Anton Boisen: Madness, Mysticism, and the Origins of Clinical Pastoral Education

Sean J. LaBat is a clinical staff chaplain at Central Virginia Veterans Administration Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia.

At a time when clinical chaplaincy is grappling afresh with its place in 21st century healthcare systems, Sean J. LaBat’s portrait of Anton Boisen brings fresh insights by reminding clinical chaplaincy of its origin story. Boisen, the "patron saint" of clinical pastoral education, eschews simple categorization. His was a life of paradox: insight amid madness, flourishing amid brokenness, a legacy of interpersonal connectedness from a life of frequent disconnection. LaBat provides a poignant reminder of the importance of clinical chaplaincy’s core commitments to eschewing easy answers, holding the full complexity of human stories, and acknowledging the mysteries that surround us.

Sean J. LaBat caught something that most of us missed: that "critical mysticism" was a central – not a peripheral – aspect of Boisen’s thinking. Boisen – an introspective empirical theologian and psychologist/ sociologist of religion – didn’t ignore certain intriguing aspects of the mind just because they were hard to grasp. Rather than just toss out odd thoughts, Boisen asked if those thoughts could be evaluated and if they might bear kernels of truth, even amid confusion. LaBat has broadened our understanding of Boisen’s work. His thesis gets all the more intriguing as the book progresses.

Sean J. LaBat’s book provides a fascinating description of Anton Boisen that is both thought provoking and a page turner. LaBat details Boisen’s enlightening journey that should not be forgotten; this book does a great job ensuring that it will not. The reader will gain greater insight into how mental illness is constructed in historical context and a perspective shift of their own that is well worth the read. I recommend this book for mental health professionals or anyone who is interested in the intersection of psychology and religion.