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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About the Contemplative Walk
Q: Our group has been doing a contemplative walk before meetings. Do you have any information about this practice? A: The contemplative walk is a time of mindful walking sometimes […]
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False self, Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for many years, although it doesn’t fall easy for me. One thing I have kept being frustrated about is how to view the […]
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Letting Go of All Ideas About God
Q: The inevitable end of the letting go process requires one to let go of all ideas about God, including belief in God. So one is presented with a paradox […]
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Choosing a Centering Prayer Retreat
Q: I have had a committed, active Centering Prayer practice for many years. I would like to go on a retreat and was wondering if you could advise me […]
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What are we Welcoming?
Q: Our Centering Prayer group in Ireland has been using the Welcoming prayer practice for a number of weeks after our period of Centering Prayer. There seems to be […]
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Lectio Divina in a Centering Prayer Group
Q: What is effect of having a book discussion immediately after a Centering Prayer session with a group? I thought you shouldn’t engage in intellectual discussions. Are there guidelines […]
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Spiritual Experiences in Centering Prayer
Q: I would like clarification of what appears to be a contradiction in Thomas Keating’s teaching. On the one hand, he says that perceptions are thoughts and therefore, to be […]
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Centering Prayer and Arising Energies
Q: I have been practicing Centering Prayer for some time. Around two months ago during this prayer I had a strange experience. I felt some powerful force/energy entering my […]
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The Second Movement of Welcoming Prayer
Q: Is step two of Welcoming Prayer — the opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling — the same thing as ‘casting your cares’ upon the Lord? A: Thanks for […]
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Autism and the Practice of Centering Prayer
Q: I have autism but I’m highly functional. It seems like during Centering Prayer my mind/brain goes almost always to memories of my past. Are there any special recommendations for […]
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