barbara dent

This wise and widely acclaimed book is written for those “who have advanced far enough in love of God to enter the night of faith and feel the need of explanation, guidance and reassurance.”

Even when we believe—as St. John of the Cross and other mystics teach—that the dark night is ultimately purifying, transforming, and unitive, the experience can be terrifying. It’s not something one can undergo easily, or without a wise guide.

This book is Barbara Dent’s intimately personal narrative of the long journey in darkness. It is, if you will, a survival manual for living in the night of faith.

For over 30 years, the profound personal insights of New Zealand author Barbara Dent have inspired and helped thousands of readers around the world navigate the unsettling but transforming experience of spiritual darkness.

My Only Friend Is Darkness is an indispensable resource for those in the more challenging stages of the journey of faith as well as for their spiritual directors and others aiming to better understand the experience.

Now deceased, Dent was a mother of three, an English teacher, and secular Carmelite. She published numerous articles and books throughout the English-speaking world. In retirement she lived as a poustinik or hermit, spending time in prayer, study, writing, and offering spiritual guidance to those who turned to her.

Now, in response to requests from many readers, ICS Publications is pleased to bring My Only Friend Is Darkness back as an ICS title in this 30th Anniversary Edition. Readers of its popular sequel, The Marriage of All and Nothing, will now have the opportunity to read this, Dent’s pivotal earlier work, which now joins the sequel in our catalog.