A Spiritual and Neurobiological Redemption of Desire

We are people of desire.

In The Soul of Desire, psychiatrist Curt Thompson suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be known—and what's more, that this fundamental yearning manifests itself in our deep need to make things of beauty, revealing who we are to others. Desire and beauty go hand in hand.

But both our craving to be known and our ability to create beauty have been marredby trauma and shame, collapsing our imagination for what God has for us and blinding us to the possibility that beauty could ever emerge from our ashes.

The Soul of Desire is a mature, creative work that:



- Weaves together neuroscience and spiritual formation by drawing on Thompsons work in interpersonal neurobiology and clinical practice,

- Opens up new horizons for thinking about the nature of the mind and what it means to be human, and

- Presents a powerful picture of the capacity of the believing community to reshape our imaginations, hold our desires and griefs together, and invite us into the beauty of God's presence.



Makoto Fujimura is an internationally recognized contemporary artist whose work appears in major museums and galleries around the world. He is also an award-winning author of five books, including Art Is, Art and Faith, Beauty and Justice, and Silence and Beauty. He is the founder of IAMCultureCare and the Fujimura Institute. Fujimura served on the National Council on the Arts as a presidential appointee and he is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts.







Curt Thompson (MD) is a board-certified psychiatrist and the founder of Being Known, an organization that develops resources for hope and healing at the intersection of neuroscience and Christian spiritual formation. He is also the author of The Soul of Shame and The Soul of Desire. He is actively engaged in learning and teaching as he supervises clinical employees and facilitates ongoing education groups for patients and colleagues. He also speaks frequently on the topic atworkshops, conferences, and retreats.



Foreword by Makoto Fujimura

Introduction

1. Desire: A People of Longing

2. Beauty: Desire Made Manifest

3. Beauty: Becoming What We Create

4. Trauma and Shame: A People of Grief

5. Confessional Communities: Telling OurStories More Truly

6. Imagine That: Looking at What We Don't Yet See

7. Dwell

8. Gaze

9. Inquire

10. Practicing for Heaven: A People of Beauty

Acknowledgments

Notes