Developing a transpersonal approach to pastoral counselling

A key area of difficulty for those engaged in pastoral counselling often co ncerns the adequate integration of pastoral, psychological and spiritual co ncepts and resources. The roots of this tension can be identified within mo dernity between what can be known through objective observation and reason over what is known through subjective experience. Pastoral counselling, in general, represents an attempt to hold together both scientific and subject ive accounts of human existence. Existing forms of Christian pastoral couns elling will benefit, however, through a deeper use of spiritual resources d rawing both on transpersonal psychology and the tradition of Christian myst icism.