yes, i readily admitted i was upset/offended by your post and thought i explained why but you still don't seem to understand.
again, when a pt is in crisis (spiritual), they are questioning their faith.
they are questioning whether they believe or not.
and so, it is not the time to preach gospel.
and once again, i took offense by the passage below...that talks of everlasting destruction.
all other quotes have been removed as to focus on what it was that you should never share with a pt...
yet in your own words, you stated you would.
i cannot get into detail but i am recalling one particular patient who had preached the word his entire life.
yet on his deathbed, he believed his life to be a bad script, a farce...
he was condemning himself for not following his very own thoughts that often conflicted with his faith.
(yes, i have heard very similar conversations from other Christians as well.).
i stand by my response to you fsu, as i believe at this time, you're not understanding the fragility, confusion, angst, and vulnerability of pts who are dying.
you cannot establish anyone as a Christian (or any other religion) unless/until they staunchly identify themselves as such.
when pts are in crisis, they are not identifying with their religion at all.
it is a very precarious time.
and keep in mind, i could/did have conversations with these pts, after being in an ongoing and intimate relationship with them.
we spent lots and lots of quality time together.
and to clarify, i do not share my faith with my pts.
i thought i had said that.
to all others, sure, i think many know i'm very spiritual.
*shrugs*
my point was that i don't share that part of myself with my pts.
i do hope you reread what you posted to me (about the words you would share with a pt) and hopefully you will see why i reacted as i did.
thanks.
leslie
