What is the purpose of this group?
This group is intended for providing spiritual companionship and community support with an experienced spiritual director that facilitates the group. The group provides sacred hospitality for exploring issues, concerns, opportunities, and events that emerge in our lives and a special way to reflect on personal meaning and direction in light of the Presence within and among us. This is not a therapy group. However, as a spiritual companionship group it shares some similarities with a therapy group in that it honors personal integration, self-awareness, and movements toward greater health and wholeness. The group provides an opportunity to assist members in discovering their own inner wisdom and explore their own deep truths that can be discovered in the reflecting on particular events in living. Spirituality is seen as the sacred core of life which actively engages and informs the whole of who we are—body, mind, emotions, relationships, social concerns, creativity, and beliefs. This group helps us to be in touch with that core reality and discover and learn from our inner holy wisdom.
Who would benefit from this group?
Any adult interested in being part of a group that honors inner wisdom, spiritual discernment, and life as a sacred journey may benefit from this group. A willingness to be present and respectful to people from various spiritual and religious traditions as well as those who are not associated with a religious tradition is necessary. You need to be comfortable working on the internet and in a virtual community.
What is the spiritual direction method used in this group?
This is a “Spiritual Friends” group facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Daniel Prechtel who has many years of experience in small groups and spiritual direction. Members of the group will “meet” through a forum-type discussion board group service or an audio-visual conference service such as Skype or Google Hangout moderated and facilitated by Daniel. In his role as facilitator he will participate in everything except being the focus person. Each session one member (the focus person) of the group will present something(s) from her or his life and have the group’s members provide assistance in reflecting more deeply on the situation and its implications for spiritual wholeness and direction. The group members serve as holy listeners by asking evocative questions, exploring images and feelings associated with the situation, and companioning the focus person into their own deepest lived truth. Members are not to rescue, fix, attempt to heal, give advice, or problem-solve. Rather, members assist the focus person in exploring her or his own understanding and path toward greater wholeness, creativity, life meaning, and spiritual growth. Near the end of the session Daniel (or a team facilitator) will conclude the session and ask for another group member to prepare to present something from their life for the next session that begins on an appointed day. The group will rotate presenters until every one has been the focus person. There will be an opportunity for all members to be the focus person at least once in the course of the group’s series of sessions.
Here is a step-by-step description of the group’s process in a session:
1.
Open the session. Facilitator will begin by using some simple reading, prayer, poem or other offering.
Open the session. Facilitator will begin by using some simple reading, prayer, poem or other offering. 2.Check in. Everyone is invited to briefly share what they wish the group to know about them at this time. The group simply receives these statements with respect as if they are a graced holding container for each other. We will refrain from the urge to fix, rescue, or give advice. Just hold people lovingly in their reality.
Check in. Everyone is invited to briefly share what they wish the group to know about them at this time. The group simply receives these statements with respect as if they are a graced holding container for each other. We will refrain from the urge to fix, rescue, or give advice. Just hold people lovingly in their reality. 3.Focus Person presents. A selected member (“focus person”) of the group speaks about whatever s/he wishes the group to help explore.
Focus Person presents. A selected member (“focus person”) of the group speaks about whatever s/he wishes the group to help explore. 4.Clarifications. The group asks the focus person questions that help them understand the situation that has presented.
Clarifications. The group asks the focus person questions that help them understand the situation that has presented.5.Explore meaning and direction. Now the group engages the focus person in exploring the presented situation. Usually this will take the form of asking evocative questions that help the focus person go deeper and explore their inner truth. Sometimes images, feelings, desires, words or phrases, dreams, songs, or other “ways of knowing” emerge as part of the exploration. Guided imagery meditations, inner child dialogues, or other forms of imaginative inner work may be appropriate. What the focus person’s prayer is like, or an image of God that is emerging—or no longer holds true—might be explored. In everything the focus person has the right to decide what is helpful and what isn’t, what direction the inquiry can take and where not to go.
Explore meaning and direction. Now the group engages the focus person in exploring the presented situation. Usually this will take the form of asking evocative questions that help the focus person go deeper and explore their inner truth. Sometimes images, feelings, desires, words or phrases, dreams, songs, or other “ways of knowing” emerge as part of the exploration. Guided imagery meditations, inner child dialogues, or other forms of imaginative inner work may be appropriate. What the focus person’s prayer is like, or an image of God that is emerging—or no longer holds true—might be explored. In everything the focus person has the right to decide what is helpful and what isn’t, what direction the inquiry can take and where not to go. 6.Facilitator asks for any summary statements. The facilitator will be monitoring the energy and flow of the group’s work and will test to see if the focus person feels their question or situation has been sufficiently explored and that he or she has been well attended. Then the focus person and all members of the group are invited to make any summary statements on what they are taking with them from the exploration. Members may offer a prayer for the focus person.
Facilitator asks for any summary statements. The facilitator will be monitoring the energy and flow of the group’s work and will test to see if the focus person feels their question or situation has been sufficiently explored and that he or she has been well attended. Then the focus person and all members of the group are invited to make any summary statements on what they are taking with them from the exploration. Members may offer a prayer for the focus person.7.Process review. Facilitator invites discussion of the group’s life. Does anyone have any questions or comments about the way the group is running? Are any modifications needed or desired for future sessions? Who will be the next session’s focus person?
Process review. Facilitator invites discussion of the group’s life. Does anyone have any questions or comments about the way the group is running? Are any modifications needed or desired for future sessions? Who will be the next session’s focus person?8.Close the session. The facilitator will share a prayer or other simple way of ending the session.
Close the session. The facilitator will share a prayer or other simple way of ending the session.9. Parking lot conversation. Between sessions members can send messages to each other about situations they wish to share, or further reflection or follow up to the previous session.
How does this virtual spiritual direction group compare with a group that meets face to face?
What is the group size, length of commitment, and cost?
A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 8 group members are required in order to run an online Spiritual Friends spiritual direction group. An organizer is responsible for setting up the group membership--we will supply the facilitation.
Members will commit to an initial series of enough group sessions that everyone can be a presenter plus one preliminary group conference call to introduce ourselves and go over other information to get us ready to begin regular online sessions. Members are free to leave after the series ends or renew for another series of sessions. If some members want to continue they will negotiate the meeting schedule with the facilitator. A continuing group may also decide to accept additional members. This is a ministry that is funded wholly through participant’s payments—but we don’t want limited financial ability to be the barrier to your participation. The value of this group participation could reasonably be set at $30/person/session ($25/full time student). However, instead of setting a fee for this ministry service we ask that participants provide payment at a rate they feel they can afford in personal consultation with the facilitator. Who is the facilitator?
The Rev. Daniel Prechtel, DMin., is a spiritual director with over twenty years experience in individual and group spiritual guidance, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, and has an earned doctor of ministry degree. Daniel is the founder and senior spiritual director for Lamb & Lion Spiritual Guidance Ministries (on the web at http://llministries.com). He has taught at several seminaries and spiritual direction formation institutions in group forms of spiritual companionship, including dreamwork groups. He is married and has two grown children and three grandchildren. Daniel now lives in the San Francisco East Bay area in California where he practices his spiritual direction ministry and serves as an assisting priest at All Souls Episcopal Church in Berkeley.
In some groups Daniel may team up with an apprentice or co-facilitator.
How can I contact Daniel Prechtel for more information and to set up group facilitation?
You can contact Daniel through the following media-
Email: dprechtel@sbcglobal.net
Office: 510-724-6561 Cell: 224.636.2874
Skype: daniel.prechtel
Facebook: Daniel Prechtel
