A retired psychologist, I now act as a spiritual companion for people with a spiritual hunger or curiosity. I live in London but can Zoom anywhere.
I became a psychologist because my experience taught me that listening to people can help them heal. I loved exploring the questions, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ and “How can I get better?’ I was lucky to do that for many years. When I retired in 2021, I renewed my daily meditation practice and my own spiritual quest. I began to realize that I might still use my gift for listening to spiritual quests rather than mental health quests. I registered with Spiritual Directors International, have been studying with the Haden Institute and will graduate as a Spiritual Director in 2024. I am able to offer spiritual companionship under the supervision of my own spiritual director.
Still listening, but from a deeper place, with a different objective.
What is the difference between psychotherapy and spiritual companionship? Well, if your psyche were a dark cave, psychotherapy would help you to find your way out of it. Spiritual direction would encourage you to light a candle and explore it. As a companion, I help you to to find the presence of the Divine Mystery in your life and the world so that you can awaken – to new possibilities, connections, and deeper meanings.
If you wonder about questions like the following, you may be on a spiritual quest.
“Who am I really?”
How should I manifest who I am in the world?
“Is this all there is to life?”
“Formal religion leaves me still thirsting for something. Is it just me?”
“How do I find my way to a faith that works?”
“What can I do to bring healing to the world?”
What am I to make of the mystical experiences I am having?
If you want a companion along the way, I might be the person for you. My firmest spiritual roots are through my 35 years in a 12-step tradition, a non-dogmatic approach to spiritual growth. I have been a student of meditation since the early 1990’s and have sat on and off with Buddhist communities since then (currently ‘off’). Christianity found me in 1993 and I have worshipped on and off with Anglicans since then (currently ‘on’). I explored yoga teachings intently for the seven years I was actively involved in a yoga community. I sit regularly with a non-denominational group of meditators. I pay attention to the contemplative community, particularly the teachings of Richard Rohr and Alan Watts. I am happily married to an agnostic.
I believe the Divine Mystery* is available to all who earnestly seek (dark nights of the soul notwithstanding). At times, we seek alone, but the spiritual journey is one that is best shared..
*This is a word which attempts to capture what cannot be put into words. In spiritual companionship, I start with this instead of “God” to mean, ‘the ultimate reality, the divine mystery, the immanent presence, the spirit of the universe that underlies the totality of things. Many people begin our conversations with deciding just which word to use.
What People Say
Though your destination is not yet clear, you can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning that is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure; hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm, for your soul senses the world that awaits you.
John O’Donohue
Privileged communications have priceless advantages. We find in them the perfect opportunity to be as honest as we know how to be. We do not have to think of the possibility of damage to other people, nor need we fear ridicule or condemnation. Here too, we have the best possible chance of spotting self-deception.
Bill Wilson
To become human is to become visible while carrying what is hidden as a gift to others.
David Whyte
Harken 