1. Chapter 20 Personal Values, Beliefs, and Spirituality
Christy Billock

2. “In a way all sacred experience and all journeys of soul lead us to the smallest moment of the most ordinary day.”
—Sue Monk Kidd (1996)

3. Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
1. Develop an understanding of the meaning of spirituality as related to occupational therapy practice, including definition, related themes, and distinction from religion.
2. Recognize the relationship between spirituality, occupation, health, and well-being.
3. Identify the relationship of spirituality to occupational therapy’s history.

4. Learning Objectives (Continued)
4. Understand the relevance of individual experiences of spirituality through occupation by examining important factors such as context, reflection and intention, and occupational engagement.
5. Describe strategies to integrate spirituality into occupational therapy practice.
6. Explore how personal values, beliefs, spirituality and occupation might intersect in your own life experiences.

5. Introduction
Values can be understood as “principles, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile by the client who holds them” (AOTA, 2008, p. 633).
Beliefs closely relates to values and can be defined as “cognitive content held as true” (AOTA, 2008, p. 633).

6. Framing Spirituality from an Occupational Therapy Perspective
Defining spirituality is complex and it has been defined in many ways
A definition relevant to occupational therapy practice is:
A deep experience of meaning brought about by engaging in occupations that involve the enacting of personal ideologies, reflection, and intention within a supportive contextual environment

7. Framing Spirituality from an Occupational Therapy Perspective (Continued)
Religion is typically linked to spirituality, although spirituality often exists outside of religion
Spiritual and religious practices are linked to well-being and health
Disability may restrict individuals’ ability to engage in spiritually significant occupations

8. Experiencing Spirituality Through Occupation
Spirituality is linked to occupation as people create and experience a deep sense of meaning through engagement
It is through occupational engagement that spirituality becomes more tangible
Facilitating engagement in everyday occupation has the potential for helping people meet their need for spiritual expression

9. Contextual Factors
Spiritual experiences through occupation are dependent on and vulnerable to contexts including the physical and social world
Many people communicate experiences of spirituality through occupations in nature
Built spaces such as churches and houses serve to refine and make more vivid human feeling, perception, and comprehension of reality

10. Context and the Centrality of Reflection and Intention
Physical and social contexts can facilitate or block spiritual experiences
Spiritual experience also relies on personal reflection and intention
Reflection involves recognition of feelings, emotions, and motivations to act
Intention involves imbuing occupational experience with meaning through connection with a value, belief, or ideology

11. Occupational Engagement
Not all occupations are experienced as spiritual, but all occupations hold the potential to be spiritual
Occupations with the highest spiritual potential are:
deeply meaningful to the person;
imbued with reflection and intention; and
carried out in a supportive context
Rituals (both religious and nonreligious) are often experienced as spiritual

12. Integrating Personal Beliefs, Values & Spirituality into OT Practice
OT helps clients restore meaning to their lives, a vitally important and spiritual task
Occupation based and client centered interventions may promote spiritual health and well-being
Deliberate integration of spirituality into practice is often difficult because:
Spirituality is ambiguous; and
Therapist may lack confidence

13. Integrating Spirituality into Practice
Practitioners should consider their own beliefs to identify biases or beliefs that could interfere with practice
Treatment should be consistent with the client’s spiritual life, even if it differs from the therapists’
Practitioners should elicit and honor the clients’ subjective experiences of spiritual occupations and focus intervention on restoring them
This requires consideration of culture and religion

14. Discussion
1. How do you personally define spirituality? What life experiences or occupations would you call spiritual?
2. Think of your favorite occupation. How do you feel when you are doing it? How would you feel if you could no longer do it?
3. Think about your favorite places. How do you feel when you are there? What makes them special to you?

15. Discussion (Continued)
4. Bring one of your most special objects to class to share. Why is it special to you? How do you feel when you look at it?
5. What occupations do you engage in that address your spiritual needs?
6. What values led you to choose occupational therapy as your profession?
7. Tell your life story from a spiritual perspective.