Christian Meditation in Clinical Practice: A Four-Step Model and Workbook for Therapists and Clients (Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books)

Christians are hungry for a return to their own tradition to cultivate meditation practices that are both psychologically and spiritually fruitful. In recent decades, mindfulness meditation, which originates from the Buddhist tradition, has been embraced in many settings as a method for addressing a plethora of symptoms. What would it look like to turn instead to the Christian faith for resources to more effectively identify and respond to psychological suffering?Over the last decade, Dr. Joshua Knabb has conducted a variety of empirical studies on Christian meditation, focusing on both building theory and testing specific, replicable practices. In this overview and workbook he presents the foundations of a Christian-sensitive approach to meditation in clinical practice. Filled with practical features for immediate use by Christian clients and their therapists, Christian Meditation in Clinical Practice providesan introduction to the rich resources on meditation from eight major streams of the Christian traditionpractices from the early desert Christians, Ignatius of Loyola, Celtic Christians, the Puritans, contemporary writers, and many othersguidance for targeting transdiagnostic processes--patterns of cognition, affect, behavior, the self, and relationships that may lead to psychological sufferingresearch-based evidence for the benefits of Christian meditationclient-friendly tools for practicing meditation, including step-by-step instructions, worksheets, journaling prompts, and links to tailored audio resourcesUsing the approach of Christian psychology, Knabb's model dually builds on a biblical worldview and integrates the latest research in clinical psychology. As clients engage the variety of meditative exercises in this book, they will move toward healthier responses to difficult experiences and a deeper awareness of, and contentment in, God.