Sustaining our Spirits: Spiritual Study/Discussion Groups For Coping with Medical Illness

Illness is a universal experience that evokes a range of difficult emotions and tough spiritual questions, often without satisfying answers. Illness can be alienating and isolating. Sustaining ones spirits and preserving identity in the face of illness is a challenge for patients, family members, and caregivers. This paper introduces Spiritual study/discussion groups to strengthen patients perceived coping with illness. The groups introduce a spiritual perspective, provide emotional support, and offer a variety of spiritual coping tools, utilizing traditional and contemporary resources. Preliminary evaluations suggest that a healing time and space is created through the provision of comfort, connection, support, and inspiration.     

Spirituality in Disability and Illness

Spirituality appears with increasing frequency in the research literature, and a paradigm involving mind-body-spirit interaction is emerging. The relationship of spirituality to disability and illness is at the center of a growing body of knowledge. A comprehensive literature review supported spirituality as coping method among individuals experiencing a variety of illnesses including hypertension, pulmonary disease, diabetes, chronic renal failure, surgery, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, polio and addictive illnesses. Additionally, spirituality is a resource when dealing with critical illness as well as terminal illness and end of life issues, and it is utilized by both patients, and family members. Discussion of research findings, implications for health care practice and future research is also presented.     

Spiritual Inquiry and Well-Being in Life-Limiting Illness

ABSTRACT

Introduction: End of life, as a developmental phase, is accompanied by inner resources as well as losses. Spirituality is a potential inner resource for integrating illness that often occurs during this time. Despite the increase in spirituality research, how spiritual perspectives are used in life-limiting illness remains under-investigated. Better knowledge about this process may be useful for health care providers, family caregivers and patients themselves to enhance well-being at end of life. This study describes the process of how patients and family care-givers use their spiritual resources to facilitate well-being at the end of life.

Method: A qualitative study was designed, based upon the grounded theory method, that entails theoretical sampling of concepts (not sampling of people as in quantitative designs), and the analytic technique of constant comparison of the data until conceptual categories are saturated with supporting data and a theory can be identified. The sample consisted of 12 respondents: 6 dyads of elderly patients with a life-limiting illness and family caregivers. Interviews occurred over a 2-year period.

Results: Data analysis generated a theory about a process called “transcending life-limiting illness,” which derived from two related themes: spiritual inquiry and end-of-life dimensions.

Conclusion: The results expand existing knowledge about how people, either as patients or as family caregivers of persons facing end of life, live with life-limiting illness. The process of transcending life-limiting illness goes beyond merely coping to tap resources for well-being. This resource is expressed through an ongoing dialectic process of spiritual inquiry about life and death as supported by six critical life dimensions.     

学前儿童对疾病的认知

通过三个研究分别探查了教育条件不同的两组学前儿童能否以疾病这一生命现象为指标做出生物和非生物的本体区分;他们是否理解疾病的产生和康复不受心理意图控制;以及他们对疾病原因的认识。结果显示,3、4、5岁学前儿童在分类作业中的认知成绩随年龄逐渐提高,他们能够认识疾病不受意图控制。其对疾病原因的解释既不用意图也不用道德准则,而主要是从行为水平,表现出“朴素生物学”的认知,但其认知与成人的认知和科学的生物学概念有明显差距。教育条件影响儿童的疾病认知成绩     

Spiritual resilience: Understanding the protection and promotion of well-being in the later life

Spirituality is important to a large percentage of the older adult population and serves as a key factor of resilience. Using qualitative research, we conducted and analyzed interviews with 64 participants willing to discuss their experiences with adversity. Participants ranged in age from 52 to 93 with a mean age of 74. For the purposes of this study, we analyzed 46 of the 64 interviews, selecting participants who indicated that spirituality was an important resource for managing hardship. The researchers examined the connections between spirituality and resilience. Using in-depth interviews, we explored the interplay between spirituality and resilience and the importance spirituality plays in dealing with adversity and hardship. A grounded theory analysis of the 46 interviews was performed. Major findings include participants’ use of spirituality as a tool to promote and maintain resilience in late life in five key domains: reliance on relationships, spiritual transformation, spiritual coping, power of belief, and commitment to spiritual values and practices. Results are presented as an interpretation of the participants’ perceptions of their spirituality, and indicate their reliance on spirituality to overcome hardship. In addition, we discuss the connections between spirituality and resilience and how these connections play out in the lives of older adults when considering their generational and cohort status. The roles these two constructs play in the lives of older adults are considered.     

