Spirituality and science: a personal view

Spiritual care and psychiatric treatment: an introduction

“…Spiritual gains can result in partial or full transformation of the individual, serving to promote hope and the regeneration of faith in patients and carers alike. As Powell (2001) puts it, 'When we enquire into the beliefs our patients hold, such matters deserve to be discussed with a genuinely open mind … our patients may sometimes be closer to the truth than we know. ' One way forward, taking the lead from the WHO and using Trent's (1999) two-continua model (Fig.…”

“…People are moving away from self-centred individualism towards a recognition of the fundamental wholeness and interconnectedness of human beings, indeed the whole of time and creation (Findlay, 2000;Powell, 2001). …”

Spiritual Needs and Quality of Life in Estonia

“…Spiritual needs, if satisfied, help a person to cope with difficulties in his or her life and provide, more generally, to the person a sense of wellbeing. For many people religion, personal beliefs and spirituality are a source of comfort, well-being, security, meaning, sense of belonging, purpose and strength (WHO, 1995 Besides the WHO quality of life multi-dimensional and cross-cultural research, many researchers have claimed that the Western culture is undergoing a meaningful paradigm shift -from a materialistic view towards recognition of fundamental wholeness and interconnectedness of human beings (Lorimer, 1998(Lorimer, , 2001Findlay, 2000;Powell, 2001). These new ways of understanding human experience underscore the importance of a non-material or spiritual dimension of life.…”

Spirituality, healing and the mind

“…When the therapist acknowledges the authenticity of the truth a patient holds most precious, there is a deep contact that can sustain the patient caught in a nightmare reality (Powell, 2001d(Powell, , 2002c. Nor need the therapist be afraid of the love that is evoked, for this is the source of healing.When the heart is open, there is the realization that this love is as dispassionate as compassionate -that it is not contingent on the personality of patient and therapist but arises from a source beyond, and greater than, the ego.Sometimes this is named, but it need not be,for the Divine is present in the smallest acts of mercy.…”