1. Theological reflection?
Theological reflection

2. Reflection Moving from Certainty to Exploration
Let Go – embrace a posture of Openness and Curiosity re: my experience.
Vulnerable
Willingness to engage with What and How I feel right now.
Challenges - Assumptions
Reflection

3. SLOW DOWN OUR HABITUAL WAYS OF INTERPRETING OUR LIVED EXPERIENCE
VULNERABLE
- RE-ENTER THE FEELINGS HIDDEN IN THE EXPERIENCE
NARRATING - RE-TELLING THE STORY - MAKING THE EVENT PRESENT - HERE AND NOW
OPENING OUR USUAL INTERPRETATIVE FRAMEWORKS TO RE-VISION
ALLOWING OUR BIASES, CONVICTIONS AND USUAL WAYS OF RESPONDING BE
CHALLENGED .
OPENNESS TO CHANGE
Reflection

4. Getting Lost in my own gaze

5. WHY RESIST WHY QUESTIONS Lead away from reflection and back to:
interpretation – you did this because…
problem solving
analysis
self judgement
blaming – self or others
Reflection: our interest is always to slow things down – broaden our viewpoint
Broaden our viewpoint by - re-living the experience without prejudice
WHY

6. Dimensions of Experience
Experience is what happens to us.
INNER
OUTER
Feelings
Thoughts
Attitudes
Hopes & Assumptions we carry into a situation
The inner dimension involves what has happened, what
we do about it (our response) and how it affects us.
The Place (where)
The What
(the situation/context)
The Objects
that surround us and we interact with
The Who
(those involved)
Some experiences more than others confront us with questions of meaning e.g. sickness, death.
Dimensions of Experience

7. Re-Entering Our Experience
Resist Mind talk that begins every sentence with
I/We
Should…..
Ought to…..
Must ………
If Only I ……
Why Didn’t I……
Pay attention to how I edit the experience and its content
presentation to others.
TELLING THE STORY

8. Narrative Clues
Begin by trying to remember the experience as accurately as possible
Where did the event take place
Who was present
What was said and by whom
What impact did this have
How did I feel about what was said
How did I feel about my experience at the time
How did I respond
What was happening within me – How was I affected?

9. Encountering Feelings
When we don’t allow ourselves to encounter our feelings we miss what the experience is trying to tell us Killen and De Beer

10. The value of images lie in their capacity to resist our efforts to control or suppress them. They remain always unpredictable Killen and De Beer
Images provide a slight altering of our relationship to the experience allowing us to look at the experience from a different angle.
An image captures the central feeling of an experience, and offers clues to its meaning.
Images Arise

11. Insights are an invitation to transformation.
Killen & De Beer (p.42)

12. Action Insights emerge in order to be acted upon
In the light of what I now know what will I do next?

13. Meaning from Insight Method
Awareness of this movement sharpens and refines our habit of reflection
When we enter our experience we encounter our feelings
Theological Issue
Experience
Insight leads if
we are willing and ready to action
Feelings
Action
When we pay attention to
those feelings images arise
Considering and questioning those images may spark insight.
Insight
Images
Meaning from Insight Method
Killen and De Beer