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Gerald May, MD, the esteemed younger brother of the late famed psychiatrist and writer Rollo May, MD, is one of the great spirituality teachers and writers of our time. And his merging of psychiatric analysis and counselling into deep spirituality is unique and highly esteemed.
In this book, he argues that the dark "shadow" side of the true spiritual life has been trivialized and neglected to our serious detriment. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul. Nor does the other tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to only mystics and saints. Only the honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what Christian spirituality has called and described in helpful detail as "the dark night of the soul" can lead to true spiritual wholeness. He emphasizes that the dark night is not necessarily a time of suffering and near despair, but a time of deep transition, search for new orientation when things are clouded and full of mystery. May draws on the resources of great Christian spiritual teaching and writing on the Dark Night, especially by Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, and on other spiritual traditions, psychiatric ideas and writing, and on great poetry and other literature. The Dark Night of the Soul embraces the universal spiritual experience of disorientation, doubt, fear, emptiness, "dryness," despair, and the like, all of which are ingredients in developing a mature, authentic spiritual life. The dark gives depth, dimension, fullness to the spiritual life.
Gerald G. May, M.D., one of the great spiritual teachers and writers of our time, argues that much to our detriment, the dark “shadow” side of true spiritual life has been trivialized and neglected. Superficial and naively upbeat spirituality does not heal and enrich the soul; nor does the tendency to relegate deep spiritual growth to mystics and saints. Only the honest, sometimes difficult encounters with what St. John of the Cross describes as “the dark night of the soul” can lead to true spiritual wholeness.
Drawing on the resources of great Christian writings as well as other spiritual traditions, psychiatric theory, and literature, May emphasizes that the “dark night” is not necessarily a time of suffering and despair, but rather an opportunity for transition and transformation. The Dark Night of the Soul embraces the universal spiritual experience of doubt, fear, emptiness, and despair, all of which are ingredients in developing a mature, authentic spiritual life. The dark gives depth, dimension, and fullness to enlightenment. Gerald May, M.D., (1940-2005) was a psychiatrist and spiritual counselor and Senior Fellow in Contemplative Theology and Psychology at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Bethesda, MD. He wrote many books and articles blending spirituality and psychology, including Addiction and Grace and The Awakened Heart. “[May] becomes a messenger of hope, reminding readers that every dark night brings the sweet dawn of awakening.”-Publishers Weekly
