Confession

The Healing of the Soul

Confession: The Healing of the Soul is not just about what is termed sacramental confession. Its frame of reference is much wider and includes discussion of those celebrated writers who wrote confessions – Augustine, Kierkegaard, Tolstoy, Foucault, Freud, Jung, John of the Cross and Wittgenstein. This book will be of interest to all Christians of any denomination who engage in sacramental confession – clergy but also pastoral workers and those millions who actually attend confession as part of their lives. In the post-Freudian age confession of any kind has had a bad press but is now coming back into popularity as guilt and sin become helpful concepts. Peter Tyler, an author and practicing psychotherapist, argues that rather than being something to consign to the rubbish heap of history, confession offers unexplored potential for the healing of the postmodern soul. The book addresses all those engaged in psychotherapeutic and healing practices and ministries. The chapters are as follows: Why Confession?, The Confessing Animal, The Birth of Confession, Wittgenstein's Philosophical Confessions, God's Laughter, Confessions of Fire, The Healing of the Soul.