Coping With Uncertainty

Lekhak, Nirmala; Bhatta, Tirth; Goler, Timothy; Kahana, Eva; Rathi, Sfurti

doi:10.1097/hnp.0000000000000507

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Little nursing research exists specific to prayer and nursing, though indirect reference to prayer is made in nursing literature on spiritual caregiving, and since the pandemic an increase in research on prayer is emerging (e.g., Choudhary et al, 2022; Lekhak et al, 2022; Pierce et al, 2021; Taylor, 2020). Empirical literature on prayer in healthcare has mostly focused on its instrumental effects, in relation to physical and psychological well‐being, with mixed results as to its salutogenic effects (see, for instance, Chin et al [2021], Roberts et al [2009], Simão et al [2016]).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social relations of prayer in healthcare: Adding to nursing's equity‐oriented professional practice and disciplinary knowledge

Reimer‐Kirkham,

Sharma

2023

Nursing Inquiry

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Although spiritual practices such as prayer are engaged by many to support well‐being and coping, little research has addressed nurses and prayer, whether for themselves or facilitating patients' use of prayer. We conducted a qualitative study to explore how prayer (as a proxy for spirituality and religion) is manifest—whether embraced, tolerated, or resisted—in healthcare, and how institutional and social contexts shape how prayer is understood and enacted. This paper analyzes interviews with 21 nurses in Vancouver and London as a subset of the larger study. Findings show that nurses' kindness can buffer the loneliness and exclusion of ill health and in this way support the “spirit” of those in their care. Spiritual support for patients rarely incorporated prayer, in part because of ambiguities about permission and professional boundaries. Nurses' engagement with prayer and spiritual support could become a politicized site of religious accommodation, where imposition, religious illiteracy, and racism could derail person‐centered care and consequently enact social exclusion. Spiritual support (including prayer) sustained nurses themselves. We propose that nursing's equity‐oriented knowledge encompass spirituality and religion as sites of exclusion and inclusion. Nurses must be supported to move past religious illiteracy to provide culturally and spiritually sensitive care with clarity about professional boundaries and collaborative models of spiritual care.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social relations of prayer in healthcare: Adding to nursing's equity‐oriented professional practice and disciplinary knowledge

Reimer‐Kirkham,

Sharma

2023

Nursing Inquiry

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“…Wellness, according to the World Health Organization (2023) , is a “state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” It is a “conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving full potential” ( National Wellness Institute, 2023 ). As such, some persons engaged in various forms of contemplative practice for comfort and guidance as they learned to navigate the unique challenges of the pandemic ( Achepohl et al, 2022 ; Lekhak et al, 2022 ). Labyrinth walking practitioners turned to this unique contemplative practice as a means of coping, maintaining wellness, and cultivating flourishing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sense of connectedness, transcendent experiences, and insights for compassionate action emerge through an international collective labyrinth walk with a shared intention during the COVID-19 pandemic

McGee,

Katzenmeyer,

Boddie

et al. 2023

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionLabyrinth walking is an integrative contemplative practice that aims to engage the body, heart, mind, and spirit. In this article, qualitative findings from the first year of a mixed methods study on collective labyrinth walking with a shared intention are described. This form of labyrinth walking is distinct in that it is a social contemplative practice. It expands upon most of the labyrinth walking research to date which has been focused upon the individual. More specifically, practitioners walk labyrinths together in solidarity with the same intention in mind during collective labyrinth walking. This practice can be used locally (i.e. practitioners walk the same labyrinth together for the same reason) or non-locally (i.e. practitioners walk different labyrinths for the same reason together in different locations). The study is unique in that it took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which was a time in recent history that evoked fear, uncertainty, grief, isolation, and disconnectedness for many persons around the world.MethodsThis sample in this study was comprised of 461 participants from 19 countries who collectively walked labyrinths together with a shared intention on World Labyrinth Day 2021. Most participants were women in middle to later life from the United States. Data was collected through an anonymous online survey and analyzed using the qualitative methodology of interpretive phenomenological analysis.ResultsThree predominant themes emerged from practitioners’ narrative accounts of their lived experiences: (1) multiple forms of connectedness (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, transpersonal, labyrinth connection) were cultivated through collective labyrinth walking with a shared intention; (2) practitioners reported qualities associated with “transcendent” experiences during this experience (i.e., boundlessness, ultimacy, transcendence, connectedness, positive emotions); and (3) practitioners had insights for compassionate action.DiscussionFindings suggest that collective labyrinth walking with a shared intention can contribute to individual and group flourishing during times of distress. Quasi-experimental and experimental research designs are needed to build on this exploratory developmental research and are described in this article.

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