Chapter 2 Spirituality in the Healt

Chapter 2 Spirituality in the Healthcare Context Introduction I have chosen to start my exploration of spirituality in the healthcare context, because this context is central to my research questions. Spirituality is a highly debated and even mystical concept, yet it is commonly used in daily life and in the healthcare environment. The word has attracted many definitions and a lot of discussion within the nursing healthcare literature. It is amazing that the usages and definitions can be so varied and wide-ranging. In the following paragraphs, I argue that despite the fact that the concept of spirituality is diffused by varied definitions, the term is very important in its own right. Instead of engaging in circular arguments about the reality of spirituality to show its validity, I affirm that it is crucial to understand the connotations of related concepts, the tasks they perform and the context in which they are expressed in the world of healthcare. This enables healthcare professionals to be flexible, while at the same time being specific, in order to address the diverse needs of people in crisis. Having been a registered nurse, a chaplain and a supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Training, I consider that the existence of complex and varied definitions shows that spirituality is a very important concept in healthcare. People want to find a unitary and clear essence for spirituality, spiritual care and spiritual needs. This was also my intention when I first approached the topic. It seemed natural and right that with a universal or definitive ontology of “the spirit”, healthcare professionals would have a common language in which to communicate, and thereby avoid confusion and misunderstanding. Having reviewed the nursing healthcare literature, I agree that the definitions are various. The term is vague and its meaning keeps changing. Spirituality has been used so loosely that it is non-referential and non-specific. Some people then talk instead in terms of total patient care and argue that there is no such thing as spirituality. I affirm that spirituality as a universal human phenomenon does exist, but agree there is no unitary essence to spirituality. Instead of attempting to find an authentic single definition, I would say that in all those varied definitions, there are enough similarities to form three family resemblances. The sum of these parts is not greater or equivalent to the reality. However, the groupings show that first, the concept of spirituality has limits; second, there is no need for a clear and unitary definition to prove validity, since the varied definitions themselves reveal the importance of spirituality; and third, the various concepts of spirituality indicate both the complexity of human beings and the specificity of healthcare.