The dark night of the soul – or spiritual emergency – is one of life’s most challenging experiences. A misunderstood and overlooked aspect of inner transformation, the dark night journey is deeply counter-cultural, and brings about a profound reckoning with oneself and one’s life.
In this workshop, author Fiona Robertson and Onlinevents founder John Wilson will discuss the phenomenon of the dark night. What is its nature, exactly? Who does it happen to, and why? Why is it such a lonely experience, and how is it different from depression or trauma? And how might we navigate its rocky terrain, and support clients who find themselves going through it?
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- Participants will be introduced to the psychospiritual phenomenon of the dark night of the soul and its various phases.
- Participants will learn how to differentiate the dark night of the soul/spiritual emergency from depression.
- Participants will receive some basic guidance on how to support clients who are going through a dark night of the soul.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- For all therapists, counsellors, and spiritual directors.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- This workshop will help participants to recognise when clients are going through the dark night of the soul. It will also support participants’ reflection on their own journeying.
Course Content
Presenter
Fiona Robertson is the author of The Dark Night of the Soul: A Journey from Absence to Presence. She is also a facilitator of embodied inquiry, and supports people (many of whom are going through a dark night) to reconnect with and deepen into their real selves. Her work encompasses body, psyche and soul, and is radically inclusive of all aspects of the self.
She has an MA in Philosophy (2021) and is an occasional poet.
