COURSE PTHM 418 01A All assignments are listed under the class session at A (C) after a resource
at A (C) after a resource means it is
SYLLABUS --
PART 2 Dynamics of
Spiritual Direction
Assignment Synchronously online
s Summer 2020
Session Topics
Session 1 Theological Foundations
I: Grace & Nature
God’s self-communication
& human response
Discernment of spirits
Discernment & God image
What is spiritual direction?
Listening: underscoring
Session 2 Theological Foundations
II: Embodiment &
Presence
Discernment of spirits:
Consolation & desolation
Spirit & embodiment
Contemplative presence &
the real
Listening: Paraphrasing
which they are due. Point values for grading are available on Canvas.
given next to each assignment.
Watch Canvas for additional OPTIONAL
Page numbers are given for the 2009 (2nd revised) resources that will be posted throughout
edition of The Practice of Spiritual Direction by the semester: readings, websites and
Barry & Connolly. videos.
Readings due Written assignments due
“Pastoral Counseling or Spiritual Direction” (C)
NOTE: If you plan to do the certificate,
“Discernment of Spirits in the Prologue to the Rule which would mean doing the Practicum
of Benedict” (C) this next academic year, you must have
applied to the program before class
For those who took Prayer before 2016, read: begins.
Gallagher, Spiritual Consolation
Introduction pp. 1-6
Prologue pp. 23, 26-29
Chapter 1 pp. 31-39
Chapter 2 pp. 40-56
Chapter 4 pp. 65-74
Chapter 7 pp. 102-114
Chapter 8 pp. 115-124
Also Staying with our human experience (C)
Spiritual Bypassing (C)
Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, Ch. 1, pp. 3-19 Reflection #2: Week 2 rules (C) 10 pts.
66 pp. total
Questions on readings #2 (C) 10 pts.
“Our Images of God” (C) 6 pp.
Informal notes from prayer #2
“Contemplative Presence” folder – 6 pp. (C) See “Daily Prayer Assignments” (C)
Conroy, Discerning Heart,Ch. 2 & 3, pp. 19-30, 35-54
“Experiential Avoidance” (C) 1 p.
“Spiritual Bypassing” (C) 1 p.
McMahon & Campbell, “Bio-Spir Focusing” 3 pp. (C)
Review both sets of rules: Consolation & desolation
Session 3 Theological Themes III: Conroy, Discerning Heart, Ch. 5, pp. 75-89 64 pp. total Reflection #3: Week 1 & 2 rules (C)
Nature & Relationship 10 pts.
“Humility” folder -- 25 pp. (C) Questions on readings #3 (C) 10 pts.
Grace & relationship
“Seeking and finding God : love and humility in the Informal notes from prayer #3
Humility as freedom Benedictine tradition” K. Howard, OSB (15 pp.)

Hospitality & Moore,“Listening the Other into Free Speech”4 pp. (C)
contemplative presence
Gillespie, “Listening for Grace” 3 pp. (C)
Listening: “Staying with”
Solomon, “History of Spiritual Direction” 4 pp. (C)

Scofield, “Theological Assumptions of Spir Dir” (C)

Session 4 The Contemplative- Barry & Connolly, The Practice of 73 total Reflection #4: (C)
Evocative Approach Spiritual Direction, Ch. 1, 2 & 3, pp. 3-45 Reflection on hospitality 10 pts.

Purposes of spiritual Conroy, Looking into the Well, Ch. 1, pp. 3-17 Questions on readings #4 (C) 10 pts.
direction
Hay, “Hospitality: Heart of Spiritual Direction” Informal notes from prayer #4
Hospitality in spir dir 6 pp. (C)

Listening: Open-ended & Bowler, “Shame & Spiritual Direction” 8 pp.

evocative questions Blyth, “Practice of Radical Acceptance” 1 p.
Session 5 Faith Development & Barry & Connolly, The Practice of 78 pp. total Take short form of Myers-Briggs Test (C)
Spiritual Direction Spiritual Direction, Ch. 4 & 5, pp. 47-84
And also Ch. 7, pp. 107-123 Reflection #5: 10 pts.
Faith development Prayer styles & Myers –Briggs (C)
theories “Grace Can Do More,” Louf 2 pp. (C)
Questions on readings #5 (C) 10 pts.
Dark night vs. desolation Folder 1: Theories of faith development, spirituality
vs. depression 4 readings, 8 pp. (C) Informal notes from prayer #5
(OPTIONAL readings also in folders)
Transference & Folder 2: Darkness in spiritual direction
counter- transference 2 readings, 5 pp. (C)

