1. Spiritual Care Harvey A. Elder, M. D.

2. Spiritual:  Searching the sacred for meaning and purpose  Who am I?  Where did I come from?  Where am I going?  What is there after death?  Relating to the Sacred, Ultimate, to God  Faith is the name of the relationship Medical Strategic Network2

3. 3 Spiritual Care  A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness  Critical principles  What about the non-Christian patient?  Problems  Outcome

4. Medical Strategic Network4 Created Multifaceted, integrated harmonious unity  Hard-wired  Relationships:  Love, acceptance, worth  Human spirit harmonious with the Holy Spirit  Emotion  Peace

5. God Gifted Humans Medical Strategic Network5

6. 6 Dys-trust  On their own, without  Meaning, purpose  Worth, acceptance, love  Naked:  Physically  Emotionally  ashamed  Socially  blaming  Mentally  ignorant  Spiritually  hiding  Dominant emotion  Fear  Our patient’s condition

7. The New Reality  Separated from God  Trusting self  Pseudo-gods  Unable to provide love, acceptance or self-worth  Seeking these by achievement  Failing  despair Medical Strategic Network7

8. They Need Healing  Physical: anatomic and physiologic restoration  Mental: understand disease prevention  Emotional: own their role  Forgiveness: confession, repentance, amends  Faith: restoration of relationship with God  Internalizing God’s  Unconditional love and acceptance  His gift of self-worth  Forgiveness, restoration to relationship with Him Medical Strategic Network8

9. 9 Spiritual Care?  A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness  Critical principles  What about the non-Christian patient?  Problems  Outcome

10. Critical Principles  Heart: in prayer and guided by the Holy Spirit  Christian spiritual care can only be given by a growing, Spirit filled Christian practitioner  Ask the Holy Spirit for passion--love and caring for your patients/clients  Heart: weeps with their suffering, free of Judgment  Hear: listen and hear what the patient and the Holy Spirit are telling you  Heavenward: allow the light to shine through Medical Strategic Network10

11. Meet Mary  Mary comes to clinic with her 6 wk. old baby. At her first prenatal visit she learned she was HIV infected.  While separated from her husband, she had a “fling”  What is your first response?  How might you pray?  How does God see Mary?  What does God want you to see?  What does your heart say?  What heart work do you need done? Medical Strategic Network11

12. Hear  Listen to what the patient and the Holy Spirit are telling you  Separated from God, living as a pseudo-god  Without self-worth, love or acceptance  Hear her/his anguished cry  lament  Stressed, unable to cope, anxious fearful Medical Strategic Network12

13. Ask Some Questions Depend on the Holy Spirit to guide you  What problems do you face?  How have you coped with all of this?  What’s your source of strength?  How does this affect the way you see yourself?  “If I had HIV, I would be scared. What about you?”  Where has God been in all of this? Medical Strategic Network13

14. As You Listen  Not a questionnaire, listening for the lament  May only have a clue or two (Note for next visit)  Listen, as with clinical history, to identify attempts to cope, the brokenness and suffering  Synthesize and test your spiritual hypothesis  Mary, do you have a religious heritage?  How do you see yourself? Are you a self critic?  How does God see you?  What does Mary need to know and experience?  How will you get there? Medical Strategic Network14

15. Heavenward  Allow the light to shine through  “Make them hungry for what you have”  “One beggar telling another where the bread is”  Help them find:  Self-worth  She is a child of the King (Rom. 8:15-16)  Loved and accepted  (John 3:16, Rom. 6:8-11)  Forgiveness  (1 John 1:9)  God selects your patients,  “Been there, done that”  Share what He has done for you Medical Strategic Network15

16. Medical Strategic Network16 Spiritual Care?  A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness  Critical principles  What about the non-Christian patient?  Problems  Outcome

17. What about: non-Christian?  Same process as the Christian patient  Heart: be guided by the Holy Spirit  Hear: Listen to their anguish  Use the suggested questions  When they tell you how they cope,  “How well is it working for your?”  Hear the story, listen for justice, compassion, caring  evidences of the Holy Spirit at work  Strength your relationship by listening!  Be free to say, “God is working in your life” Medical Strategic Network17

18. Heavenward  They are looking for:  Unconditional love, complete forgiveness, acceptance, self-worth, changed behavior  These are critical for their healing  They can’t achieve these on their own!  Share what God has done for you using the language of the patient’s culture, not christian-ese!  You are not trying to win an argument  Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit  Ask, “Would it be helpful to you if I pray for you before I leave”? Medical Strategic Network18

19. Medical Strategic Network19 Spiritual Care?  A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness  Critical principles  What about the non-Christian patient?  Problems  Outcome

20. Problems 1.Time 2.Fear: issues will come up you can’t handle  God can! 3.Ethics: mandated by JCAHO  Not doctrine, trying to convert or proseltize 4.Prayer at the end 5.Follow-up Medical Strategic Network20

21. Medical Strategic Network21 Spiritual Care?  A Christian view of spiritual brokenness and illness  Critical principles  What about the non-Christian patient?  Problems  Outcome

22. Outcome  Effective spiritual care enhances clinical outcome  Heal faster  Removes many therapeutic problems  Identifies etiologic issues  Patient’s response:  Drawn to clinician  Better compliance  Visits go smother; patients share their concerns knowing you are interested. Medical Strategic Network22