Encountering Grace in the Body
with Debbie Sheehan, MA
April 10, 11, & 12, 2026
“God looked at everything he had made and found it very good.”
Genesis 1:32
To grow in felt awareness of the whole of ourselves – mind, body, and spirit – can open the door to deeper connection with God, ourselves, and others. Slowing down to notice and nurture what is most real within through biospiritual focusing potentially welcomes a deeper sense of God present with us. There is a felt dimension to this that is often experienced as freedom, healing or simply a lifted burden. Many name this as ‘grace in the body’ that is experienced as sacred – and not of ‘my own creation’ but rather comes as gift. Biospiritual focusing can be immensely helpful in this growing awareness – in becoming more attentive to the felt meaning in our lives. For spiritual directors, this becomes a helpful practice to invite others to deeper noticing in a way that is gentle, respectful and profoundly graced.
Join us to learn how embodied awareness – and the willingness to be with that awareness –can be a doorway to deeper transformation that leads to a greater felt sense of hope, vitality, faith, and connection in God. Many spiritual directors testify to their own amazement that this simple process is so helpful and essential for those they accompany in spiritual direction.
Debbie Sheehan, MA, is an experienced spiritual director, retreat director, and supervisor as well as adjunct faculty in the Creighton University Christian Spirituality Program. She has served in a variety of settings to help others deepen their understanding of embodied spirituality, including teaching and practicing BioSpiritual Focusing for over two decades. Married 53 years, she has four adult children and ten grandchildren.
“I first learned about biospiritual focusing in 2001 as my spiritual direction peer group gathered during Lent to practice and deepen our understanding. It has been a part of my life ever since, and I continue to deepen my appreciation of the amazing ways that the Divine is present in this process. As a spiritual director, I have been privileged to witness the transformative action of grace that comes through this simple yet profound practice.”