The Healing Path

This is a contemplative reflection on the spirituality of healing, the fruit of the author's lifetime in conducting spiritual direction and psychotherapy, drawing on his lessons from Thomas Merton and his study of the mystical path. It is largely written in the form of a memoir of his own recovery from the traumatic wounds of his life — abusive father, abuse by his confessor in the monastery, a dysfunctional marriage — and his road to healing and wholeness. But it is not just about his story — it is an invitation to the reader to reflect and resonate with the lessons that apply to their own stories.

Reviews for The Healing Path

"James Finley brings a whole, wonderful balancing act to theology and spirituality. Jim is a healer. I believe his poetic words will help many people on their healing journey." —Richard Rohr, author of The Universal Christ

"James Finley inhabits the sacred territory he maps for us in these luminous pages—a landscape drenched in love, rooted in the sacred ordinary, where our most devastating wounds become portals to the divine encounter. Jim's story is riveting, his insight transcendent, his invitation truly life-changing." —Mirabai Starr, Author of Wild Mercy and Caravan of No Despair

"The beauty and illumination of Jim's language, whether he is writing about trauma or God's presence, open the heart. To read this book is to be changed forever." —Bonnie Badenoch, Author of The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships

166 Pages