By Dr. Karen Shields Wright
Asking an Evocative Question
When I was new to spiritual direction, I found many of the questions my spiritual director would ask me, frankly, a bit odd. For example, one of the common contemplative evocative question asked by directors is: “What is happening in you?” Where to begin and to even answer such an inquiry sent me into a quandary. “In me?” Why are they asking that? What does that have to do with prayer?
Nevertheless, being a person desiring a deeper relationship with God, I proceeded awkwardly and with a bit of trepidation toward the “in me.” As I scanned up and down, and in and out of myself in body and mind of thoughts and sensations, I felt like St. Ignatius may have been so exhausted in which way to go that he let the donkey decide. But I was not on a donkey, but on a chair. This was all too uncomfortable.
During my formation in skill training at Fordham University, I would ask new directees that question (one of the standardized opening ones). I notice they seem to be finding their way through it all, a bit uncomfortable to answer such a question. This was too similar to my initial experience. As I became more experienced as a director, I noticed this discomfort often enough to then ask myself, “Is it me, or maybe is it the question?”
Thinkers, Feelers, and Sensers
Over the years, I have found other words to use to inquire about what was ‘happening in’ them. As they shared, I would notice they would use either I think _________ about_____; or I feel _________ about________-; or some would be speaking with their body - moving before they could even articulate words as if to say I sense ______ about______ .
From that observation, I would focus my question differently to address what seems to be either a thinker, a feeler, or a senser based upon how the directee presented themselves. This, for me, seemed to give the person a place to begin using words they were more comfortable with. I was matching their language.
Studies on the Brain
As a lifelong learner, I began to renew my interest in the latest neuroscience. I was especially interested in the recent studies and theories on how the brain functions, neuroplasticity, how thoughts emerge, emotions are constructed, and feelings experienced by a variety of researchers and how they relate to one’s experience and spirituality.[1] I soon realized there is much more to differentiating my questions than these three categories—thinking, feeling, and sensing—that I was applying.
This post is an inquiry into the diversity of thoughts that are presented to us and how we may alter our language to be subtly directive in a session.
What is a Thought?
A thought is a psychological non-physical emergent collection, underpinned and rooted in a biological neuro-physiological process, that expresses a collaboration among millions of neurons firing off electrochemical discharges.
Where do thoughts originate from? Such inquiry is not for this post, for it would lead us to ontological or existential questioning that would take us down a different path, way beyond my capacity, time, or knowledge base. Yet, we can consider this information below as a useful way to note the diversity of thought as we inquire with evocative questions.
The Diversity of Thought
What are the different types of thoughts? And how do they relate to our work as spiritual directors? Our different thoughts produce a divergent of subjective experiences depending upon the type of thought, its context, and the person’s collective life experiences.
These here are different types of Thought
Verbal Thought - Inner speech – the chatter – our internal monologue, which could be emotional laden – we would see certain areas of the brain being activated such a language and speech.
Visual Thought - Mental imagery –areas of the brain activated in the visual occipital area
Sensory Thought - bodily feelings without language – ex: whole body experience or local experiences - heart, head, lower back, shoulders (notice where they touch)
Motoric Thought - Physical Imagery without language – we imagine moving about doing an activity - imagine walking
Abstract Thought – contemplating on such concepts as justice, and love, without words, voices or images, yet one experiences a subjectiveness
Distribution of Thought
What is the distribution of the different types of thoughts at any one given moment? In 1990, Russell Hurlbert, a researcher, looked at what was the % distribution of the different types of thought across different people at any given time. In his experiment, he set up a sound to ring at random times where the person was to stop to do a ‘check-in’ to note their thoughts. He found, across the range of his subjects, approximately 74% of the time, the person was engaged in imagery thought – pictures without words - while the remaining 26% of the subject was processing verbal thought.
Evocative Questioning Based upon the Diversity of Thought
Based on the above, we can consider differentiating our evocative questioning based on the diversity of thought in where and what our directees may be processing.
Verbal Thought - Inner speech: (Inner monologue or inner dialogue)
What words come up for you? What are you telling yourself? How is that for you?
What are you sharing with God? What is God saying to you? How is God for you?
Visual (Imagery) Thought – Inner vision
What are you seeing? Describe what or who is there. What does it look like?
Ignatian Way of Prayer: The Contemplation of Place
Sensory Thought: Arises from Inner feelings/emotions-what is received from bodily senses
Ignatian Way of Prayer: Applying the Senses – increasing one’s capacity for sensory imagery
What are you Sensing – Where are you sensing (its location), or where is it coming from? Describe the (emergent) feeling. How is your response to this sensing?
Motoric Thought (thoughts about imagery motion, i.e. driving a car)
Ignatian Way of Prayer: Apply one’s motoric imagery by entering the scene, becoming one of the characters, or joining in the scene as yourself.
What do you find yourself doing? How does that feel like? How is that for you?
Abstract Thought - Ignatian Considerations – The Two Standards, The Three Ways of Loving etc. Reflecting upon these considerations, what comes up for you? A word, image, action, or sensation?
The Spectrum of Thought
There is a massive divergence from person to person in what we mean by thought and one’s experience of thought. Once we look at this diversity, we can see how this inner diversity plays out in real-world implications for how one operates and learns in the world and in spiritual direction.
Not only is there a diversity of thought, but there is also a spectrum in the diversity of thought. For example, in Visual Thought, we will find aphantasia, where a person is unable to form or experience visual images in their mind, on one end of the spectrum, while on the other end of the spectrum, we find hyperphantasia, a condition characterized by exceptionally vivid and detailed mental imagery.
Some directees find it challenging to imagine the scene visually, which can be frustrating if we do not offer a solution by giving them an image, such as a painting, to pray with. At the same time, another directee on the other end of the spectrum can experience Jesus standing right there, as if in a mystical experience.
End Note
By becoming more aware of the diversity of thought and how a person responds to our evocative questioning, such as “What is happening in you?” we will be more attentive to how our questioning is responded to. And to use words directees are most comfortable with to be more present to their uniqueness as we gently accompany them in meeting them where they are.
[1] Neuroscientists: Barret, Siegel, Damasio, Newberg, Eagleman
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