Question

Discuss the relationship between the dark night of the soul and how practicing gratitude for your spiritual progress can help to overcome the dark night of the soul. Consider how, as a psychologist, you might offer care and guidance to a person experiencing the dark night of the soul to help him or her toward spiritual wellness (maturity), spiritual growth, and transformation.

Answer 1

Dark night of the soul is a difficult and challenging time for a person. It happens in the process of spiritual awakening. It is characterized by a sense of haplessness, lack of meaning in life and sadness. For a psychologist it is very important to identify what a person is going through, and not mistake it with clinical depression. As dark night of the soul may be accompanied by depressive symptoms, it is very different in nature.

In dark night of the soul, a persons old habits and old thought patterns may start to break down, which may cause them to experience anguish and sadness. Many old repressed memories may be resurfaced and lot of emotions may come up, which were suppressed from a long time.

As a psychologist, the person has to be assured that this a temporary state which will pass through. Here, in dark night of the soul, the person may start to see and judge everything negatively. Gratitude is being thankful for whatever a person has, in dark night of the soul, by showing gratitude, the person becomes thankful for what he has and can bring positivity into life.