| |
The last ten years have witnessed a dramatic increase in studies of spirituality, health, and well-being. This research has demonstrated robust links between spirituality and health. It is time now to begin moving from research to practice. The theme of the 3rd Biennial Conference on Spirituality and Health was Integrating Spirituality into the Practice of Health Care. The Conference will be multi-disciplinary, drawing on distinctive perspectives and practices of social scientists, health professionals, chaplains, and clergy.
The Conference took a balanced view of spirituality, focusing on both the ways practitioners can integrate spiritual resources into health care and the ways practitioners can address spiritual problems that pose barriers to health care. Papers and presentations dealt with diverse problems and people, such as lifestyle diseases, mental illness, addiction, chronic pain, marital and family problems, PTSD, and spiritual struggles among people with traditional and nontraditional religious and spiritual identifications. The Conference also described promising new spiritually integrated interventions that make use of varied spiritual resources, including meditation, prayer, spiritual coping methods, sacred literature, forgiveness, and gratitude.
Finally, the Conference considered the special ethical, research, and practical challenges that accompany efforts to integrate spirituality into health care.
> Medical and health professionals
> Nurses and allied health practitioners
> Chaplains, clergy and ethicists
> Palliative care specialists
> Behavioural Scientists
> Health-care administrators
> Community service providers
> Researchers and students
| |
