Spectrum and Diversity of Thought in Spiritual Direction: Evocative Questioning

By Dr. Karen Shields Wright

 Asking an Evocative Question

When I was new to spiritual direction, I found many of the questions my spiritual director would ask me, frankly, a bit odd. For example, one of the common contemplative evocative question asked by directors is: “What is happening in you?”  Where to begin and to even answer such an inquiry sent me into a quandary. “In me?”  Why are they asking that? What does that have to do with prayer?

Nevertheless, being a person desiring a deeper relationship with God, I proceeded awkwardly and with a bit of trepidation toward the “in me.”  As I scanned up and down, and in and out of myself in body and mind of thoughts and sensations, I felt like St. Ignatius may have been so exhausted in which way to go that he let the donkey decide. But I was not on a donkey, but on a chair. This was all too uncomfortable.

During my formation in skill training at Fordham University, I would ask new directees that question (one of the standardized opening ones). I notice they seem to be finding their way through it all, a bit uncomfortable to answer such a question. This was too similar to my initial experience.  As I became more experienced as a director, I noticed this discomfort often enough to then ask myself, “Is it me, or maybe is it the question?”

Thinkers, Feelers, and Sensers

Over the years, I have found other words to use to inquire about what was ‘happening in’ them. As they shared, I would notice they would use either I think _________ about_____; or I feel _________ about________-; or some would be speaking with their body - moving before they could even articulate words as if to say I sense ______ about______ .

From that observation,  I would focus my question differently to address what seems to be either a thinker, a feeler, or a senser based upon how the directee presented themselves. This, for me, seemed to give the person a place to begin using words they were more comfortable with. I was matching their language.

Studies on the Brain

As a lifelong learner, I began to renew my interest in the latest neuroscience. I was especially interested in the recent studies and theories on the mind, how the brain functions, neuroplasticity, how thoughts emerge, emotions are constructed, consciousness as our awareness of our own self in our surroundings and our emerging feelings felt by a variety of researchers and how they relate to one’s experience and spirituality.[1]. I soon realized there is much more to differentiating my questions than these three categories—thinking, feeling, and sensing—that I was applying.

This is a brief inquiry into the diversity of thought we encounter and how we may alter our language to be directive in supporting movement towards one’s conscious awareness of ‘what is happening in me’.

What is a Thought?

A thought is a psychological non-physical emergent collection, underpinned and rooted in a biological neuro-physiological process, that expresses a collaboration among millions of neurons firing off electrochemical discharges. From that perspective we may seek to ask the larger question: where do thoughts originate from mind? soul?

Such inquiry is not for this post, for it would lead us to ontological or existential questioning that would take us down a different path, way beyond my capacity, time, or knowledge base. Yet, we can consider the diversity of thought we do encounter and how we can broaden our focus and inquiry as spiritual directors with evocative questioning that align with what is presented to us. 

The Diversity of Thought

What are the different types of thoughts?  And how do they relate to our work as spiritual directors?  Our different thoughts produce a divergent of subjective experiences depending upon the type of thought, its context, and the person’s collective life experiences. 

 

Types of Thought

• Verbal Thought - Inner speech – the chatter – our internal monologue, which could be emotional laden – we would see certain areas of the brain being activated such a language and speech.

• Visual Thought - Mental imagery –areas of the brain activated in the visual occipital area

• Sensory Thought - bodily feelings without language – ex: whole body experience or local experiences - heart, head, lower back, shoulders (notice where they touch)

• Motoric Thought - Physical Imagery without language – we imagine moving about doing an activity - imagine walking

• Abstract Thought – contemplating on such concepts as justice, and love, without words, voices or images, yet one experiences a subjectiveness

Distribution of Thought

What is the distribution of the different types of thoughts at any one given moment?  In 1990, Russell Hurlbert, a researcher, looked at what was the % distribution of the different types of thought across different people at any given time.  In his experiment, he set up a sound to ring at random times where the person was to stop to do a ‘check-in’ to note their thoughts. He found, across the range of his subjects, approximately 74% of the time, the person was engaged in imagery thought – pictures without words  - while the remaining 26% of the subject was processing verbal thought.

Evocative Questioning Based upon the Diversity of Thought

The intention or purpose of evocative open questioning is to help bring the person from the ‘head to the heart’ from ‘thought to feeling’ from the ‘cognitive self to the affective self’ to experience and to support the person’s expression of desire, ability, reasons and need for change.

Based on the above, we can consider differentiating our evocative questioning based on the diversity of thought in where and what our directees may be processing.

• Verbal Thought - Inner speech: (Inner monologue or inner dialogue)

  • What words come up for you?  What are you telling yourself? How is that for you?

  • What are you sharing with God? What is God saying to you? How is God for you?

• Visual (Imagery) Thought – Inner vision

  • What are you seeing? Describe what or who is there. What does it look like?

  • Ignatian Way of Prayer: The Contemplation of Place

• Sensory Thought: Arises from Inner feelings/emotions-what is received from bodily senses

  • Ignatian Way of Prayer: Applying the Senses – increasing one’s capacity for sensory imagery

  • What are you Sensing – Where are you sensing (its location), or where is it coming from? Describe the (emergent) feeling.  How is your response to this sensing?  

• Motoric Thought (thoughts about imagery motion, i.e. driving a car)

  • Ignatian Way of Prayer: Apply one’s motoric imagery by entering the scene, becoming one of the characters, or joining in the scene as yourself.

  • What do you find yourself doing? How does that feel like? How is that for you?

• Abstract Thought - Ignatian Considerations – The Two Standards, The Three Ways of Loving etc. Reflecting upon these considerations, what comes up for you? A word, image, action, or sensation?

The Spectrum of Thought

There is a massive divergence from person to person in what we mean by thought and one’s experience of thought. Once we look at this diversity, we can see how this inner diversity plays out in real-world implications for how one operates and learns in the world and in spiritual direction.

Not only is there a diversity of thought, but there is also a spectrum in the diversity of thought. For example, in Visual Thought, we will find aphantasia, where a person is unable to form or experience visual images in their mind, on one end of the spectrum, while on the other end of the spectrum, we find hyperphantasia, a condition characterized by exceptionally vivid and detailed mental imagery.

Some directees find it challenging to imagine the scene visually, which can be frustrating if we do not offer a solution by giving them an image, such as a painting, to pray with. At the same time, another directee on the other end of the spectrum can experience Jesus standing right there, as if in a mystical experience.

End Note

By becoming familiar with the diversity and spectrum of thought, we can be more attentive to the directees (and our own) uniqueness and consider how we can alter our evocative questioning to match where the person is in ‘thought’ to elicit their reflectiveness when we ask, “What is happening in you?”

NEXT ARTICLE WILL BE ON THE DIVERSITY AND SPECTRUM OF AFFECTIVE DOMAIN

[1] Neuroscientists: Barret, Siegel, Damasio, Newberg, Eagleman