When does the spiritual come into focus?

Whilst the spiritual is a part of everyday life for many people, it often comes into sharper focus in times of crisis. It has been said that:

“Many individuals do not seriously search for meaning and purpose but live as if life will go on forever. Often it is not until a crisis occurs (illness, suffering, death) that the illusion of security is shattered. Illness and suffering, and ultimately death, become spiritual encounters as well as physical and emotional experiences.” Granstrom in Hitchens, 1988 , p.26.

The nurse will often be the health care professional present during such times of crisis and therefore in a position to respond.

The sentiment of the spiritual coming into focus in times of illness is also reflected in the following nurse’s statement in the RCN survey:

“Being in hospital is a very anxious time for patients undergoing treatment. If we found out how they coped with anxieties in their life we would be help them to adhere to treatment better and ensure better health outcomes. Nursing is about caring and I think you have to be passionate about providing good quality care to provide the spiritual support people seek out. The Department of Health are pushing statistics, cures and good results. However, this means the 'essence' of caring for human emotions and lives is being pushed out in the name of statistics and government targets.”

Reference: Hitchens EW (1988) Stages of faith and values development and their implications for dealing with spiritual care in the student nurse-patient relationship, unpublished EdD thesis, Seattle: University of Seattle.

Move to the next page: What does spiritual care look like and what does it do?