Finding a Pastoral Path: Spiritual Priorities in Hospital Chaplaincy

1. Finding a Pastoral Path: Spiritual Priorities in Hospital Chaplaincy Rev’d Bruce Stocks, Chaplain Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park SA.

2. How easy is it to be a Spiritual Care specialist in a hospital setting?

3. Why this presentation?

4. What do I mean by “Spiritual Care”? John P Wilson Ph.D. an expert in trauma work with refugees and asylum seekers, writes[1]. “Spirit constitutes the core, inner sanctum of the ego and the self of a person. Spirit has been referred to as soul, vital essence, life energy, and élan. Although the word spirit is not a psychiatric term, its use is universal in language. We speak of depressed and traumatized people as having lost their “spirit”. We speak of states of dispiritedness in which persons have lost their vitality and essence that characterize their identity and uniqueness.”[2] [1] John P. Wilson “ Chapt 6. The Broken Spirit: Posttraumatic Damage to the Self” p 110 in John P. Wilson and Boris Drozdek Editors Broken Spirits. The Treatment of Traumatized Asylum Seekers, Refugees, War and Torture Victims 2004 Brunner Routledge New York and Hove. [2] Ibid.

5. The landscape of Spiritual Care in a hospital setting is Spiritual dilemma or crisis. Sickness, death, shock, trauma, grief, failure, crises of loss, crises of hope, crises of faith, and the like. • It is about attending to those with troubled, wounded and broken spirits. • Spiritual care then is the loving accompanying of those dealing with awkward existential seasons and realities in such a way as to truly pay attention to what the other is feeling, thinking and experiencing around these spiritual realities, with the hope of being a helpful human companion.

6. Systemic realities: Distractions, distractions, distractions. • finding a path through the mire of competing agendas is tricky • committees and meetings • Data, information, statistics and evidence of outcomes. • Being nice and keeping people company • Deep spiritual support for the dying and despairing. • Financing of Spiritual Care • Lowliness in the Medical discipline hierarchy • Efficiency and Evidence Based Care

7. Spiritual care is tied up in the messy, chaotic, unpredictable worlds of real people’s lives

8. My spiritual work with people in my hospital setting.Starts with Dodging Distractions.

9. Joining with the person in their spiritual reality • the person feels that I have listened to them, heard them clearly and accurately understood their sense of dilemma • My spiritual work is to provide some sort of metaphorical mirror that says “you are acceptable” • helping people to feel that they are loved and lovable

10. Creative Exploration

11. The Gentle Art of Reframing

12. Companioning others as they work on Personal Change

13. Spiritual Rituals

14. Spiritual provisions that target Veteran needs

15. Our Volunteer Team

16. Spiritual Care of Staff

17. Emotional Realities • Vicarious sadness, disappointment, frustration, powerlessness and the like • companion of the powerless • prejudices • isolation and overextension • 24/7 on call emergency call in service • a sense of incompleteness

18. Ways to thrive • Deep spiritual work is fulfilling • The life of the team • Self care • playfulness, rest, being able to say no, holidays, attention to our own spirit, retreats, ongoing learning, being able to switch off, etc