Trauma & shame Folder 3: Psychological Topics

3 readings, 6pp. (C)
Session 6 Mental Health Issues & Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, 64 pp. total Take IPIP test on-line (C)
Spiritual Direction Ch. 3, pp. 45-70  SAVE the results
Barry & Connolly, The Practice of Spiritual
Mental health issues Direction, Ch. 9, pp. 143 – 164 Reflection # 6: IPIP results (C) 10 pts.
How they might arise
Boundaries “Self-compassion” folder – 6 pp. (C) Questions on readings #6 (C) 10 pts.
When to consult / refer
10 pages on spiritual direction & mental health (C) Informal notes from prayer #6
Self-compassion
Session 7 Introduction to Total: 40 book pp. + manual & pamphlet Reflection # 7:
Supervision Discernment Reflection (C) 15 pts.
Conroy, Discerning Heart, Ch. 6, pp. 95-100 (Intro),
143-155 (Bob) Shorter, direct questions on readings here on
Preparation for practicum Questions on Readings #7 (C) 5 pts.
Verbatims Conroy, Looking into the Well, Ch. 2 & 3, pp. 19-49
Supervision Start work on your “Application to
Prayerful reflections SDI, “ Guidelines for Ethical Conduct” (C) Receive Supervision”
Application to receive
supervision Informal notes from prayer #7
Selections from Practicum Manual (list on C)
(hardcopy of Manual to be handed out Session 6) Working ahead: Plan to do your 1st spir
direction mini-session, due Session 8
Session 8 Resistance in Spiritual 64 pp. total
Direction & Supervision
Barry & Connolly,The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Reflection #8: Verbatim on 1st spiritual
Resistance and the Ch 6, pp. 85-106 direction session (C) 15 pts.
movements of grace Ch. 10, pp.165-184
Questions on readings # 8 (C) 5 pts.
Disordered attachments Conroy, Discerning Heart, Ch. 7 pp. 101-122 (Fran)
Informal notes from prayer #8
Disturbances in director-
directee relationship
Session 9 Professional Ethics & 61 pp. total Reflection #9: Prayerful reflection on
Other Considerations Conroy, Discerning Heart, Ch. 11, pp. 177-195 (Pam) supervision (C) 15 pts.

Implications of the Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, Ch. 4 & 5, pp. 71-107 “Application to Receive Supervision”
incarnation (entire packet) (C) 5 pts. OR
“Boundaries in Spiritual Direction” (C) “Reflection on Spirituality as Human
 Boundaries
Reporting
Continuing education
On-going supervision
When & how to “teach”
Session 10 Modern Spiritual
Direction as a
Benedictine Practice
Lectio divina as a model for
direction & supervision
Stability
Hospitality
Continual conversion
Welcoming Christ
Session 11 Spiritual Direction &
the Human Body
Sexuality & spiritual
direction
Art & spiritual direction
Dreams & the unconscious
Session 12 Becoming a Director:
Conversatio Morum
Paschal mystery and
spiritual direction
“Boundaries Make Freedom Possible” 2 pp. (C)
OPTIONAL
Barry & Connolly, The Practice of Spiritual
Direction, Ch. 11, pp. 185-202
Conroy, Looking into the Well, Ch. 4, pp. 51-67
50 pp. total
Benedictine Spiritual Direction
Di Biase 4 pp
Johnston 8 pp.
Read in Manual: Benedictine Discernment and
Continual Conversion (2 pp.)
Bockmann, A Listening Community (4 pp.) (C)
“Narrative and lectio divina” 2 pp. (C)
Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, Ch. 9, pp. 192-212
62 pp. totaL
OPTIONAL
Paintner, “Using the Arts in Spir Dir” 7 pp. (C)
Dreams & Spiritual Direction 6 pp. (C)
Conroy, Looking into the Well, Ch. 5, pp. 69-89
Folder: Sexuality (20 pp.) (C)
35 pp. total
Rolheiser, The Holy Longing, Ch. 7, pp. 141-166
Folder: Forgiveness 9 pp. (C)
OPTIONAL
Experience” (C) 5 pts.
Informal notes from prayer #9
Working ahead: Make plans to do your
2nd spiritual direction mini-session,
due Session 10
Reflection #10: Verbatim on 2nd spiritual
direction session (C) 15 pts.
Questions on readings # 10 (C) 5 pts.
Informal notes from prayer #10
Reflection #11: Prayerful reflection on
supervision done session 10 (C) 15 pts.
Questions on readings # 11 (C) 5 pts.
Informal notes from prayer #11
Working ahead: plan your 3rd spiritual
direction mini-session, due Session 12
Reflection #12: Verbatim on
3rd spiritual direction session (C) 15 pts.
Informal notes from prayer #12
“Final Integrative Reflection” (C) 25 pts.
 Your first session Conroy, Looking into the Well, Ch. 7, pp. 107-120 Due within one week of the end of class

Gifts & growing edges

GRADING Experiments in Prayer

 In order to receive credit for the course, you must attend each class session. Every class there will have been a prayer
(You may miss at most 1 of the 12 class sessions only if something urgent comes up.) assignment, though no written review of
 No quizzes, tests or term papers are required. the prayer will be turned in. Bring some
 All graded assignments must be turned in through Canvas. If you use a word processor short notes on how the prayer went.
other than Word, please save your document as a pdf before submitting.
 All assignments are graded on a point basis. Binder of Course Materials
 Approximately 30% of each assignment grade will be earned by submitting on time with I recommend that you maintain a loose-
all portions complete. See individual assignment rubrics for other details. leaf 3-ring binder of all course materials.
You will find your binder a great
Grading Scale Maximum possible points = 240 resource during Practicum and later.
220 – 240 = A 92-100 %
215 – 219 = A- 90-91 % Electronic files
210 – 214 = B+ 88-89 % You should devise a process for keeping
196 – 209 = B 82- 87 % an organized collection of electronic files
191 – 195 = B- 80-81 % for your own reference, that you can add
186 – 190 = C+ 78-79 % to as time goes on.
167 – 185 = C 70-77 %
144 – 166 = D 60-69 % Meeting with Instructor
below 143 = F 59 % and below This applies only to the certificate
students, and should be in the last week
Final Integrative Reflection of the class. Please allow about 30
 At the end of the course you will write a “Final Integrative Exercise” in which you will be minutes.
asked to demonstrate personal appropriation of in-class activities and assigned readings.
Answers will be short, but should accurately reflect course content.