Spiritual Perspective on Healing

What is the spiritual perspective on healing?

2. What are the critical components of healing, such as prayer, meditation, belief, etc.?
3. What is important to people of a particular faith when cared for by health care
   providers whose spiritual beliefs differ from their own?
4. How do patients view health care providers who are able to let go of their own beliefs in
   the interest of the beliefs and practices of the patient? Compare these beliefs to the
   Christian philosophy of faith and healing.
   In your conclusion, describe what you have learned from your research and how this
   learning can be applied to a health care provider practice.
   This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the
   assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment
   to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion
   of the assignment.
   Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide,
   located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is required.

Spiritual Perspective on Healing

Abstract

People consider the healing process in various ways. Indeed, each religious group has its own
concept of healing, both using the physical as well as the spiritual intervention methods to
achieve wellness. The healthcare needs of each person are of great concern to healthcare
providers as it can enhance the therapeutic relationship between the caregivers and the patient.
This paper considers the spiritual healing process among the various religious groups. In
addition, the paper will evaluate how caregivers should align their services to meet patient’s
expectations.

Spiritual Healing

Healing can be viewed in both the internal and external spheres. The external healing
process encompasses the use of interventions outside the person such as medicines or herbs.

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However, the internal healing process people look within themselves for healing (Watts, 2012).
This is the spiritual healing and it uses tools such as prayer, meditation, and stress management
(Watts, 2012).

Buddhism and Healing

Buddhism considers the body as a shell that houses the soul (Habito, 2013). If the body is
sick, the Buddhists faith contends that the mind should be strengthened through meditation and
quiet reflection. In addition, they believe in reincarnation immediately after death, and therefore,
the body should be handled with utmost care. They argue that any medication and treatment
should be discontinued before death so that the mind can be freed for the reincarnation to take
place (Crane, 2010). Since they place a high regard on the mind, anything that can interfere with
the functioning of the mind should be avoided in the recovery process. For example, bright lights
or constant surveillance in the ICU are considered unnecessary. In addition, Buddhists do not
pursue retribution for the death of a person or autopsies. They consider the person living or
existing and not really dead.

Hinduism and Healing

The Hindu religion aims at liberating the soul of a person from repetitive reincarnation.
The suffering that one will face in the next phase of life is referred to as karma or the
consequences of previous deeds. Illness, according to the Hindu religion, is associated with bad
karma. Hindus use meditation and prayer as a means of overcoming any instances of ill health.
They also use prayer as away of seeking forgiveness (Kemp, n.d). Hindus are strict vegetarians,
and like the Buddhists, they believe in the reincarnation of the soul as another being. Therefore,
they avoid any form of meat in their diet. In seeking healing, the Hindus pray individually or in
groups while chanting (Kemp, n.d). The Hindus adhere to the caste system with the priests being

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at the top of the social ladder. Since karma is associated with one’s place in the social
architecture, the level of prayer can influence the time that a patient requires for self-reflection. It
also influences the amount of time needed for group chanting. Therefore, the time for private
prayer should be a strong consideration for a sick person in the Hindu community as well as the
family. Further, women in the Hindu community put on a red dot on their forehead, which is
used as a sign of honour. The dot, or the Bindi, is also related to intelligence. It is also used for
beauty. The Bindi has an important role to play in the health of a person. If the sign is of great
importance to the patient, the care providers should take caution in its removal (Kemp, n.d).

Judaism and Healing

The healing process in the Jewish community is holistic in nature. Prayer of healing
focuses on the complete healing of the mind and the body (Hufford, n.d). However, the Jews do
not anticipate a complete healing of the body. Prayer is used to encourage or facilitate the
healing process. The Jewish people also make use of contemporary methods of healing such as
medicine along with spiritual healing. They believe that spiritual healing can lead to physical
healing (Hufford, n.d). However, Jews believe that God does not change one’s individual course.
Therefore, prayer is used as a means for one to get conform and strength. Prayer is aimed at
achieving peace instead of expecting God to change one’s course. Healthcare providers should
be careful when dealing with Jews because prayer for them is more important than the
anticipated result.

Christian Perspective of Healing

Christians have varied concepts on the healing process. Prayer is used as a means of
invoking God’s mercy to health the sick. In addition, the Christians value the role played by
nurses. They believe that God ordains nurses to aid in the healing process (Porterfied, n.d).

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Therefore, nursing is considered as a calling. In addition, they also believe that prayer
strengthens the patient to overcome the sickness. Christians pray in groups for the sick.
However, most denominations argue that if healing does not take place, it is also reflective of
God’s will for the sick person (Porterfied, n.d).

Considerations for Health Care Providers

For people of diverse faiths to agree to be treated by nurses from different faiths is a sign
of the trust given to care providers as impartial in their profession. The patients believe that
caregivers are not biased and can be trusted to focus on the best care possible. This could involve
the consideration of the various methods of treated including the use of herbs for people who
observe the Buddhist faith. For other faiths, it might require consent from the patient above
implementing the proven ways of treatment. Patients can feel comfortable in the presence of
caregivers if they know that their views will form part of the treatment plan (Porterfied, n.d).
It is important that caregivers understand the spiritual background of the patient. This is critical
because patients are comfortable when they know the caregivers are making the right steps in
their treatment. In this way, the patient will consider the caregivers as people who are
considerate, which can most likely improve the therapeutic process. Caregivers can also be
trusted with confidential information, which they can use to contact others in case of an urgent
need. For example, if there is a need for chanting, the caregiver can contact the people who are
responsible to come and engage in the procedure (Porterfied, n.d). The Christian idea of faith and
healing can be offensive in the eyes of other religious groups. Christian notion of healing might
not necessarily consider the body and spirit as other religions. Therefore, caregivers should
understand that, regardless of the nature of faith, spirituality is of great importance to the
Christians world. It is core to their healing.

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References

Crane, L. (2010). Religion and health care: Buddhism.