Creating a language for 'spiritual pain' through research: a beginning

Abstract

The findings presented in this discussion seek to make a contribution to fostering an appreciation of the importance of research on spirituality, a previously neglected dimension of health care. Qualitative research methodology based on open-ended interviews with 12 survivors of haematological malignancies was used. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using the NUD*IST computer package. The preliminary findings from the study indicate a need for the development of a new language for articulating spirituality. The present discussion is an introductory attempt to begin to explore the notion of, and language for, the idea of 'spiritual pain'. The findings indicate that individuals need a strong sense of meaning-making and connection with life to be able to deal with the demands of aggressive, invasive treatments. Such a connection can be threatened by a break with the normal or expected relationships and satisfaction with life through physical, identity, relational and existential challenges and losses. When the disconnection is acutely painful (a subjective phenomenon depending on the individual) it then is experienced as spiritual pain, creating a void that challenges the individual's ability to derive any meaning from their existence. This study is seen as preliminary work, the first step in a series of articles aimed at beginning to develop, through research, a language of spiritual care.

Existential encounters: Nurses' descriptions of critical incidents in end-of-life cancer care

“…It seems that existential suffering comes in many ways for these patients. In the literature there is currently no standard definition of existential pain, but generally, existential pain has been used as a metaphor for suffering (Saunders, 1988;McGrath, 2002McGrath, , 2003Musi, 2003;Strang et al, 2004). Strang et al (2004) concluded that it is obvious that existential pain is not a uniformly defined entity, as it obviously can be understood both as existential suffering and/or pain expressed in physical terms.…”

Dying, Dignity, and New Horizons in Palliative End-of-Life Care

“…Spirituality embodies a sense of connectedness to a personal god or higher force or power, and is considered a broader construct than religion. 28,29 Some initial contemporary efforts have been made to define spirituality from the perspective of dying patients. Chao and colleagues asked six Buddhist and Christian terminally ill cancer patients in Taiwan what the essence of spirituality was to them.…”

Creating the space for spiritual talk: insights from survivors of haematological malignancies

“…The problem is that family and friends perceive the medical drama to be over at a time when many patients are only starting to deal with the emotional and spiritual consequences. Although the full findings on this issues are published elsewhere (McGrath, 2002b;2003a), an indication of the problem can be seen in the following statement:…”

“…Such a connection can be threatened by a break with the normal or expected relationships and dissatisfaction with life through physical, identity, relational, and existential losses (McGrath, 2003a). When the disconnection is acutely painful (a subjective phenomenon depending on the individual), it is then experienced as 'spiritual pain', creating a void that challenges the individual's ability to make meaning from his or her existence (McGrath 2002b). If the 'spiritual pain' is sufficiently severe, it can lead to suicidal ideation.…”