Spiritual Care

1. Spiritual Care Harvey A. Elder, M. D.

2. Spiritual: • Searching the sacred for meaning and purpose • Who am I? • Where did I come from? • Where am I going? • What is there after death? • Relating to the Sacred, Ultimate, to God • Faith is the name of the relationship Medical Strategic Network

3. A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness Critical principles What about the non-Christian patient? Problems Outcome Spiritual Care Medical Strategic Network

4. Created • Hard-wired • Relationships: • Love, acceptance, worth • Human spirit harmonious with the Holy Spirit • Emotion Peace Multifaceted, integrated harmonious unity Medical Strategic Network

5. God Gifted Humans Medical Strategic Network

6. Dys-trust • On their own, without • Meaning, purpose • Worth, acceptance, love • Naked: • Physically • Emotionally ashamed • Socially blaming • Mentally ignorant • Spiritually hiding • Dominant emotion Fear • Our patient’s condition Medical Strategic Network

7. The New Reality • Separated from God • Trusting self • Pseudo-gods • Unable to provide love, acceptance or self-worth • Seeking these by achievement • Failing despair Medical Strategic Network

8. They Need Healing • Physical: anatomic and physiologic restoration • Mental: understand disease prevention • Emotional: own their role • Forgiveness: confession, repentance, amends • Faith: restoration of relationship with God • Internalizing God’s • Unconditional love and acceptance • His gift of self-worth • Forgiveness, restoration to relationship with Him Medical Strategic Network

9. A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness Critical principles What about the non-Christian patient? Problems Outcome Spiritual Care? Medical Strategic Network

10. Critical Principles • Heart: in prayer and guided by the Holy Spirit • Christian spiritual care can only be given by a growing, Spirit filled Christian practitioner • Ask the Holy Spirit for passion--love and caring for your patients/clients • Heart: weeps with their suffering, free of Judgment • Hear: listen and hear what the patient and the Holy Spirit are telling you • Heavenward: allow the light to shine through Medical Strategic Network

11. Meet Mary • Mary comes to clinic with her 6 wk. old baby. At her first prenatal visit she learned she was HIV infected. • While separated from her husband, she had a “fling” • What is your first response? • How might you pray? • How does God see Mary? • What does God want you to see? • What does your heart say? • What heart work do you need done? Medical Strategic Network

12. Hear • Listen to what the patient and the Holy Spirit are telling you • Separated from God, living as a pseudo-god • Without self-worth, love or acceptance • Hear her/his anguished cry lament • Stressed, unable to cope, anxious fearful Medical Strategic Network

13. Ask Some Questions Depend on the Holy Spirit to guide you • What problems do you face? • How have you coped with all of this? • What’s your source of strength? • How does this affect the way you see yourself? • “If I had HIV, I would be scared. What about you?” • Where has God been in all of this? Medical Strategic Network

14. As You Listen • Not a questionnaire, listening for the lament • May only have a clue or two (Note for next visit) • Listen, as with clinical history, to identify attempts to cope, the brokenness and suffering • Synthesize and test your spiritual hypothesis • Mary, do you have a religious heritage? • How do you see yourself? Are you a self critic? • How does God see you? • What does Mary need to know and experience? • How will you get there? Medical Strategic Network

15. Heavenward • Allow the light to shine through • “Make them hungry for what you have” • “One beggar telling another where the bread is” • Help them find: • Self-worth She is a child of the King (Rom. 8:15-16) • Loved and accepted (John 3:16, Rom. 6:8-11) • Forgiveness (1 John 1:9) • God selects your patients, • “Been there, done that” • Share what He has done for you Medical Strategic Network

16. A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness Critical principles What about the non-Christian patient? Problems Outcome Spiritual Care? Medical Strategic Network

17. What about: non-Christian? • Same process as the Christian patient • Heart: be guided by the Holy Spirit • Hear: Listen to their anguish • Use the suggested questions • When they tell you how they cope, • “How well is it working for your?” • Hear the story, listen for justice, compassion, caring evidences of the Holy Spirit at work • Strength your relationship by listening! • Be free to say, “God is working in your life” Medical Strategic Network

18. Heavenward • They are looking for: • Unconditional love, complete forgiveness, acceptance, self-worth, changed behavior • These are critical for their healing • They can’t achieve these on their own! • Share what God has done for you using the language of the patient’s culture, not christian-ese! • You are not trying to win an argument • Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit • Ask, “Would it be helpful to you if I pray for you before I leave”? Medical Strategic Network

19. A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness Critical principles What about the non-Christian patient? Problems Outcome Spiritual Care? Medical Strategic Network

20. Problems • Time • Fear: issues will come up you can’t handle God can! • Ethics: mandated by JCAHO • Not doctrine, trying to convert or proseltize • Prayer at the end • Follow-up Medical Strategic Network

21. A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness Critical principles What about the non-Christian patient? Problems Outcome Spiritual Care? Medical Strategic Network

22. Outcome • Effective spiritual care enhances clinical outcome • Heal faster • Removes many therapeutic problems • Identifies etiologic issues • Patient’s response: • Drawn to clinician • Better compliance • Visits go smother; patients share their concerns knowing you are interested. Medical Strategic Network