Spirituality in medicine

 

 

 

“Why is this happening to me, Doctor?” “Why me Doctor, why me?” It’s not unusual for me to face such questions whenever I disclose some serious or incurable disease to my patients. Very often these questions create a great panic in my mind, as there are no real answers, which I know of. Many patients, while struggling with the pain and the physical aspect of their disease, also have other pain as well, the pain related to an inability to understand the reason for their suffering. Victor Franklin, the psychiatrist and the author of the famous book “Man’s search for Meaning” also acknowledged this fact and said, “Man is not destroyed by his suffering, but he is destroyed when he doesn’t find meaning in his suffering”. There are occasions when we feel lost and the desire to understand the reasons for our suffering arises. It becomes a great challenge for the physician to help his patients find meaning in their suffering without turning to spirituality and religion. I think it was the very reason why health care since ages was linked to spirituality and religion. Unfortunately, this link has been totally lost in the last few decades. The rapid mechanisation of medicine and evidence-based approach have created a wall of separateness between medicine and spirituality. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a new surge of interest in spiritual care. Suddenly when the whole world was dealing with a real intense existential distress, when we as health care providers also helplessly watched patients slip away in hospitals and ICU, there was no other way than turning towards spirituality. This was of great help in lessening the grief of suffering people and consoling those who lost their near and dear ones.

 

Many patients interpret their illness through spiritual lens and turn to the spiritual values and activities like prayers and meditation to help them cope with illness or face the inevitable. In times of crisis and adversity, spirituality becomes more apparent. In these times, recognising a patient’s spiritual concerns and exploring his spiritual state becomes as important as the physical examination of a patient. In critically ill and at the end, peace and freedom from pain becomes the only important goal of treatment. This goal can only be achieved by spiritual care. Sally Leighton, the writer of “When Mortality Calls Don’t Hang Up” says the physician will do better when he tunes in carefully on what may be transpiring spiritually both to comfort the dying and to broaden his or her understanding of life’s ending. True, attending to a dying patient is an important experience for any physician. Being in the presence of people who are struggling with life and are transcending suffering and pain by turning towards spirituality, see life differently. It’s really inspiring to find them at so much of peace as if they have discovered the real meaning of life. There is no pain, no grief, no guilt but only acceptance.

 

Spirituality to me is connecting to and having faith in that which is sacred, the transcendent. The transcendent is that which is outside of the self and yet also within the self and in our tradition, we call it the “God”. With faith in the transcendent and acceptance in its core, spirituality is our innate ability to connect to our true deepest self. Sir William Osler the great physician of all times also endorses this fact and has said “Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith, the one great moving force, which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the crucible. Faith has always been an essential factor in the practice of medicine. Not a psychologist but a clinical physician concerned in making strong, the weak in body and mind.”, Very True, it’s faith only, which can mend and restore the body and mind. Practice of medicine is an art, there is much more to medicine than science and technology. Recovery of the patient depends much on his emotional and mental state where spirituality plays a vital role. No wonder that today the concept of spiritual care has been globally acknowledged and I think science can never abolish it.