South African Muslim Faith Healers Perceptions of Mental Illness: Understanding,Aetiology and Treatment

The important role that religious beliefs may have on perceptions of mental illness cannot be ignored. Many religions including Islam advocate witchcraft and spirit possession—all of which are thought to influence the behaviour of a person so as to resemble that of a mentally ill individual. Thus this research explored Muslim Faith Healers perceptions of mental and spiritual illness in terms of their understanding of the distinctions between the two, the aetiologies and the treatments thereof. Six Muslim Healers in the Johannesburg community were interviewed and thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. From the results it is clear that the faith healers were aware of the distinction between mental and spiritual illnesses. It was also apparent that Islam has a clear taxonomy that distinguishes illness and the causes thereof. Treatments are then advised accordingly. Thus this paper argues that the predominant Western view of the aetiology and understanding of mental illness needs to acknowledge the various culturally inclined taxonomies of mental illness so as to better understand and aid clients.

Alignment and Misalignment in Personal and Organizational Spiritual Identities

This article reports on an Australian empirical study that aimed to explore how managers and professionals experience spirituality in the workplace. The rationale for the study lay in the paucity of empirical studies on workplace spirituality in Australia, as compared with the burgeoning literature published in the United States (Bell, Rajendran, & Theiler, 2012, p. 68). Through an inductive and interpretive approach, the analysis gave rise to a grounded theory concerned with personal and organizational spiritual identity. Organizational spiritual identity was communicated through values, practices, discourse, nonverbal artifacts, written documents, policies, and contributions to charities, for example. When personal and organizational spiritual identities were misaligned, the potential for conflict and dilemmas with damaging consequences for employees and organizations intensified.     

Secondary Beliefs: A Mediator between Illness Representations and Coping Behavior in Arthritis Sufferers

The aim of the current study was to investigate the factors of secondary beliefs and illness representations, and their relationship with particular coping strategies used in the management of arthritis, and more specifically, if secondary beliefs, as defined in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), mediated the relationship between illness representations and coping, as outlined by the Self-Regulatory Model (SRM). A sample of 63 arthritis sufferers aged between 32.0 and 100.1 years was recruited. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ); revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R); Secondary Beliefs Scale (SBS). Analyses revealed that all eight coping strategies measured were significantly related to one or more illness representation, lending support to the SRM. Furthermore, secondary beliefs were found to mediate the relationship between illness representations and coping for three of the strategies measured: confrontive coping, accepting responsibility and seeking social support, while they also appeared to be directly related to the escape-avoidance strategy. Therefore, support for the REBT model was also evidenced. Overall, these results have highlighted the importance of cognitive factors in influencing coping behavior, a finding that could prove useful when designing interventions aiming to promote beneficial coping in arthritis sufferers.     

Perceptions of mental healthcare consumers regarding their conditions

Distress is experienced, understood and communicated differently across various cultures. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of culture, religion and spirituality in patients’ understanding of and coping with mental problems. A quantitative survey was done at a psychiatric institution. A questionnaire was designed to explore patients’ cultural and religious beliefs about mental illness, and how these beliefs and perceptions influenced their actions in search for recovery. Questionnaires were completed by 94 patients. The majority of participants were Christian (79.8%), followed by African traditionalists (17.0%). Seventy-two per cent believed that faith in God, and 34.4% that help from religious leaders, could contribute to mental wellness. Approximately a third (29.0%) believed that by keeping their ancestors happy, they would be protected from sickness and bad luck. Mental healthcare providers’ sensitivity to cultural and religious beliefs will translate into a more comprehensive management plan, ensuring a satisfying therapeutic relationship.     

Effects of Simulated Learning and Facilitated Debriefing on Student Understanding of Mental Illness

Occupational therapy educators have studied various methods regarding student attitudes towards people with disabling conditions. Among the methods that have been studied is simulated learning. This paper describes the effects of a simulated learning exercise and facilitated debriefing on occupational therapy student understanding of mental illness. Results indicate that students had significant change relative to understanding that mental illnesses are brain diseases that respond to treatment (p < .01) on the post-test. Themes derived from qualitative data revealed that students believed that the learning experience increased their understanding, empathy, and insight into daily life with a mental illness.     

Spiritual Spontaneity

Abstract

Parent-child and parent-adolescent activity groups and parent-child occupation-based intervention meet different mental health needs and provide a different service than what is typically offered in a psychiatric setting. These interventions are designed to promote and/or develop positive interactions and engagement between parents and children in co-occupations.     

Spiritual Development in the Fourth Quarter of Life

SUMMARY

Spirit, the activating or essential principle influencing a person, and body interpenetrate each other but do not dominate each other in predictable ways. Normal aging is neither a failure of the human spirit nor a failure in the body's Biology. The spirit becomes more apparent as a result of spiritual development.

