Spirituality is the process by which you discover purpose, hope, and inner peace in your life. Religion is where many people find spirituality. Some people discover it through music, art, or a connection to nature. Others discover it in their core values and principles.
The last century’s technical advancements changed the focus of medicine from a caring, service-oriented model to a technological, cure-oriented model. Technology has led to incredible advances in medicine and the ability to extend the human lifespan. Physicians have sought to balance their practice in recent decades by reclaiming medicine’s more mystical origins. Spiritual or compassionate treatment involves serving the entire person—physical, mental, social, and spiritual. Such service is, by definition, a spiritual activity.
What is spiritual health?
Spirit and spirituality may have different meanings for different people in different cultures. The spirit or spirituality is difficult to describe. Still, we can generally describe it as the non-physical part of a person, the root of our feelings, etc.
We find our sense of belonging, relations with particular individuals, and places in our spiritual selves.
Why is spiritual health so important?
Our approach to care is based on your goals, lifestyle preferences, and the idea of a happier life. Being healthy means more than just maintaining one’s physical health and comfort. Caring about others is more than just a job.
Taking care of others and supporting them in maintaining their independence will give people a sense of purpose. Sometimes all a loved one wants is a little help in finding the things in life that bring them joy. When a person feels better spiritually, they can feel better physically as well. It can make a lot of difference when caregivers are there to provide physical and emotional support.
How has spiritual health changed over the years?
The term “spirit” is derived from the Latin words “spiritus” (which means “breath, bravery, vitality, or sense of self”) and “spirare” (meaning to breathe). Spirituality has five characteristics:
- Purpose
- Value
- Transcendence
- Communicating (with oneself, others, God/supreme power, and the environment)
- Becoming (the growth and progress in life)
Since the introduction of spiritual health and its different meanings, it has been five decades. Spiritual health is about connection with:
- Self (personal dimension)
- Others (social dimension)
- Nature (environment)
- God (transcendental dimension)
Spiritual wellbeing has the following essential principles:
- Posing philosophical questions about life’s nature and intent
- Social interaction with others
- Transcendence
- A healthy way of living
For many researchers, spiritual health is very important. They even regard it as one of the most important aspects of health. A study has shown that spiritual health leads to improved mental health and is positively linked to physical health. For example, it may help patients feel less pain.
Recent evidence confirms what the ancient Greeks knew 2,000 years ago: a person’s wellbeing reflects a harmonious relationship between body, mind, and soul. These three elements were referred to as the material, the relational, and the transcendental by the Hebrew community.
Indeed, the origins of holistic treatment emerged from the Greek and Hebrew cultures. The Greek root of the word “cure” translates as “repair of the broken soul.” And the root of the word “nurse” is “a nurturing of the human spirit.” In some early cultures, the links between body and spirit were very clear. Then people viewed sickness as a punishment from God for some violation. Unfortunately, this viewpoint is still prevalent in some circles, particularly when it comes to AIDS.
Instead of blaming God as the main cause of illness, many in our culture blame people for causing their illness. However, behavior and lifestyle are just a small part of what causes us to become ill or keeps us healthy. Many other factors, such as genetic and environmental factors, must also be taken into account. Unfortunately, few healthcare professionals have implemented this balance into their practices. As a result, unchecked guilt over one’s own role in an illness can lead to psychospiritual effects that worsen rather than relieve the patient’s suffering.
New Expectations and Roles
As our society gains a deeper understanding of the relationship between physical dysfunction and spiritual health in the twenty-first century, we will begin to define new roles and expectations for a holistically oriented healthcare delivery system. Some advocates of alternative medicine have identified the fractured nature of human life as the leading cause of illness and death. They have had less success in demonstrating the importance of spiritual health within a traditional medical model.
The time has come to reinvestigate and recommit the healthcare system to a more balanced and holistic approach to treatment as a new era in healthcare delivery starts. The commitment must come from spiritual caregivers and boards, physicians, and other health workers.
To understand the etiology of illnesses, healthcare professionals must look at the underlying social issues of the day. These include violence, divorce, unemployment, a lack of quality time between parents and children, and various other factors that contribute to disintegrating relationships. Each of these social and family issues will eventually end up on the doorsteps of the country’s emergency rooms and clinics.
Our healthcare system must be prepared to treat both physical and existential cancer patients. For example, studies have shown that divorced white men have significantly higher rates of heart disease, cancer, alcoholism, and injuries than their married counterparts. Statistics also indicate that people who have recently lost their jobs have a higher risk of homicide, suicide, and heart attacks. And national statistics continue to show the consequences of the nuclear family’s breakdown. Every day, 135,000 American children bring a deadly weapon to school. A kid runs away from home every 26 seconds. And every 120 seconds, a teenager gives birth to a child.
Spiritual Care
The physical heart continues to bear the scars of a cold, often fatalistic society. As a result, treating patients with bandages and medications and supporting them in understanding the meaning of the illness and making effective lifestyle changes is the solution.
Most doctors and nurses avoided discussing spiritual issues with patients in the past. This is because they did not want to get into questions about God and church attendance. However, as the reach of spirituality extends beyond religiosity, issues about spiritual health can be translated into questions such as the following:
- In your life, what is necessary and meaningful?
- What makes you on while the chips are down?
- What do you hope to accomplish in life?
An illness or hospitalization raises serious questions about death and the meaning of life for many people. As a result, many people who become sick are willing to listen to healthcare providers who can connect their physical symptoms to an underlying spiritual or moral disenfranchisement.
The Bottom Line
In the near future, we might soon know enough to list the leading causes of death: loss of meaning, belonging, will live, and self-esteem, rather than existing causes such as cancer and stroke. These are spiritual issues, not physical ones. And a reformed healthcare system committed to being more holistic cannot neglect the spiritual healing process.
