The Relational Soul - by Richard Plass & James Cofield (Paperback)

About the Book

We are made by and for relationship with God and others, even discovering and developing our God-given identity through relational connection. Bringing together the study of psychology and spiritual formation, The Relational Soul highlights how a conscious relationship with the Trinity can transform our self-awareness and our connection with other people.

Book Synopsis

What does loneliness tell us? Be it chronic or acute, slight or significant, loneliness is proof of our relational design. At the core of our being is this truth--we are designed for and defined by our relationships, former pastors Plass and Cofield write. We were born with a relentless longing to participate in the lives of others. Fundamentally, we are relational souls. Our ability to make deep and emotionally satisfying connections rests on the capacity to trust, and we all know trust can be difficult. Early-life relational programming and patterns of attachment can serve as blueprints for relationships later in life, whether good or bad. But no matter our conditioning, God is out to reclaim and restructure the deepest terrain of the human soul by helping us shed our reactive False Self and put on our receptive True Self. Through spiritual disciplines and a conscious participation in the love of the Father, Son and Spirit, we transform our self-awareness and our connection with other people. Authored by counselor Dr. Richard Plass and spiritual director James Cofield, The Relational Soul brings together concepts from psychology and spiritual formation. Each chapter includes introductory stories and practical If this is true, what about you? questions to help readers engage in relationships in more life-giving ways. When the presence of Christ and community connects with a soul that is open, we witness the miracle of transformation.

Review Quotes

The Relational Soul brings together concepts from psychology and spiritual formation to help readers engage in relationships in more life-giving ways.

The Relational Soul is a practical book on spirituality, counseling, community, the long, difficult road of personal transformation, all grounded in a compelling Trinitarian theology. That's a lot for anyone to accomplish in a single book, and the authors do it uncommonly well.

Blending biblical and psychological insight, Plass and Cofield offer guidance on building (or rebuilding) our relational capacities, while sharing the good news that we worship an inherently relational God.

Most of us have only a vague understanding of false patterns of relating and how we might move to life giving, true-self patterns. This biblically sound, psychologically astute, and spiritually enriching book will challenge and inform those who intentionally commit to the challenging task of healthy relating. This is a book that should not be read once and set on a shelf to collect dust. Rather, it should be revisited as a reliable guide to the lifelong process of Christ-like ways of inter-personal connecting.

Plass and Cofield extend this insight to the church community, showing how it can be a source of spiritual healing. They also show how to be alone with God in a way that changes perspectives. . . . Recommended for pastoral counselors or anyone ministering to spiritually disconnected Christians.

Richard Plass and James Cofield have written an excellent volume regarding how the soul is geared for greater communion with others. . . . This work is highly recommended for pastoral libraries and especially adult faith-sharing groups seeking to form greater communities.

This book is an informative, enjoyable, and motivating guide for readers who wish to experience deeper transformation. The authors are skillful story-tellers, describing real-life examples of people whose stories demonstrate the relational nature of the soul and how it is both wounded and healed in relationship with God and others. Plass and Cofield also earn readers' trust by offering personal vignettes that transparently reveal their own struggles and successes. Woven throughout the book, these stories are interesting and touching case studies that not only draw the reader into the exposition and serve to illustrate the main points, but that also inspire and persuade.