The fourth quarter of life covers age 75 to 100 years. Prior to age 75, the human spirit undergoes significant developmental events: a crisis of meaning which may result in conversion or more commonly stripping or shedding; transitions, including loss of clearly defined roles and loss of the sense that the individual's life makes a difference.

One motif applied by our culture to old age is the “iconic illusion”; however, it is evident that in some respects this motif has limited application to the fourth quarter of life. “Meaning making” is, in fact, enhanced in the fourth quarter of life, given reasonable levels of cognitive health. The desire and ability to make sense out of existence, to draw together an understanding of a meaningful life trajectory, is best done in the fourth quarter of life. The dominant sense of time in the fourth quarter of life particularly facilitates spiritual development.     

Jung's Breath-Body and African Spiritual Healing

Psychology essentially refers to the study and use (logos) of the breath, soul or spirit of life (psyche) that leaves a person at death and continues in some other form. From such a fundamental perspective, all forms of ancient and modern caring, helping and healing have their foundations in breath-based behaviour, experiences and spirituality. This article examines Jung's image of the breath-body or spirit-body in relation to various spiritual healing traditions with special focus on their source in African spiritual healing.     

Generation to Generation: Passing on Religious and Spiritual Beliefs and Practices

Many families face difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships. Past research has identified that religious and/or spiritual beliefs and practices can enhance family well-being. Research has also shown that religious and/or beliefs and practices can shape the aging process. Yet there exists little information on the methods through which religious and/or spiritual beliefs are passed on to future generations. This study utilized Eriksonian conceptual ideas, and grounded theory methods to conduct interviews with 13 older adults on the process through which religious and/or spiritual beliefs are passed on to children and grandchildren. Ideas are discussed for practitioners based on study findings.     

住院期白血病患儿的疾痛经验与应对策略

通过对武汉市Z医院12名住院期白血病患儿疾痛叙事的记录与分析,发现疾痛造成了他们日常生活中身体、时间、关系三个维度的破坏。然而,疾痛并非一成不变,其对日常生活造成的破坏可以通过个人的主体行动得以修补。住院期白血病患儿为重新达至自我的平衡与对生命的掌控,能动地采取了承认自身脆弱性、时间的意义重构、情感的内外支持等疾痛应对策略。上述疾痛应对策略不仅是住院期白血病患儿在特定医疗情境下进行的主体行动,也受到社会结构和文化环境的型塑作用。研究最后探讨了以意义为中心的医学解释模式在我国的必要性与可能性,提出了相应的思考与建议。

     

Cognitive Developmental Theory and Spiritual Development

Traditional conceptions of cognitive development have failed to account for changes in adult cognition as well as more subjective and intuitive features of human experience. This paper reviews recent theories and research in cognitive development and spirituality with the aim of providing connections between the two domains. Neo-Piagetian and postformal theories of cognitive development suggest that advances in cognition are domain-specific, dependent on individual experience, and can occur at any point in the lifespan. However, theories of spiritual development have not adequately addressed these points. Thus, a novel account of spiritual development is presented that addresses these features with respect to individuals' changing conceptions of their relation to an External Power.     

Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Occupational Therapy Practice

Occupational therapists view human occupation as active engagement in that which brings meaning to the life of the patient. Spirituality is understood to be one important construct in the creation of meaning in the lives of human beings. This study examined the attitudes toward the use of spiritual care in occupational therapy. The study sample consisted of 310 occupational therapists. Data were collected through the use of a secure web-based survey tool. Analysis was conducted to determine the significance of relationships between several important constructs (e.g., education, theory base, definition of spirituality) and perceptions regarding the use of spiritual care.     

The Oneness of Objective Reality and Spiritual Truth

Spirituality and science discover that they are both motivated by the desire to know, and realize that mere sensory perception does not guarantee the truth of knowledge. The concepts that emerge in the new sciences show a striking similarity to the ideas that come to the mind of spiritually intuitive persons, giving rise to the hope that with the recognition that at the bottom objective reality and spiritual truth are one, the historic opposition (or feud) between science and spirituality can at last be overcome.     

Everyday mysticism: Spiritual development in later adulthood

Most cultures contain a belief that aging, with its long span of life experience, can lead to spiritual growth or development. Theories of spiritual development have focused primarily on stages of spiritual growth, with less attention to its relation to the cultural life course. This paper posits that contemplative, mystical experience is the primary psychological dynamic that enables the qualitative change in life perspective that we associate with spiritual growth. While theoretically possible at any adult age, this shift in perspective is correlated with physical and psychological aging, with the relaxation of social demands that typifies the life stages of later adulthood, and with the simple, close-to-home lives led by many individuals after age 75.