What is Spirituality?

Spirituality has many definitions, but at its core spirituality helps to give our
lives context. It's not necessarily connected to a specific belief system or
even religious worship. Instead, it arises from your connection with yourself
and with others, the development of your personal value system, and your
search for meaning in life.

What is Spiritual Distress?

Spiritual distress a disruption in the life principle that pervades

a person's entire being and that integrates and transcends one's
biological and psychological nature.

A persons present experience is in conflict with personal beliefs

Signs of Spiritual Distress

Anger

Fear

Being afraid to fall asleep at night

Preoccupation with illness, suffering

Loss of hope

Change in beliefs

Questioning beliefs

Feelings of being abandoned by God/higher power

Feeling a sense of emptiness/direction

Impaired ability to cope

Pain and other physical symptoms can be expressions of spiritual distress

There are 5 key things should do which will promote spiritual healing:
be trustworthy

 treat the patient as a person;

be kind;
maintain hope;
assist the patient in determining what it means to live.
Spiritual Assessment
Medical (Biological)
Psychological Dimension.
Family Systems Dimension Spiritual Assessment
Psycho-Social Dimension
Ethnic, Racial, Cultural Dimension
Spiritual Dimension
Dimension Beliefs and Meaning
Vocation and Obligations
Experience and Emotions
Courage and Growth
Rituals and Practice
Community
Authority and Guidance

Barriers to Spiritual Assessment

Discomfort of Person Assessing
Can cause avoidance in doing a proper assessment
Skip assessment
Loss of confidence by patient in the provider
Timing
Pain
Fatigue
Others present
Wording in the assessment
Patient/Family unable or unwilling
Knowledge of spirituality
The management of spiritual distress

1. To work to minimize the sense of isolation.

2. Deal directly with the whole person, especially feelings and fears.
Valuing the patient (see health care values/virtues).
3. Reliability, trustworthiness and honest in dealing with patients.
4. Show the patient that it is as much about the art of healing, i.e. the
whole person, as it is about physical curing, i.e. pain symptom control.
Be clear yourself that healing is not always the same as curing.
5. Offer help (and know who to involve) in this process. See it as another
part of the spiritual journey.

6. Listen to the spiritual language of the patient, which is often coded.

Always take their requests for something religious serious, while at the
same time understanding the process that is underway. Avoid cynicism
of seemingly arbitrary religious requests. Take prayer seriously, even if
they seem like expletives e.g., O God help me.
7. In confusion reassure patients that you have access to people who have
skills to support people in spiritual distress.
8. Encourage the things that link the patient with their community. House
communion (if at home) or bedside communion (if in hospital). Involve
chaplain s, clergy, or other religious personnel, family visitors in the
explicitly spiritual care of the patient. Show that you think that it is
important.
9. Encourage the patient to use the time forced upon them by illness
constructively. Be alert to the patients sacred objects e.g. rosary or Sikh
ceremonial sword, to the less obvious e.g. a favourite photograph.
10.
Reassure patients that even if the personal aspect of their
spiritual journey has been neglected, it is never too late to start again.
Illness may be seen as a constructive challenge.
11. Be alert to the need to involve chaplains, clergy or others in spiritual
counselling.