Lesson 10: The Emotional Range of the Psalms

One of the great breakthroughs in our understanding of the art of contemplative prayer in our own time came when

recognized that when we do deep, contemplative prayer for long periods of time--whether using centering prayer or some other method--we begin to get into some patches of rough sea, which he calls "the unloading of the unconscious."

As we sit in the silence, buried memories, pain, undigested emotional trauma, and physical trauma can and do begin to surface.

In centering prayer intensive retreats, trained staff members are available so that as this unloading of the unconscious begins for the participants, the material can come up in a safe place and be processed, embraced, and released.

I believe this is exactly the role played by psalmody. In their various moods and their amazingly shrewd insights into the human condition, the psalms carry within them all the feelings of which human nature is capable. In the course of the 150 psalms that make up the Psalter, you run through the whole gamut of moods and emotions, from the heights of exaltation to the depths of desolation.

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