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I develop the thesis that the Holy Spirit works as the perfecting cause within creation bringing creatures to their divinely ordained telos, and sometimes uses the natural process of growth in therapy toward that end. First, I consider reasons why the work of the Holy Spirit in creation and natural psychological growth processes has sometimes been obscured for us. After clearing the ground, I develop a theology of the work of the Holy Spirit in the natural world and a theological interpretation of significant passages. I identify ten attributes of the work of the Holy Spirit within the natural created realm. In the final section, I use these ten facets to draw out implications for the therapeutic process.
Christian therapists wish to invite the power and presence of the Holy Spirit into the process of therapy with their clients. Yet, spiritual interventions or goals are not introduced without prior consent and discussion of spiritual topics is not typically the primary purpose. Christian therapists will only infrequently pray with their clients, and the evangelization of their clients is not likely to happen, nor is it the goal. Spiritual growth of clients is not the main objective of therapy. Several other studies have explored aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit that can be subjectively accessed by a believing client or therapist in whom the Spirit dwells, such as subjective sense of presence (Parker, 2008), praying for the outcome of therapy, and the guidance of the therapists or clients themselves (see, for example, the survey in Decker, 2002). I will argue that the process of therapy itself, whether done in any of the combinations of Christian or non-Christian therapist or client, bears the marks of the working of the Holy Spirit, even without subjectively soliciting the Spirit. Put differently, the process of therapy is not spiritualized only by adding activities to it that would not be done by a non-Christian; what makes it spiritual is the therapeutic growth itself.
The Holy Spirit is a worthy focus for this investigation rather than the entire Godhead since, for reasons I will consider below, our frequent assumptions concerning the nature of the activity of the Spirit seem to make it very dissimilar to the process of psychological growth....