Care of the Soul
“The word psychotherapy consists of two Greek words: pyche (soul) and therapy (care). By definition, psychotherapy is care of the soul, [and there are] certain things that the soul needs: a sense of home, deep friendship and casual friendliness, a poetic and metaphorical appreciation for words and images, attention to night dreams, the fine arts, an intimate relationship with the natural world, acquaintance with animals, memory in the form of storytelling or keeping old buildings and objects that have meaning.
I continue to accent the difference between soul and spirit. Spirit directs your attention to the cosmos and the planet, to huge ideas and vast adventures, to prayer and meditation and other spiritual practices, to a worldview and philosophy of life. Spirit expands your heart and mind, gives you vision and courage, and eventually leaves you with a strong sense of meaning and purpose.
Soul is more intimate, deep, and concrete. You care for your soul by keeping up your house, learning how to cook, playing sports and games, being around children, getting to know and love the region where you live. Soul allows you to become attached to the world, which is kind of love. When the soul stirs, you feel things, both love and anger, and you have strong desires and even fears. You live life fully, instead of skirting it with intellectualism or excessive moralistic worries.
In the best situation it isn’t easy to distinguish soul from spirit because both play important roles in everything we do. But making the distinction gives the deep soul its due […] Spirit prefers detachment, while the soul sinks into its attachments to places, people, and home […] I want to honor what is presented and let it offer the potential good it holds. I don’t want to be a problem-solver of emotion […] Care of the soul is not primarily a method of problem solving. Its goal is not to make life problem-free, but to give ordinary life the depth and value that comes with soulfulness, […] cultivating a richly expressive and meaningful life at home and in society […] You work with what is, rather than with what you wish were there […] A major difference between care and cure is that cure implies the end of trouble.
Storytelling is an excellent way of caring for the soul. It helps us see the themes that circle in our lives, the deep themes that tell the myths we live […] Care of the soul requires a different language from that of therapy and academic psychology. Like alchemy, it is an art and therefore can only be expressed in poetic images. Mythology, the fine arts, religions of the world, and dreams provide this priceless imagery by which the soul’s mysteries are simultaneously revealed and contained.”
-Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul.