Title: Spirituality and Healing
1Spirituality and Healing
- John Mulder, MD
- Vice President of Medical Services, Faith Hospice
- Medical Director of Palliative Care Services
- MetroHealth
- Director, Grand Rapids Palliative Medicine
Fellowship Program
2Objectives
- Define our spiritual nature
- Understand the scientific basis for the role
of spirituality in health and disease - Understand the interrelationship between the
spiritual, physical, and emotional aspects of our
being - Equip participants with techniques for
dealing with spiritual issues with patients
3Few men make themselves masters of the things
they write or speak. -- John Selden, 1564-1654
4We are inclined to believe those whom we do not
know because they have never deceived us. -- Dr.
Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784
5What is Spirituality?
Spirituality is one of those words which is sort
of like an old Barnum and Bailey circus tent it
covers so many various kinds of animals, events,
acts and episodes that its hard to pin down. --
Joseph Sittler, theologian/writer
6What is Spirituality?
- -- The non-physical part of our being --
- The part that motivates us to look for
meaning - Connects our experiences with sources of
meaning - Provides capacity to see beyond and rise
above momentary experiences to find meaning and
purpose in life
7What is Spirituality?
- A vehicle for faith that provides a basis
for prayer, meditation and worship - Gives us a reason to love, forgive and seek
reconciliation - Values such as love, meaning, beauty, hope
and truth guide our search for meaning in life
and in its lifes experiences - Brings clarity to personal concepts such as
personhood, life, death, grieving, compassion,
and lifes purposes
8What is Spirituality?
- PHYSICAL BODY -- senses of sight, sound,
hearing, taste, capacity for motion, experiencing
pain and pleasure - MIND -- capacity for having thoughts,
holding beliefs, experiencing emotions - SPIRIT or SOUL -- site of supreme values
and ultimate realities perception and
understanding of God, love, meaning, hope,
beauty, and truth
9What is Spirituality?
- TWO DIMENSIONS
- VERTICAL -- Our personal relationship with
God, ultimate source of being model for
understanding lifes experiences basis for
coping with illnesses, pain, suffering, etc. - HORIZONTAL -- Our personal relationship
with others basis for personal lifestyle or life
story - The Human Moment
10What is Spiritual Healing?
- Spiritual healing is not a matter of God
breaking the physical laws of nature. - Spiritual laws co-exist with physical laws
interacting constantly. - Following spiritual laws directly affects
the body and can influence disease and health - Spiritual healing is a discipline to be
practiced - a life style, not an event to be
prayed for
11There is no cure for birth and death save to
enjoy the interval. -- George Santayana,
1863-1952
12What is Health?
- Fitness and lifestyle
- Proper diet
- Proper exercise
- Proper sleep
13What is Health?
- Fitness and lifestyle
- Fulfilling our calling
14An unfulfilled vocation drains the color from a
mans entire existence. -- Honore de Balzac
1799-1850
15Unhappiness is best defined as the difference
between our talents and our expectations. --
Edward de Bono, 1933-
16What is Health?
- Fitness and lifestyle
- Fulfilling our calling
- Forgiveness Giving and receiving
17Science without religion is lame religion
without science is blind. -- Albert Einstein,
1897-1955
18Healthcare professionals have both an
opportunity and an obligation
to impact their patients spiritual as
well as physical health.
19Physician reluctance to endorse healthy
spirituality
- Most physicians not aware of data
- Many doctors specifically instructed to keep
religion out of medical practices - dont mix
science and faith - The possibility of opening Pandoras Box
unsettling for many physicians untrained to
address spiritual beliefs, practices, and
experiences
20Why Faith Heals . . .
- Social Support -- People who have strong
religious commitment are more connected to each
other - Ritual -- Rituals in and of themselves
have health benefits they also give a sense of
security - Appreciation of Beauty -- Nearly everyone
revels in natures beauty the faithful are
reminded to look up and enjoy the view
21Why Faith Heals . . .
- Worship -- Through song, dance, uplifted
hands or prayer, worship bathes us in a variety
of healing faith factors (ritual, social support,
beauty) - Serenity -- In the midst of stress, forms
of meditation create a relaxation response,
reducing the damaging effects of that stress - Confession -- Faith can drive us to make
good on our guilt confession and forgiveness
allow us to learn from our mistakes and move on
22Why Faith Heals . . .
- Temperance -- Most faiths take a negative
view of risk factors for illness and disease
drunkenness, sexual immorality, smoking,
overeating - Hope -- Those with deep faith believe that
God has their best interests at heart regardless
of their circumstances present worries pale in
comparison to the wonder of Gods ultimate
promises - Unity -- An opportunity to gather and
communicate bring healing into faith-based
environments accountability helps keep a focus
on faith-based values
23Why Faith Heals . . .
- Meaning -- The presence of hope, social
support, and unity gives meaning and purpose to
life - Trust -- People of faith do what they are
able with the strength, ingenuity and desire that
God gives them, and trust Him for the results a
positive, health-preserving sense of peace
results - Love -- Gods love, and love reflected in
behavior of friends and family, blunts the effect
of physical and emotional trauma healing power
of love sometimes seen best when its lost
24Prayer does not change God, but it changes him
who prays. -- Soren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855
25If God had designated an ideal place to bring
down men and womens emotional barriers, He could
have designed no better environment than the
doctors office or hospital.
