The author was instructed to write because the nuns in the monasteries of Our Lady of Carmel needed someone to dispel their doubts regarding prayer. It was believed that women would best understand the language of their peers, and thus, the author's words, given the affection the nuns held for her, would be most beneficial to them.
P. Aloysius Alkofer Livres
Das Leben der heiligen Theresia von Jesu
Sämtliche Schriften der heiligen Theresia von Jesu I.