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Dissertation (PDF) DISSERTATION APPROVED BY /0.5. f B Date Jaci Jenkins Lindburg, Ph.D., Chair *0 Peggy Hawkins, Ph.D., Committee Member J Moss Breen, Ph.D., Director Gail M. Jensen, Ph.D., Dean AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CENTERING PRAYER ____________________________________ By Charles D. Rhodes ____________________________________ A DISSERTATION IN PRACTICE Submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of Creighton University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership ____________________________________ Omaha, NE October 5, 2018 Copyright 2018, Charles D. Rhodes This document is copyrighted material. Under copyright law, no part of this document may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. iii Abstract Centering prayer is a contemplative practice designed to facilitate psychological and spiritual growth and development. It is currently being practiced in Christian communities and faith-based organizations around the world. Despite the widespread appeal and practice of centering prayer, the social scientific understanding of this psychospiritual practice is extremely limited. As such, leaders are limited in their ability to make evidence-based decisions regarding the use of centering prayer within their communities and organizations. To help clarify the programming decisions of leaders, this study examined the psychological and spiritual experiences of eight advanced adult centering prayer practitioners using the research methods of interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview format, hand coded, and analyzed for basic and recurrent themes. The results of the analysis yielded 35 general themes that were clustered into 5 superordinate themes: (a) Psychological Health and Wholeness; (b) Self-Development; (c) Healthy Relational Dynamics; (d) Mystical Experiences; and (e) Spiritual Growth and Development. Following evidence-based decision making protocol, these data were aggregated with existing centering prayer research to produce an empirically based set of psychological and spiritual outcomes associated with the practice of centering prayer. Data indicated that sufficient evidence existed to recommend the use of centering prayer within Christian communities and faith-based organizations. Centering prayer programs can be used to help facilitate the personal and professional development of both leaders and followers and can play a supportive role in a variety of organizational development initiatives. iv Dedication This study is dedicated to my mystical brothers and sisters. Learn to move beyond the contractions of the personal ego and simply rest in wide-open, spacious awareness without thinking (Wilber, 2004). It is here, in the present moment, beyond thoughts and images, that you will discover your True Self and become one with God. v Acknowledgements I extend my appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Jaclyn Lindburg and Dr. Peggy Hawkins for their participation, expertise, and support on this research project. A special thank you goes to Dr. Lindburg for being chairperson of the committee and for providing invaluable insights and assistance towards the timely completion of this dissertation in practice. vi Table of Contents Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................1 Introduction and Background ..............................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................2 Research Question ...............................................................................................................2 Aim of the Study ..................................................................................................................3 Methodology Overview .......................................................................................................3 Definition of Relevant Terms ..............................................................................................4 Delimitations and Limitations..............................................................................................6 Leader’s Role and Responsibility in Relation to the Problem .............................................7 Significance of the Study .....................................................................................................8 Summary ..............................................................................................................................8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................10 Early Written Prayer ..............................................................................................11 Prayer: A Root Definition ..................................................................................................12 vii Prayer as a Unitary Construct ............................................................................................12 Unitary Prayer and Subjective Well-Being............................................................14 Unitary Prayer and Coping ....................................................................................16 Prayer Typologies ..............................................................................................................18 The Four-Factor Model ..........................................................................................18 The Five-Factor Model ..........................................................................................19 The Relational Prayer Model .................................................................................20 Prayer as a Multidimensional Construct ............................................................................20 Multidimensional Prayer and Subjective Well-Being ...........................................21 Multidimensional Prayer and Coping ....................................................................22 Centering Prayer Research .................................................................................................24 Centering Prayer and Subjective Well-Being ........................................................27 Centering Prayer and Coping .................................................................................28 Leadership and Centering Prayer .......................................................................................32 Summary ............................................................................................................................34 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ..........................................................................36 Introduction ........................................................................................................................36 Research Question .............................................................................................................36 Research Design .................................................................................................................37 Participants .........................................................................................................................37 Data Collection Tools ........................................................................................................39 Data Collection Procedures ................................................................................................40 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................................42 viii Summary ............................................................................................................................42 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .........................................................................................44 Introduction ........................................................................................................................44 Data Analysis Procedures ..................................................................................................44 Findings..............................................................................................................................46 Psychological Health and Wholeness ....................................................................47 Self-Development ..................................................................................................57
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