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God Understands us Perfectly
And that is worth rejoicing about
“It seems pertinent to say this since we know that God always understands us and is with us. There is no doubt about this understanding and presence. But our Emperor and Lord desires that in this prayer we know that He understands us, and what His presence does, and that He wants to begin to work in the soul in a special way. All of this that the Lord desires is manifest in the great interior and exterior satisfaction He gives the soul in the difference there is, as I said, between this delight and happiness and the delights of earth, for this delight seems to fill the void that through our sins we have caused in the soul. This satisfaction takes place in its very intimate depths, and the soul doesn’t know where the satisfaction comes from or how, nor frequently does it know what to do or what to desire or what to ask for. It seems it has found everything at once and doesn’t know what it has found.” (St. Teresa of Avila, The Book of her Life, p. 83)
Introduction
So much of the work counsellors do circulate around helping clients feel understood and appreciated. This is done through paraphrasing, emphatic responses, addressing immediacy and giving affirmation. These are fairly straightforward skills that can be easily trained.
