RELI 448N Week 8 Discussion Health Care in Spirituality

Sample Answer

After viewing the film Spirituality, suffering, and illness Conversations for healing, I have completely changed my definition of spirituality. Before viewing this film, I believed that spirituality was how a person practiced or didn’t practice their religion. This film made me realize that spirituality is not only different for everyone, but it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with religion. In the film, Dr. Wright stated, “everyone has a spirituality, but not everyone has a religion.” Our textbook states, “ Individuals now assemble elements of different belief systems to create their own spiritual system (Malloy, p.499).

The role of spirituality in health care issues is endless. By looking at a person’s spirituality a nurse can better map a plan of care that will be more specific and one that a patient may actually participate in and follow. Taking the time to find out what is important in a patient’s life or gives their life meaning can only enhance a patient’s participation in their care and ultimately lessen their suffering. Dr. Wright also calls this softening a patient or family’s suffering. She explains that a patient’s beliefs, suffering, and spirituality are all interrelated or linked in the Trinity Model.

What a person believes directly relates to their spirituality. Their spirituality than in turn will have a direct effect on their suffering. Health care professionals can use therapeutic communication to help bring out a person’s illness story. By asking questions, to help a patient connect their beliefs with their spirituality a health care professional can understand if the patient’s beliefs are enhancing or softening their suffering. Once this is determined, a patient can be encouraged to have more spiritual counseling needed.

Sometimes just talking about their suffering makes a dramatic impact on the Patient. Dr. Wright believes, “talking is healing”. I believe everyone has a story and if given the opportunity they want to talk about it. However, I have learned in my own nursing practice, not everyone tells their story in the same way. It takes time and patience to get people to talk. Sometimes you might be the nurse to initiate the conversation, but it may be another nurse on the next shift that actually makes the connection with the patient. This is the beauty of nursing. Each one of us can make an impact.

The biggest take away from this film for me is learning that religion is not spirituality. It seems like such a simple thing to understand, but I really didn’t get it until I watched this video. I am ordering Lorraine Wrights’s book because I would like to learn more about helping to soften suffering and hope that I can pass this along to the other nurses on my unit. We see a lot of cancer patients on my unit recovering between rounds of radiation and chemotherapy complications. These patients often received palliative care or Hospice consultations and I think if we can help facilitate a healing conversation and soften the patient and families suffering, they may be more willing to accept the help from Palliative or Hospice services.

According to Evidence-based Practice, “There is increasing evidence that religious and/or spiritual beliefs help patients cope with fear and anxiety caused by illness” (Heering, 2018). This is so important to me professionally and personally. It gives my life meaning and purpose to help someone find peace in facing their illness and sometimes even their death.
Stay Well Everyone,
Stacey

References

• Gunder, S. &Herring H Spiritual needs of Hospitalized Patients. Evidenced-Based Care Sheet- CEU, 2018.
• Lorraine Wright, & Insync Communications (Producers), &. (2007). Spirituality, suffering, and illness Conversations for healing. [Video/DVD] Lorraine Wright. Retrieved from https //video-alexanderstreet- com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/watch/spirituality-suffering-and-illness- conversations-for-healingLinks to an external site.
• Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill