What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction is a relationship in which one person, the directee, meets regularly with a trained spiritual director to reflect on their spiritual life. Spiritual Directors International (SDI), an international network of spiritual directors and companions, defines it this way: spiritual direction aims to help us experience the eternal and the infinite aspects of our true nature through the wise, experienced and compassionate company of another human being.
Despite the name, a director does not direct. SDI describes directors as people who do not proselytize or try to persuade, but walk alongside others and honor each person's free will and discernment. The attention stays on the directee's own experience of God, the sacred, or whatever language fits them.
Who seeks spiritual direction?
People come to spiritual direction for many reasons. Some want company in a regular prayer or meditation practice. Some are trying to discern a decision or a sense of calling. Others are noticing that the faith they grew up with no longer fits, or that something they cannot name is stirring.
SDI welcomes people with their spiritual traditions intact or with no tradition at all, and its members include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and people with secular spiritualities. You do not need to be religious, or certain of anything, to begin.
Some people seek direction during a season of grief, change or questioning; others simply want a regular space to pay attention to their inner life. There is no threshold of need, and no problem has to be present for spiritual direction to be worthwhile.
How is spiritual direction different from therapy?
Therapy is a licensed health service focused on psychological wellbeing, symptoms, relationships and change. Spiritual direction is focused on the spiritual life itself, and it is not a health service. SDI's sample engagement agreement for directors includes the line: although it is appropriate at times to discuss psychological and relational difficulties in spiritual direction, the director is not a psychotherapist and does not provide such services.
The two can complement each other. Some people see a therapist and a spiritual director at the same time, for different purposes. The article spiritual direction vs. therapy looks at the difference in more detail. If you are in crisis, spiritual direction is not the right support: call 911 in an emergency, or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Where did Laura study spiritual direction?
Laura Bass has studied spiritual direction at the Haden Institute, a North Carolina organization that trains spiritual directors and dream workers. She is also an Ordained Minister with the Alliance of Divine Love. Like her other complementary trainings, this sits on a pathway kept separate from her psychotherapy practice.
About the Haden Institute
The Haden Institute describes its work as spiritual direction and dream work training in the Jungian mystical Christian tradition, while presenting its training model as interfaith: participants are not required to be Christian or to belong to any religious tradition. Its two-year spiritual direction certification course covers core ideas of Jungian psychology, dream work, contemplative practices, and the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs typologies.
The in-person course meets for six long-weekend intensives at the Kanuga conference and retreat center in Hendersonville, North Carolina, in the mountains west of Charlotte, and a virtual format is also offered. Students work in small cohorts accompanied by a Haden mentor. The Institute's mailing address is in Asheville.
How often do people meet, and what does it cost?
Spiritual direction is usually unhurried. SDI's sample engagement agreement for directors is written around a monthly one-hour session, with the option of meeting more often by arrangement, and that rhythm is common. Many people continue with the same director for a long time, though there is no required length.
Directors set their own fees, and some offer a sliding scale or see people through a congregation or retreat center. Spiritual direction is not a health service and is not billed to health insurance. For any fee or frequency with Laura specifically, ask her directly.
What should you ask a prospective spiritual director?
A first conversation is a good time to ask a few questions and to notice how it feels to be listened to.
- Where did you train, and are you in supervision or spiritual direction yourself?
- What is your own tradition, and how do you work with people whose beliefs differ from yours?
- Do you follow a code of ethics, such as SDI's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct?
- How do you handle confidentiality?
- How often do we meet, for how long, and what is the fee?
- What would you do if something came up that belonged in therapy rather than direction?
How do you find a spiritual director in Charlotte?
Whether Laura currently offers spiritual direction sessions is something to ask Laura directly. More broadly, SDI maintains an online directory where you can search for directors by location and tradition, and many congregations and retreat centers can suggest directors they know.
It is normal to meet with a director once before deciding whether the fit is right. The page on what happens in spiritual direction walks through a typical session.
Common questions
Does Laura Bass offer spiritual direction in Charlotte?
Laura has studied spiritual direction at the Haden Institute. Whether she currently offers spiritual direction sessions, and the format, frequency and fee of any sessions, are details to confirm with her directly. Contact the practice and she will tell you what she offers and what she does not. Spiritual direction, if offered, is separate from psychotherapy.
Do I have to be Christian to have a spiritual director?
No. Spiritual direction grew up largely in Christian contemplative traditions, but today it is practiced across many faiths. Spiritual Directors International welcomes people of any tradition or none, and the Haden Institute states that its trainees need not be Christian or religious. A good director follows your language and beliefs rather than imposing their own.
What should I look for in a spiritual director?
Look for someone who has completed a formation program, receives supervision or their own direction, and follows a code of ethics such as SDI's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct. Ask about their tradition, how they work with people of other beliefs, confidentiality, and fees. Most important is whether you feel heard and free to be honest.
Is spiritual direction confidential?
Directors generally hold conversations in strict confidence. SDI's sample engagement agreement says the director will not reveal what is discussed unless required by law or court order, while the directee is free to share whatever they choose. Ask any director how they handle confidentiality before you begin.