Personhood and Presence

Ewan Kelly initially studied medicine and worked as a junior doctor before completing a theology degree and becoming ordained as a Church of Scotland minister. He is now Lecturer in Pastoral Theology in the University of Edinburgh, UK.

‘It is a very long time since I have read a work of pastoral theology as rich, perceptive, and elegantly expressed as Personhood and Presence. Ewan Kelly is absolutely right on all three counts. The self is the best gift the caregiver has to offer. Acute self-awareness is needed to fully offer the gift. Such reflexivity is a moral imperative. This book has the power to inform and transform the reader's pastoral practice at the deepest level. The way in which Kelly weaves together theological, psychological, and poetic insights is nothing short of brilliant.' - Neil Pembroke, University of Queensland, Australia

• Introduction; Including definitions of spiritual and pastoral care. What the book is and is not.; Chapter 2 -Gifted Self; Exploring some of the innate gifts a carer may possess which enables her to develop and maintain caring relationships with people, especially in times of transition or distress.; Chapter 3 - Vulnerable Self; Themes explored include; Limited Self - limits to our knowledge, ability, time and energy; Grieving Self (loss and self), including mortal self - death and limitation of length of life giving meaning and freedom to life lived till death. Other griefs we live with are the end of relationships, jobs or particular roles, loss of potency and physical abilities.; Wounded Self - the scars of our experiences are part of who we are and inform our understanding of other people's lived experience of loss, bereavement or distress; Chapter 4; Powerful (and potentially wounding) self - need for ethics - codes of conduct, parameters within which to work to protect the vulnerable and ourselves; Chapter 5; Self in Relationships; Formed self (self and upbringing/family); Transference and countertransference; Co-constructed self - self formed through social interaction; With self - conscious self and unconscious self (esp our shadow); Chapter 6; Meaningful (spiritual) self - aspects of our personhood that give meaning and purpose to our lives; Believing self - what are our beliefs and how are they formed and reformed through - corporate worship - formation and reformation of values and beliefs through sharing in ritual and liturgy - contemplative/solitary activities - feeding our souls individually through seeking solitary engagement with the Divine within and without self; Playful/creative self - - letting senses playfully roam - art, gardening, writing, poetry, music - that which feeds the soul.; Working/vocational self - motivation, need to be needed; Chapter 7; Sexual self - how we understand and feel about ourselves as physical embodied persons whose care involves physical touch, gesture and posture. Sexuality is not just about orientation and the genital expression/fulfillment of our sexual desires.; Chapter 8; Self-awareness as an ongoing activity.; Developing Self - ongoing reformation of self through reflexivity; - reflection on practice through supervision, with colleagues; - journaling, spiritual direction including monitoring balance of work, play, social and solitary dimensions of life, personal and professional development; - learning through our own transition, life crises - counseling, psychotherapy; - use of structured tools to aid self-knowledge and how we relate eg Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram.