Spirituality and Counselling

4539 Words19 Pages
Spirituality and Counselling “Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth…” (Hermann Hesse, 1972) Introduction Traditionally, spirituality and science have not been natural bedfellows, as it is a common belief that they often contradict each other, creating a radically polarized world (Kingsley, 2010). One is seen to rely on faith and subjectivity, while the other based on testable, objective data (Bruce, 2012). The church has had a history of calling scientist heretics, and imprisoning, or even killing them; while scientists often hold the notion that objective and independent research is superior to the ‘hocus pocus’ of spirituality (O’Hear, 1993, Kingsley, 2012). However, using new and exciting evidence from quantum physics and nature spirituality, this paper will attempt to show how spirituality and science are not only compatible, but can provide evidence for the previously elusive spiritual ideas that people have been experiencing, through physical and psychological mechanisms, in their body. In order to do this, the spiritual aspect of ‘interconnectedness’ will be used, as it is a common feature in individuals spiritual experience, independent of religious or secular beliefs. Additionally, nature is commonly reported as providing an environment where spirituality is experienced, irrespective of religious affiliation, therefore, research from ecopsychology will be used to support the ideas developed in this paper. It is hoped that in presenting these ideas, human spirituality will be brought to a new level of understanding that, some believe, is part of the next evolutionary step for human kind (Kingsley, 2010). Ecopsychology For hundreds of thousands of years people have lived closely with nature, intertwined in the web of life on earth; evolving physically, emotionally, socially
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