Q: While practicing Centering Prayer I suddenly had a very intense feeling of terror come and a sense that I was dying and losing all my loved ones and things […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and the Sense of Dying
Q: While practicing Centering Prayer I suddenly had a very intense feeling of terror come and a sense that I was dying and losing all my loved ones and things […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and the Sense of Dying
Q: I am a long-time traveler on the contemplative and eco-spirituality path. I recently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and find the tremors to be disruptive to Centering […]
Read More… from Contemplative Practice with Parkinson’s Disease
Q: Thank you all for your support and prayers, for your hard work and commitment. I am practicing Centering Prayer for over two years. I started with a group […]
Read More… from Getting other prisoners to join in practicing Centering Prayer
Q: Do I have to be a Christian or have a religious belief to practice Centering Prayer? A: Thank you for this beautiful question. Centering Prayer is a spacious […]
Read More… from Do I have to be a Christian or have a religious belief to practice Centering Prayer?
Q: I am an Episcopalian practicing Christian meditation, and find myself agonizing about technique, being somewhere between Father Keating and John Main. As I am disabled, I meditate lying […]
Q: Do you believe that centering on a object or mantra is the gateway to silent prayer and hopefully contemplation? Which is a gift from God but not entitled. […]
Read More… from Surrendering to a Subjective Presence
Q: Why are singing bowls using during Centering Prayer? Did Thomas Keating use or implement them? A: Thank you for your question. Let me answer it in two ways. First: […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Singing Bowls
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for more than 20 years now, but I have never experienced “evacuation” of emotions during the prayer as Fr. Thomas describes. I […]
Read More… from Experiencing Unloading During Centering Prayer
Q: I facilitate a contemplation group and there is a challenging man who clearly has anger issues and likes to argue about whatever has been read. How should I […]
Read More… from Challenging People in Prayer Groups
Q: I have ADHD and I love to use the ideas from the book Praying in Color. Am I praying contemplatively if I use paint or drawing to center […]
Read More… from Contemplation, Centering Prayer and ADHD
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for approximately 8 months now. During the last few months I get very sleepy during the prayer (especially the second session) and […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Sleepiness
Q: I am 76 years old and belong to a recovery program. I have read several of Fr Keating’s books on Centering Prayer and by Fr Pennington. I practice […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Unloading of the Unconscious
Q: Thank you for your articles and questions and answers on trauma and depression alongside Centering Prayer. I have encountered people suffering with trauma and depression, perhaps everyone has trauma. […]
Read More… from Remaining Grounded in the Heart
Q: What articles and resources are available about Centering Prayer and mental health? A: We have a number of published Q&A’s that relate to this topic: Centering Prayer and Mental […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Mental Health
Q: I find it difficult to endure an hour of Sunday Mass, unless the priest happens to be an involving speaker. Many years ago, I effectively left the Catholic Church […]
Read More… from Attending Church Services as Contemplative Practice
Q: I did Centering Prayer for some years but with family (care-giving) responsibilities, I stopped because my head was always spinning and I couldn’t get centered. So, I will soon go on a […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Other Types of Meditation
Q: My experience with Centering Prayer in the last few years is that often when I sit down and close my eyes, sexual thoughts and images come in that […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Sexual Thoughts
Q: Can fears, anxiety etc. occur during sleep or just during the sit time? I have been practicing Centering Prayer about two years. I often wake in the middle […]
Read More… from Centering Prayer and Unloading
Q: I read of your retreat at Garrison Institute, which I have also visited and it is wonderful. The struggle that I have is, as a Christian, the large […]
Read More… from The Meeting of Meditation Traditions
Fr. Carl J. Arico is a founding member of Contemplative Outreach, and honored to have known Fr. Keating since 1969. He was present for the first intensive Centering Prayer retreat that Fr. […]
Q: For my sacred word is it okay to use the four words QUE QUE SERA QUORA? This has helped me get through many confusing stresses and uncertainty. I […]
Read More… from Choosing a Sacred Word
Q: This question is in reference to the proper procedure for a group doing Centering Prayer. Our leader starts out by going around the circle and checking in with […]
Read More… from “Bless Them and Change Me”
Q: I wonder why so many clergy are not aware of contemplative prayer? Even if they are, why don’t they share it with their congregations? A: There is any number […]
Read More… from I wonder why so many clergy are not aware of contemplative prayer?
Q: I have been in recovery for 19 years from 35 long painful years of addictions and have meditated for as long. I have followed nondual teaching of resting […]
Read More… from The Path of Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
This article contains information about the Centering Prayer Intensive Retreat format, which is also one of the requirements of the commissioning process to become a Centering Prayer Presenter. Thomas Keating […]
Read More… from About the Intensive Retreat