Skip to main content

Spiritual Dimensions of Whole Person Care

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Whole Person Care

Abstract

Spirituality is an essential ingredient of whole person care. Although its role in health and healing is often neglected, spirituality is increasingly recognized for its relevance to personhood and creating a caring relationship with patients. As a result, its role in medical education has been emphasized to address the concerns of sick people, particularly those with life-threatening diseases, and those with diseases that affect quality of life (QOL). This chapter aims to outline the ways in which spirituality plays a role in whole person care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Osler W. The faith that heals. Br Med J. 1910;1910:1470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Garber D (1998, 2003). Descartes, René. In Craig E, editor. Routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. London: Routledge. http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/DA026. Accessed 24 Nov 2010.

  3. Freud S. Civilization and its discontent. New York, NY: W.W. Norton; 1961.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Rosen DH. Modern medicine and the healing process. Humane Med. 1989;5:18–23.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Puchalski CM, Larson DB. Developing curricula in spirituality and medicine. Acad Med. 1998;73:970–4.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Peterson M, Webb D. Religion and spirituality in quality of life studies. Appl Res Qual Life. 2006;1:107–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Andreasen NA. Body and soul. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153(5):549.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Sulmasy DP. Is medicine a spiritual practice? Acad Med. 1999;74:1002–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kissane DW, Clarke DM, Street AF. Demoralization syndrome – a relevant psychiatric diagnosis for palliative care. J Palliat Care. 2001;17(1):12–21.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Benson H, Stark M. The power and biology of belief. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  11. O’Hara DP. Is there a role for prayer and spirituality in health care? Med Clin North Am. 2002;86(1):33–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Mount B. Nurturing your personhood: a message for 1986 graduates. CMAJ. 1986;135:291–3.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Maslow AH. Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper; 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Puchalski CM. Physicians and patients’ spirituality. Ethical concerns and boundaries in spirituality and health. Virt Mentor. 2009;11(10):804–15.

    Google Scholar 

  15. McClain CS, Rosenfeld B, Breitbart W. Effects of spiritual well-being on end-of-life despair in terminally-ill cancer patients. Lancet. 2003;361:1603–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Kearney M, Mount B. Spiritual care of the dying patient. In: Chochinov H, Breitbart W, editors. Handbook of psychiatry in palliative medicine. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2000. p. 357–73.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Faizi G. Stories about Abdu’l-Baha. New Delhi: Baha’i Publishing Trust; 1981. p. 12.

    Google Scholar 

  18. LoboPrabhu S, Lomax J. The role of spirituality in medical school and psychiatry residency education. Int J Appl Psychoanal Stud. 2010;7(2):180–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Puchalski C, Romer A. Taking a spiritual history allows clinicians to understand patients more fully. J Palliat Med. 2000;3(1):129–37.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Koenig HG. Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: a review. Can J Psychiatry. 2009;54(5):283–91.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Silvestri GA, Knittig S, Zoller J, Nietert PJ. Importance of faith on medical decisions regarding cancer care. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21:1379–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Walsh K, King M, Jones L, Tookman A, Blizard R. Spiritual beliefs may affect outcome of bereavement: prospective study. Br Med J. 2002;342:3.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Stefaniuk O. A rose grows – fighting cancer, finding me. Regina, SK: Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing; 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Kleinman A. The illness narratives: suffering, healing and the human condition. New York, NY: Basic Books; 1988. p. 31–2.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Ghadirian A-M. Creative dimensions of suffering. Wilmette, IL: Baha’i Publishing; 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Frankl V. Man’s search for meaning. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Pocket Books; 1975. p. 178–9.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Hsien-Chuan Hsu P, Krägeloh C, Shepherd D, Billington R. Religion/spirituality and quality of life of international tertiary students in New Zealand: an exploratory study. Ment Health Relig Cult. 2009;12(4):385–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Breitbart W. Spirituality and meaning in cancer. Rev Francoph Psycho-Oncologie. 2005;4: 237–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Ghadirian A-M. Is spirituality relevant to the practice of medicine? Med Law. 2008;27: 229–39.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ghadirian, AM. (2011). Spiritual Dimensions of Whole Person Care. In: Hutchinson, T. (eds) Whole Person Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9440-0_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9440-0_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-9439-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-9440-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics