Dreams and Spirituality: A Handbook for Ministry, Spiritual Direction and Counselling

Dreams and Spirituality is a pastoral handbook that offers a comprehensive overview of the nature of dreams as understood from a range of diverse professional perspectives. Dreams are a universal phenomenon, feature frequently in biblical narratives and have a long established role in religious faith and practice. Yet many pastors feel ill-equipped to deal with this area of human consciousness. The approach of this volume is both systematic and practical, enabling ministers, spiritual directors and counsellors to understand the nature of dreams and the role they play in the lives of those in their pastoral care. Twenty-two contributors from a wide variety of disciplines explore the potential of dreams to bring about renewal, healing, reconciliation and encounter with the transcendent. Part One examines dreams from theological, psychological and cultural anthropological perspectives. Part Two explores the theme of dreams and religion through empirical data, theory and reflections. Part Three considers dreams and the practice of pastoral care for a variety of contexts and situations.