영성지도와 목회상담: 상담관계를 통한 영적 성숙

Abstract

This article is an effort for integration between Christian counseling and spiritual direction. I have tried to contribute to the integrative approach by clarifying interconnections between interhuman relationship and God-human relationship. Many spiritual directors as well as pastoral counselors have had skepticism about the influence of interpersonal psychological dynamics such as transference and counter-transference Interpersonal dynamics such as transference/counter-transference has been understood as hindrance to the development of the counselee’s relationship with God. This skepticism seems to have contributed to the dichotomy between spiritual direction and Christian counseling. In this article, while acknowledging the possibility that interpersonal dynamics and psychological process can work as hindrance to the counselee’s relationship with God, I have argued that they can also work as mediation for the counselee’s deeper experience and understanding of God and spiritual growth. Karl Barth’s theological anthropology implies that interpersonal relationship can image God to one another. This will be particularly true for therapeutic and pastoral relationships. Heinz Kohut contends that the growth of the counselee’s self-structure requires the process of self-object transference such as mirroring, idealizing, and alter-ego transference. I believe that the growth of the counselee’s self-structure coincides with the development of his/her interpersonal relationship and God relationship. Spiritual growth is a change of the whole structure of the threefold relationship - self, other and God relationship. It is God himself rather than the counselor who provides himself as a self-object for the counselee, so that the counselee can grow into the image of God in his or her threefold relationship. However, God provides himself as a self-object not apart from but through the pastoral relationship.