“But what
happens to us when something occurs that does not fit into (our) expectations
of the world? What happens when the unexpected occurs and our past experiences
and all of our values, beliefs, and assumptions no longer help us in making
meaning? What happens when our world is turned upside down and inside out and
we are disoriented?
Students entering clinical pastoral education [[ medicine, nursing, dentistry ... life! ]] are often unprepared for
what they experience. Encounters with the ‘living human documents,’ with
deaths, traumas, and codes, with peers in the group and with supervisors are
challenging. Students are off-balance and reeling emotionally and spiritually.
We basically have two main options when we experience the unexpected. The first
option is to simply reject the unexpected through denial, repression, or some
other coping mechanism and thus hold fast to our familiar values, beliefs, and
assumptions. The second option is to open ourselves up to begin the process of
critically questioning and reflecting upon our unexamined expectations.
Patricia Cranton writes, ‘When people critically examine their habitual
expectations, revise them, and act on the revised point of view, transformative
learning occurs.’”
Jones LC. You
learn it in your heart: transformative learning theory and clinical pastoral
education. J Pastoral Care Counsel 2010; 64(4): 1-10.
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| Photo: t_wade www.dpreview.com |
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