Over the course of his life, Nouwen was heavily influenced by the work of Anton Boisen, Thomas Merton, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, and Jean Vanier.

[7] He sought to use psychology as a means of exploring the human side of faith which he felt was being overlooked, from a pastoral standpoint, in broader theological discussions.

During his studies at the university, he was greatly influenced by Han Fortmann, a Dutch psychologist of religion whose writing about action and contemplation in a busy world are mirrored in Nouwen's own work.

[2]: 23f  For his thesis work, Nouwen focused on Anton Boisen, an American minister credited with founding the clinical pastoral education movement.

[7]: 38–47 After receiving his "doctorandus" (doctoral degree), Nouwen studied for two years as a Fellow in the Religion and Psychiatry Program at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and was influenced by psychologist Gordon Allport.

[10] During his time at the Clinic he found he preferred direct contact with patients over the more scientific and medical analysis of certain branches of psychology.

[11]: 17–19 Between 1971 and 1981 Nouwen was a professor of pastoral theology at Yale Divinity School, where he began to establish a broad readership of his work as a contributor to various publications including the National Catholic Reporter and as the author of several books based on personal experience.

[14] Though Nouwen concluded he was not suited for Trappist life, the Abbey of the Genesee and his relationship with then abbott John Eudes Bamberger continued to be of great importance to him.

[13] The Abbey served as his home base for more than a year after he resigned from Yale[15] and it was where he chose to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a priest on August 6, 1982.

[18] The half-time appointment allowed Nouwen to split his time between teaching at the Divinity School and working with a theological center in Latin America.

"[22] : l During Nouwen's time in France he traveled to Toronto, Ontario, to officiate at a wedding and sought permission to stay for a week at L'Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill.

[29] In his book The Return of the Prodigal Son, Nouwen describes a friendship that had him under a spell, did him no good and when it finally collapsed left him in a depressive mood and in search of self-esteem and acceptance by others.

[27][28] Nouwen died in the Netherlands on September 21, 1996, from a sudden heart attack, while en route to Russia to participate in a Dutch documentary about his book The Return of the Prodigal Son.

[30] Nouwen was laid to rest in a pine coffin built in L'Arche Daybreak's The Woodery and colourfully painted by members of the community.

[31] He is buried in St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery in Richmond Hill in keeping with his desire to be near the graves of other Daybreak community members.

[34]: 3  In a magazine survey conducted by Christian Century in 2003 Nouwen's work was indicated as a first choice of authors for Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy.

[39][40] While visiting the L'Arche Trosly-Breuil community in France, he saw a poster of Rembrandt's painting The Return of the Prodigal Son that made a deep impression on him.

His most famous work on this topic is the Inner Voice of Love, his diary from December 1987 to June 1988 during one of his most serious bouts with clinical depression.

He used God's Love as a justification for the preservation of life, as well as for his opposition to both the ongoing Cold War and the intervention of the United States in Vietnam.

[1]: 80 [6]: xxiv  Bob Massie describes the experience of watching Nouwen speak in Befriending Life (2001): "His squeezing, tugging gestures made it look like he was striving to milk meaning directly out of the air.

Interviews conducted with significant acquaintances, distinguished colleagues, and family members contributed to the comprehensive portrayal of Nouwen's unwavering faith - a person characterized by fervor and empathy.

[49] Commissioned by the Henri Nouwen Society in autumn 2019, Murray Watts wrote The Beloved Son, an eight-actor play whose premier took place at the Sheen Centre, New York.

In January 2024, actor Andrew Harrison performed a one-man adaptation of the play at St Luke's, Upper Holloway.