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 […]
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Contemplative Practice with Parkinson’s Disease
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 […]
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Getting other prisoners to join in practicing Centering Prayer
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 […]
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Do I have to be a Christian or have a religious belief to practice 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 […]
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On the Method of 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 […]
Surrendering to a Subjective Presence
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. […]
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Centering Prayer and Singing Bowls
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: […]
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Experiencing Unloading During Centering Prayer
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 […]
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Challenging People in Prayer Groups
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 […]
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Contemplation, Centering Prayer and ADHD
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 […]
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Centering Prayer and Sleepiness
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 […]
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Centering Prayer and Unloading of the Unconscious
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 […]
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Remaining Grounded in the Heart
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. […]
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Centering Prayer and Mental Health
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 […]
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Attending Church Services as Contemplative Practice
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 […]
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Centering Prayer and Other Types of Meditation
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 […]
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Centering Prayer and Sexual Thoughts
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 […]
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Centering Prayer and Unloading
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 […]
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The Meeting of Meditation Traditions
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 […]
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Q&A Contributors
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. […]
Choosing a Sacred Word
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 […]
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“Bless Them and Change Me”
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 […]
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I wonder why so many clergy are not aware of contemplative prayer?
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 […]
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The Path of Centering Prayer and Welcoming 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 […]
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About the Intensive Retreat
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 […]
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