Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer Paperback – Special Edition, January 1, 1982

The authors account for the fundamental nature of prayer in human lives. According to them, prayer is like a primary speech. "In prayer we say who in fact we are - not who we should be, nor who we wish we were, but who we are." They raised six important aspects of human lives and they invite us to bring them to prayer. These are desire, projection, fantasy, fear, aggression and sexuality.They acknowledge the importance of desire in prayer and say it is the motivating factor for prayer. Projection has been used in various forms throughout the history of philosophy and religion to discredit religion. Feuerbach was the first to use the terminology in this sense. Both Freud and Marx adapted it and applied it to reflect their own positions. Their underlining thesis is that we project to a god our own powers. The authors beautifully took this same terminology and applied it in a very positive and enriching way. They see projection as one of the ways we can reach out to God. They wrote, "In prayer we must begin where we are, with the images of the divine that we project and find ourselves projecting onto the unknown."The authors opine that silence is one of the first fears that come in prayer. Their description of the fear of silence in prayer sounds like John and Teresa's description of the dark night of the soul. Rather than run away from prayer because of the fears or prayer taking us away from our fears, the authors say that prayer takes us into the center of these fears and help us to live through them.One of the things people have the tendency to keep very secret is their sexuality. Sometimes people want to hide it from God, yet, it is at the very center of our lives. The authors invite us to contemplate our sexuality. They say, "our contemplative concentration must include our sexuality just as our sexuality must include our contemplative life."This is definitely the best book on prayer I have read in recent times. The authors made appropriate use of the tools of psychology to help us pray without reducing prayer to psychology. It is practical, clear and very inviting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in praying better. It is a must have for ministers, religious counselors and spiritual directors.

This author is astounding. I love her work. And I am just beginning to read her vast array of published works. Each chapter gives a detailed analysis of how the process of prayer begins, transmutes, and ultimately transforms our relationship with ourselves, others and our definition of "God." Our spiritual development is as much a vital aspect of our growth, not just personally, but for the community of humankind. Ulanov and her husband, Barry, do not tread lightly on the act of praying; there are times when it is not pretty and we are in rebellion, but that is also part of the process of transformation. Although Ulanov uses Christian language, it is not in any way religious, new-agey or fundamental. The text is academic but accessible and keeps to a psychology of the process rather than having any indoctrination. It is reflective reading and therefore I could only read a chapter a day.

A disclaimer - this review is not the result of a thorough reading of the book - I simply couldn't read it for more than a page or two at a time. As best I can gather - the authors intended to tell us about prayer - and that they did a long string of declarative sentences, without personal statements or examples or interesting narative of any sort. If you are looking for guidance or inspiration for your prayer life, dear reader - keep looking.P.S. I purchased the book at the recommendation of a pastor - who has since told me that his recommendation came from divinity school connections - I'm still looking for the first person who actually read this thing....

I was glad to find this book again. This is a seminal work on the psychology of prayer and should be required reading of spiritual directors and recommended reading for seekers.

I found this to be a difficult book to get into. Too often it felt like it was running circles and not really explaining anything.

I ordered this book I needed for a church book club. I found the lowest price and the quickest service. I have always counted on Amazon.

The whole transaction was professional and well-done. I was pleased from start to finish. The book arrived promptly and was all that I desired and expected. I am grateful to be able to get books so easily and with such satisfaction.

Excellent item, fast shipping, Thanks

interesting addition to the library

Great read, totally recommended!