how these three aspects affect our health, growth and well-being will evolve rapidly in coming years. Scientific studies of prayer have also demonstrated that prayer and belief have a direct impact on disease processes, health, and the entire healing process. The results of these studies suggest that the medical model of health care (a disease-based model) will be replaced by a wellness model.

Jesus was a healer of body, mind, and soul. Jesus saw wholeness as the well-being of the total person: psychological, spiritual, physical. There was no separation of body and soul because Jesus understood them as bound together in a living unity. Jesus understood that whenever our psychological and spiritual life was out of balance, the body responded in the effort to communicate this to us.

The great spiritual teachers have always regarded psychology as significant to spirituality because of its role in the integration and transformation process. Transformation requires us to enter into a healing process, where and spirituality work together to set us free to become the person God has created us to be. Depth psychology has taught us that attitudes, perceptions, and behavior are influenced by feelings, which affect how our faith matures. We cannot respond authentically to a faith commitment without facing and examining our feelings and knowing how they affect our lives.

This seminar examines the healing process within the context of Jesus life, ministry, death and resurrection. We learn what these mean for our own spiritual journey and how the death and resurrection process require attention to our psychological life-- including our sexuality, awareness of our embodiment, the role of depression and anger in the spiritual journey, coming to know fully who one is and where you have been, where you are, and knowing where God calls you now.

The following format of material is designed for a 2 day teaching seminar for continuing education programs. It is assumed that participants will have a working knowledge of biblical studies, theology and some familiarity of the writings in classical spirituality. This is an intensive seminar of lectures, Q & A with discussion, and extensive handouts. The workshop can be designed to fit the host's schedule but cannot be shortened in this format.

Introduction: The Healing Ministry of Jesus: The Role of Faith: Living what we believe; The Authority of Jesus to Heal; Death and Resurrection in the Healing Process; Forgiveness and Reconciliation; Listening, hearing and responding to God's Word and inner messages of healing
Understanding the Bodymind connection: Defining Spirituality; Defining Healing; Understanding Embodiment; The Bodymind and disease; How spirituality affects our Bodymind; Sexuality and Spirituality
Prayer and Healing: Scientific evidence that prayer changes reality; How belief shapes reality; The role of prayer in healing; What is Prayer?
The Spiritual Dimensions of Depression: Darkness, Abandonment and Prayer; Spirituality & Self-image; Healing Depression
A Theology of Anger: Anger and Love; Anger at God in the Covenental Relationship; Paradigms for expressing Anger at God; Forgiving God
Forgiveness and Healing: Accepting God's love and loving oneself; Confession and repentance in the healing process; Letting Go
Healing: Who Am I?; Learning and telling one's story; Acceptance

Handouts include:

A Few Definitions of Healing
Defining Spirituality
Identifying Spiritual Needs
Transformation
Blocks to Healing
Relieving Stress: Restoring Balance
Spirituality & Sexuality: Definitions
Touch
Body Image
Women & Abuse
Sexuality and Spirituality
Spirituality & Sexuality: Bibliography
Self-Discipline for Healing Depression
Some Rules for Living
Forgiveness
Forgiveness Re-visited
The Future of Prayer
Prayer and Faith
Images of God
Self-Image
Learning How to be Yourself
Finding Acceptance of Yourself
Living into a Spirituality