Summer Institute 2026 | Mysticism, Soul, and Psyche

Monday | June 15, 2026 | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday | June 16, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday | June 17, 2026 | 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

**Presentation recordings will be available for a limited time after the event concludes for all registered participants.

Oblate School of Theology invites you to the 2026 Summer Institute, a three-day theological and spiritual gathering exploring the intersections of mysticism, soul, and psyche—and how renewed attention to these dimensions can deepen Christian spirituality and contemporary psychological insight.

This year’s theme, Mysticism, Soul, and Psyche, invites participants to rediscover the ancient languages through which human beings have named their experiences of God, desire, meaning, and transformation. Drawing from philosophy, depth psychology, and the Christian mystical tradition, the Institute will consider how listening to the soul opens pathways of healing, integration, and contemplative wisdom for the 21st century.

Our featured keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Tyler, internationally respected scholar of spirituality and practicing psychotherapist, will offer three keynote presentations exploring:
(1) the relationship between mythos, logos, and psyche,
(2) the transformative yet elusive nature of mysticism, and
(3) the renewed place of the soul in contemporary spiritual and psychological practice—culminating in what he calls a “mystical therapy” for today.

Additional keynote and breakout presenters from the Oblate community and the San Antonio area will deepen the conversation, bringing perspectives from theology, pastoral ministry, and clinical practice. Together, they will illuminate how biblical imagination, contemplative tradition, and mental health care intersect in lived experience.

Throughout the Institute, participants will engage in breakout sessions, processing groups, and guided conversations—integrating psychological insight and spiritual wisdom into their personal lives and ministry.

Whether you are a pastor, educator, counselor, spiritual director, minister, or seeker, the 2026 Summer Institute offers a space for serious reflection and renewed encounter—where mysticism, soul, and psyche speak to the deeper longings of our time.

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✉️ Prefer to register in person or by mail?

We are pleased to offer a high-quality boxed lunch meal package from a local restaurant. The package conveniently includes a fresh boxed lunch for Day 2 and Day 3. Meals will be served with care to ensure an enjoyable dining experience for all.

Book your group rate room at a local partner hotel:

Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Airport

Complimentary General Admission tickets are available for this event. Meal tickets must be purchased separately. Please contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator for the Promo Code at (210) 341-1366 x 206 or email Veronica Montalvo at [email protected].

OST Promo Code and Discount Eligibility Information

Info: We begin the Summer Institute by exploring the ground of consciousness. Reaching back to the roots of religion and psychology, we will examine the classical relationship between mythos and logos, and their connection to their sister, psyche. To illuminate this dynamic, we will consider the well-known 20th-century dialogue between Carl Gustav Jung, founder of analytical psychology, and Fr. Victor White, O.P. We will conclude by reflecting on the implications of this relationship for belief and psychological practice today.

Info: Through the story of a personal journey, this presentation explores the intersection of faith and mental health. Beginning in personal crisis and leading toward a deepening of faith, Doug Beach reflects on how communities can become more welcoming, compassionate, and supportive of individuals and families impacted by mental health challenges. Drawing from lived experience and years of advocacy, this session invites participants to consider the vital role faith communities play in fostering healing, inclusion, and hope.

Info: (Breakout Session A) This workshop explores dreams not as puzzles to be solved, but as a contemplative practice of listening to the soul before God. At the intersection of mysticism, psyche, and spiritual discernment, dreams often reveal hidden grief, vocational tension, emotional truth, symbolic intelligence, and movements toward healing and integration. This session will offer participants a grounded approach to reading dreams with reverence, psychological humility, and theological discernment. Special attention will be given to grief, vocation, nervous system regulation, and the role of symbolic imagery in spiritual growth.

Info: (Breakout Session B) Suicide has often been associated with mortal sin and condemnation. However, the study of Julian of Norwich’s writings, The Showings of the Love of God, allows us to understand suicide not as a sin, but as a sickness of the soul.

Info: Our second theme turns to mysticism—a term often considered elusive and difficult to define. Despite this, we will explore how the practices of mystical theology can inform psychological understanding and practice in our own time. In particular, we will consider the insights that emerge when Christianity enters into dialogue with other religious traditions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism.

Info: Our deepest loneliness is not emotional, but moral. More than we long for someone to sleep with sexually, we long for someone to sleep with morally. In our depth we often feel that we are unanimity-minus-one; hence our poignant longing for a soulmate. What is moral loneliness? How does it relate to mysticism? What’s its role in our spiritual journey?

Info: (Breakout Session A) Grounded in the interdisciplinary space of mysticism, soul, and psyche, this workshop utilizes the biblical witness of Hagar as a guiding narrative for trauma-informed spiritual care rooted in evidence-based practice. Through Hagar’s (and her son, Ishmael’s) story of displacement, dogged survival, and divine encounter, we will explore how deep listening to the soul—attending to both spiritual experience and psychological reality—opens pathways toward healing, integration, and resilience, as well as offers practical tools for spiritual care and soul companionship. Participants will engage contemplative practices and trauma-informed frameworks that honor the wisdom of the body, the complexity of lived experience, and the Divine Presence that meets us in the wilderness.

Info: (Breakout Session B) “Family, Culture, and the Language of the Soul” explores how mental health is shaped by family dynamics, cultural identity, and community experiences. Focusing on underserved populations, this session examines the impact of stigma, systemic barriers, and cultural disconnects on access to care. Participants will gain insight into culturally responsive approaches that support more inclusive and community-centered mental health practices.

Info: In our final session, we turn to the concept of the soul. Once largely set aside in modern psychology, the soul has experienced a renewed interest in recent years. Building on the foundations of our previous discussions, we will explore the implications of this return, considering how a renewed attentiveness to the soul might contribute to the development of a “mystical therapy” for the 21st century.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Whitley Event Center, 285 Oblate Drive, San Antonio, United States

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