Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious [Paperback]

Fr. Murchadh O Madagain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2007

In this searching study, Fr. O Madagain describes the life and thoughts of Fr. Thomas Keating, the Trappist monk who was one of the founders of the centering prayer movement. Centering prayer aims to reclaim the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions after centuries of neglect and to make it available for modern spiritual seekers. Fr. O Madagain traces its roots back to the fourth- and fifth-century Desert Fathers such as Evagrius and John Cassian. He shows how it was used in the medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing and practiced by saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, then revived by Thomas Merton during the twentieth century.

Fr. O Madagain illustrates how, by bringing the insights of contemporary psychology to bear on this ancient method of prayer, Fr. Keating has not only revitalized the contemplative tradition, but also has enabled it to become a powerful tool for people of faith to gain insight into themselves and God, whom Keating calls the "divine healer." Fr. O Madagain also unpacks the processes at work in centering prayer and clears up some of the common misunderstandings that surround it.

Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious is an essential work for all those interested in the history and practice of centering prayer. In addition to describing the background of this unique and effective practice, Fr. O Madagain offers unique insights into the ideas of one of its leading contemporary teachers and practitioners.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fr. Murchadh O Madagain is a priest of the Diocese of Galway in the West of Ireland since 1998. He completed his doctorate in Spiritual Theology in the University of St. Thomas Aquinas ("The Angelicum"), Rome, in 2005. He now works in a parish in Galway and also lectures in Spiritual Theology. Fr. O Madagain is also the author of Therese of Lisieux: Through Love and Suffering (St. Paul's, 2003).

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Lantern Books (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590561074
• ISBN-13: 978-1590561072
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #870,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A major contribution, March 23, 2008

By 

Mary C. Knipmeyer (Silver Spring, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious (Paperback)

The author takes the basic tenents of Centering Prayer and Contemplative Prayer to create a valuable discussion of the role of the unconscious in the development of the authentic or true self. For those with psychological backgrounds, a stumbling block to understanding the work of Father Thomas Keating/Centering Prayer may be the challenge of finding a conceptual paradign that integrates the complexity of the operation of the human mind with one's spiritual quest to commune with and respond to the Divine. Father O'madagain suceeds in explaining how one's troublesome uncounscious motivations and actions can be revealed and potentially healed through Centering Prayer leading to Contemplative spirituality. This book is of interest to those who know the work of Father Keating and will entice those who have yet to acquaint themselves with his work. Best of all is the integration of the unconscious into the search for the authentic self.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most comprehensive exposition, August 12, 2008

By 

Richard E. Gegenwarth "worldly contemplative" (Cape Cod, MA,USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious (Paperback)

I have read numerous books on centering prayer by Thomas Keating, Basil Pennington, William Meninger and many other over the last 10 years and have discussed them with an interested group. I just finished reading "Centering Prayer And The Healing Of The Unconscious" last night. It is one of the best books that I have ever read on Centering Prayer. I would suggest it to anyone who may be on the spiritual journey whether they know it or not.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but assumes reader is orthodox Catholic, July 17, 2011

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David M. Bell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Centering Prayer and the Healing of the Unconscious (Paperback)

I found this book good. But the topics seemed to skip around. Sometimes the author would talk about psychological topics, sometimes introduce the philosophy and practice of CP. I found the sections of apologetics for CP to be pretty important. It's too bad how CP seems to bring up great suspicion with certain Catholics. The comparative religious sections comparing CP to TM and zazen were great. It helped show me why my practice of zazen dried up a year or two ago, and I was drawn into changing my practice, and why I have been drawn to the esoterism of the west more and more. I think that this book still lacked a coherent psychological study of the mechanism of the healing of the unconscious. I would like to see a Christian who is a psychologist or psychotherapist study this matter. Someone with specific psychological training.
One big reservation I had, is that the author seemed to be speaking to orthodox Catholics specifically. He would speak of an issue and talk about what the "Church" teaches specifically. There was a note in the end of the book about how Ken Wilber's model is based on man evolving from simpler life forms, and the author said that this is of course not what the Church teaches. This reminds me of how Meister Eckhart got in trouble for saying that Genesis was never supposed to be taken literally.