Thursday, August 27, 2026

"Inner Work"

       Working to prepare candidates for pastoral ministry I emphasized the importance of doing one's "inner work."  Without that preparation pastors are likely to be triggered to emotional reactions rather than wise responses. So, what is "inner work?"

Core Concepts of Inner Work

  • Self-Exploration: Uncovering the root causes of intense emotional triggers rather than just reacting to external circumstances.
  • Shadow and Inner Child Work: Engaging with disowned or unconscious parts of the psyche to heal past hurts and recover lost vulnerabilities or strengths.
  • Mind-Body Integration: Moving from automatic, habitual reactions to thoughtful, conscious responses." Internet
  • Why is this important?  Perhaps a pastor has an emotional response to a member of the church council. If he/she has done inner work, he/she is perhaps able to trace the response to a difficult sibling. Then rational response rather than emotional reaction is possible.
  • So why do I bring this up now? It's triggered by a short video clip on the internet. Olivia Miles is a rookie (first year player) on the WNBA Lynx. She's having a phenomenal season. She'll almost certainly to selected "Rookie of the Year". There's also conversation that she may be chosen WNBA Most Valuable Player.
  • When she was asked in the video why she's so confident she replied. In college I had a significant knee injury. During rehabilitation I did my inner work. I let go of caring what others think, etc.
  • Never before have I heard of an athlete crediting inner work. To see the actual interview go to my Facebook page where I've reposted the video.
  • Takk for alt,
  • Al
  • PS The Monday edition of The Wall Street Journal had a third of a page article about Miles.

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