Healing Patients Spiritually?

MB37 · Dec 8, 2008

If you're considering a religious college, your experience may be different than mine. However, if it's a public school, I would imagine that "spiritual healing" refers to either the units I had in many classes on cultural/religious competency or to such "complementary and alternative medicine" techniques as reiki, therapeutic touch, and acupuncture. Even in the South, I'm not required to offer my patients any kind of religious services on my own. However, included in our admission assessment is whether or not a pt would benefit from a non-denominational chaplain visit. As long as you're comfortable talking with your patients about whether or not they will need their spiritual needs attended to while hospitalized, you should be fine. We had to learn a little about CAM as well, but it was more like a paragraph on each technique in a few chapters. Again, we weren't expected to be practitioners.

Do recognize that many people turn to their faith when ill, so make sure you'll be comfortable talking with them about theirs if necessary and making the appropriate referrals. Good luck!

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2008

Our most loved and in my opinion our most compasionate ER doc is an Atheist. You will see many cultures and religions when working with the public-just be open and respectful and you will be fine!~good luck in school~~

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Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2008

Is this "healing patients spiritually" a huge part of the nursing practice? As an atheist, I'm not sure how I would handle this in school, clinicals, and/or in my professional career as an RN. I know this probably seems silly, but it is a concern that I have.

I have worked in several religiously affiliated hospitals. What was involved was that the clergy came around and prayed with the patients and/or helped them get to organized services and meetings if the patients desired that. It was never forced on any patients. In one catholic facility, we had special cards we placed outside the rooms so we knew who was to be kept fasting so they could get communion. In a Jewish facility we all had to learn the kosher food rules and follow them, especially if we were using foods to give crushed pills in.

Therapeutic touch (TT) has been recognized as a legitimate alternative treatment modality and is generally learned and practiced by nurses. While it is often taught a spiritually based healing, the spiritual aspects of it are not discussed as much anymore since it doesn't sit well with the public. When you start talking about spirit guides some people get upset. TT involves the chakras and the same energy flow that acupuncture is based upon. There is scientific evidence now that it does work and there is a specific nursing diagnosis that is used when it is employed.

Another spiritual healing treatment that you may hear about, but may only see employed at places like psychic fairs, is called Reiki healing. There are threads about it here on allnurses. It is similar to therapeutic touch, a hands on healing, but treatment follows a specific touching of the entire body in a specific sequence. Many people who learn it have some psychic ability and get psychic impressions about the client as they are doing a healing session with them. The idea is that the healer is channeling healing rays of light from a psychic source through them and into the client. It can't be proven scientifically, so many think it is hooey.

Some of the psychic stuff I've seen (I was a member of several psychic groups) was interesting. A metaphysics group I belonged to had a regular healing group. People had to request healing and state what their problem was in writing. The group leader would read the request out loud and the group would sit in meditation sending healing energy to this person. After, the members would discuss anything they had experienced. Some people would sometimes report having visions of the persons damaged body part or of the part mending. It was quite interesting.

And, if you really want to go weird, I knew a psychic who would sit quietly with clients to do psychic healings along with her spirit guide. What she would do is go into a meditative state and report to us that she literally became liquid and travel through the client's body with her guide to find what their medical problems were. If possible they would correct them and/or tell the client what to tell the doctor to check out on them.

It is highly unlikely that you will never see anything more than prayer, meditation or therapeutic touch in a hospital.

RNMeg · Dec 8, 2008

As a fellow Atheist, and a 3rd semester nursing student, I struggled with similar questions. The conclusion I came to was this: I find comfort in understanding, in facts, in science, in proof. Others find comfort in faith or spirituality. As a nurse, I will need to be prepared to provide resources for both these types of people (and all types in between), because it will be my job to promote comfort and healing in an individualized fashion. I would expect religious nurses to respect and support my Atheistic beliefs if I were a patient, and so I will respect and support the beliefs of my religious patients. We're not expected to be practitioners of all the religions we will encounter as nurses, but we are expected to be able to refer our patients to appropriate support people.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Dec 8, 2008

I asked this question my first semester of nursing school, and I never got a response, so I'd might as well pose it here.

If your not religious, and a patient asks you to pray with them, what do you do?

nightmare, RN · Dec 8, 2008

I asked this question my first semester of nursing school, and I never got a response, so I'd might as well pose it here.
If your not religious, and a patient asks you to pray with them, what do you do?

Two choices,upset them by saying no,

or bow your head and pretend so that they are comforted by you presence there.Let them say the prayers.

CHATSDALE · Dec 8, 2008

i don't believe in the touching etc healing

i wouldn't care about the religion [or lack thereof] of nurse or doctor attending any more than i would be concerened about the mechanic who worked on my car

if you are an atheist and a patient asks you to pray with you excuse yourself and tell them that you will get someone to come in and pray with them...if you have any co-workers who can talk to them while a chaplain is called if would be helpful

if a patient is an atheist and belittles you then you have a right to walk away

this is important, each of is entitled to respect

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2008

I asked this question my first semester of nursing school, and I never got a response, so I'd might as well pose it here.
If your not religious, and a patient asks you to pray with them, what do you do?

I've been a nurse for 30+ years and worked in catholic and Jewish facilities. I have never had a patient ask this. If they did, and I was busy I would say so and excuse myself. Otherwise, I'd stand there quietly and tell them to go for it. I've studied enough metaphysics to feel very secure in my definitions of the words "religion" and "spiritual" something you might want to do some research about. Meditation and/or prayer are good for the soul whether one believes in a God or not.

Big Smurf2007 · Dec 9, 2008

personally---like some others stated, spiritual questions are in our adm paperwork so it is an issue to be brought up. most pts say "no" that there is no :cult/eth/spir issues to help them with.

i stay in the "Bible belt" and have had many pts ask me to pray with them and or for them. i am a Christian and have seeen many people touched and healed thru Jesus and prayer. I myself have been prayed for and healed-Thank you Jesus.

so if a pt /res asks me to-i do. u made a choice to be an athiest ( spell?) so if u are not comfortable or dont believe then i would either find someone who does/willing to to this or just state that u cannont. u dont have to-its not like its in your job desc-:wink2:

i have to admit--never really spoke to an athiest ( sorry-sometimes speellling sucks) would like to speak/email though. :twocents:

LaneyB · Dec 9, 2008

BusinessGrad -

I have never been asked to pray with a patient - and I used to work pediatric oncology and hospice. I have felt very comfortable as an atheist nurse. Of course, I live in the midwest. Things might be different in the Bible Belt.