26Keys to Influence Spiritual Health
- Influence requires professional competence
- Influence requires character
- Influence requires compassion
27Physicians and nurses can be powerful spiritual
forces for healing by being there with their
patients, by being attentive, and by
demonstrating caring, and professional and
personal concern for patients.
28Addressing Spiritual Self Care Needs
. . . you shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind, and with all your strength. The
second is this, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. There is no other commandment greater
than these. Mark 1230-31
29Addressing Spiritual Self Care Needs
Love God completely Love others
compassionately Love yourself correctly
30There are two ways of spreading light to be
the candle or the mirror that reflects it. --
Edith Wharton
31How can health be evaluated?
- Objective data
- Independent observation (family, friends)
- Self-evaluation (questionnaire)
32A Popular Platform
- Public media has turned an eye onto this issue,
and the research findings - Time, McCalls, Family Circle, Prevention,
Self, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times,
Cooking Light, ABC World News Tonight, USA Today,
The Today Show, Good Morning America, Gentlemans
Quarterly, Omni, Readers Digest . . .
33What the research shows . . .
- 95 of Americans express belief in God
- Nearly 3 in 4 claim that they base their
approach to life on their religious beliefs - 63 of patients desire to have their doctor
address religious faith - only 10 of physicians
do so - Levels of religious practice are
significantly related to health status,
regardless of age, even after controlling for
education, social class, and social membership
34What the research shows . . .
- Less than 2/3 family physicians believe that
God exists - Less than 25 report believing in a personal
God, believing in an afterlife, or having a close
relationship with God - More than 1/4 were atheists or agnostics
- Only 5 of doctors report that religious and
spiritual issues were regularly addressed in
their training - As of April, 1996, 20 medical schools
include a course on addressing faith issues with
patients
35Application in Clinical Settings
- HYPERTENSION
- Persons who both attended church frequently
and rated their religion as very important had
lower diastolic blood pressures - Findings even more impressive in smokers who
rated religion as important and attended church
at least once weekly
36Application in Clinical Settings
- ARTERIOSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE
- Risk of dying from heart disease was much
less for men who attended church at least once a
week risk for frequent church attenders was only
60 of the risk for men who attended infrequently - At least 6 community-based studies have
shown that the religiously committed person,
particularly the church attender, has a greater
chance of living longer than do persons lacking a
religious commitment
37Application in Clinical Settings
- DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE
- 20 studies have examined relationship
between religion and drug use - Drug abuse is related to the absence of
religious commitment in a persons life - In 10/11 studies, religious commitment
protected against alcohol abuse
38Application in Clinical Settings
- SUICIDE
- Persons who did not attend church were 4 x
more likely to commit suicide than were frequent
church attenders - DELIQUENCY
- 12/13 studies found that religious
commitment - particularly church attendance -
played a protective role against delinquency
39Application in Clinical Settings
- CORONARY CARE OUTCOMES
- Intercessory prayer for CCU patients, double
blind - Daily prayer for rapid recovery,
prevention of complications and death other
areas they believed to be beneficial - RESULTS
- Fewer cases of CHF, fewer cardiopulmonary
arrests, fewer cases needing intubation or
ventilation, fewer cases of pneumonia in the
group that was consistently prayed for
40A Medieval Perspective . . .
For when the wretched man findyng all helpe of
man not able to uphold him from perishing, being
striken with the mightie hande of God, feleth him
selfe unable to stande, no soundes in his bodye,
no strength in his limmes, no helpe of nature to
resist the violence of that disease that Gods
displeasure hath laid upon him, seeth no signe of
Gods grace in his soule, but the deep woundes
that Gods anger hath left in his conscience,
perceiveth no token to argue him thelect of God
and partaker of the death of his Saviour,
hearyng pronounced that the soule which sinneth
shall die, knowyng him selfe to have sinned, and
felying him selfe dying alas what helpe
remaineth in this extremitie? -- Anne Lock, 1560
41Introductory interview questions
- Is religion or spirituality important to
you? - Do your religious or spiritual beliefs
influence the way you look at your medical
problems and the way you think about your health? - Would you like me to address your religious
or spiritual beliefs and practices with you?
42Introductory interview questions
- Do you attend religious services? (If
yes, how often do you attend? Which church?) - Do you pray? (If yes, how frequently?)
- How important is religion to you? (If
very or somewhat, go to next question?) - Is your relationship with God more formal or
personal?
43Faith Stories
- PRINCIPLES
- They should fit as a natural part of
conversation - They should take no more than 2 minutes
- They should be about God/Bible/relationship
to God, not about church or a book - They should provide a glimpse of what its
like to be Gods child
44Faith Stories
- THEY SHOULD AVOID
- Religious jargon
- Pushing for a decision
- Becoming a sermon
- Identifying you as a member of a specific
religious group or denomination - Identifying faith as a reason for not doing
something - Attempts to convict