Hesychasm, nepsis and the Philokalia

Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines · Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, Makarios of Corinth · 1783 · Byzantium

What it is

Hesychasm (Greek hēsychia, "stillness, quiet") is a tradition of Eastern Christian monastic prayer. Practitioners seek divine quietness through uninterrupted prayer that involves the whole person. This prayer is often called "pure" or "intellectual" prayer, or the Jesus Prayer. Its usual form is…

Format

• Move from (a) to (c) only when consent is explicit, the client already has or is seeking guidance in their church, and no red flags are present (see 4.10 to 4.12). Session numbers depend on the client's main treatment. No source gives a count for this integration.
• What it is. Hesychasm (Greek hēsychia, "stillness, quiet") is a tradition of Eastern Christian monastic prayer. Practitioners seek divine quietness through uninterrupted prayer that involves the whole person. This prayer is often called "pure" or "intellectual" prayer, or the Jesus Prayer. Its…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• your own enthusiasm for or discomfort with hesychasm steering the work.
• fear, secrecy, deteriorating health or functioning linked to the guidance.
• an absent guide, or a guide relationship that seems controlling (see 4.14).
• the therapist being used for reassurance; the client experiencing ERP fear as sin. IOCDF frames that fear as fighting OCD, not breaking faith.
• sleep loss, grandiosity, special-mission beliefs, voices, rising fear, depersonalisation. Arrange urgent psychiatric assessment if there is risk.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.