God In Our Struggles

£474

In human life, we aspire to keep ourselves healthy in body, mind and spirit.  But sometimes we struggle, and sometimes we ask ‘where is God in this?’  In this retreat we will take a prayerful approach to understanding the relationships between Christian spirituality and mental health. We will explore the connections between “head and heart”, “mind and spirit”, focusing on the questions that often arise in relation to God and prayer amidst mental health challenges.  

If you have experienced mental health challenges in your own life, or have walked alongside others who do as a friend, family member or in ministry, then this retreat is designed to help you reflect prayerfully on those experiences. 

The retreat will not be completely silent, but there will be periods of silence within each day. The programme will involve exercises of lectio divina (meditating prayerfully on chosen passages of scripture) and you will be invited to join Launde Abbey’s praying community in the daily office and the Eucharist.  Retreatants are encouraged to bring a Bible (which can be a hard copy, or on an electronic device) and a journal or notebook.

It is important to emphasise that this retreat is not a therapeutic intervention. Therapy or counselling and individualised professional advice cannot be offered in relation to illness or concerns experienced by retreatants or those they know and care for.  Neither is it a seminar that teaches skills on how best to minister to others struggling with their mental health.   If you are currently suffering from poor mental health, we encourage you to seek appropriate medical and therapeutic support.

The retreat will draw on the themes of mental health and Christian spirituality explored in the book, Struggling with God, by Chris Cook, Isabelle Hamley and John Swinton (SPCK, 2023).

Led by Christopher C.H. Cook

Chris Cook is an Anglican priest and retired consultant psychiatrist who has worked over many years to engage with challenges of mental health in the Church and the importance of spirituality in clinical practice in psychiatry. He has written extensively on spirituality, psychiatry and mental health and in 2020 was awarded the Canterbury Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his work on theology and psychiatry. He is Emeritus Professor in Spirituality, Theology and Health in the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University, and Honorary Chaplain for Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. He has served two terms as Chair of the Spirituality & Psychiatry Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and was Co-Chair of the Section on Religion & Spirituality at the World Psychiatric Association from 2022-2023. His book publications include: Hearing Voices, Demonic and Divine (2018), and (together with Isabelle Hamley and John Swinton) Struggling with God (2023). Together with Isabelle Hamley, he edited The Bible and Mental Health (2020) and, with Andrew Powell, Spirituality and Psychiatry, second edition (2023).

EARLY BIRD RATE: £474 (standard room) or £519 (character room) if booked by 6th July 2026.
Retreat price: £504 (standard room) or £549 (character room) 

Price includes en-suite accommodation, all meals, and all retreat resources. It may be possible for you to extend your stay with us by adding an extra night before or after this retreat. Please contact the Abbey directly if you would like to extend your stay.

For any questions, or queries or if you’d like to know more, please call  01572 717254 or alternatively email us: [email protected]