We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.
-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
This past March, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital hosted the 5th Annual Spirituality in Nursing Conference entitled "The Art of Healing Presence: The Essence of Nursing Practice." The focus of this year's forum was "Miracles in Our Midst." Both speakers and members of the capacity audience shared their experiences and stories of miracles, making it evident that nurses have important and special stories to tell. These miracles among us, both big and small, are often unspoken and misunderstood. Allowing nurses to share what they have witnessed and experienced with patients and families reminds them of the power that exists in being witness to and sharing in the awe of the miraculous.
To help create the conditions and connections necessary to support patients in the healing process, nurses need to be in touch with their own spirituality. Spirituality, a personal and private experience, has been defined by the National Cancer Institute as "having to do with deep, often religious, feelings and beliefs, including a person's sense of peace, purpose, connection to others, and beliefs about the meaning of life."1 However, it differs from religion in that religion is just 1 of the ways in which people may express their spirituality. When nurses are in touch with their own spirituality, they become aware of their inner knowing, that they are part of something bigger. Practices such as meditation, contemplation, and prayer are examples of how to make this connection. When coming to work, nurses must decide if they are doing "shift-work" versus "healing work," where words and actions are consciously created through intention.
When a nurse is present and heart centered, he/she functions as a "battery" for the patient, providing a loving "charge." This energetic connection is felt by the patient, communicating a feeling of trust, caring, and love that facilitates healing and opens up hope and possibilities. Nurses have to remember who they are, and how they engage with the patient and family makes a big difference. They can either enter into caring, healing relationships that are life-affirming (termed biogenic by Hallsdottir2) versus creating relationships that are either nonbeneficial or potentially harmful (biocidic) to the patient. We are challenged to do our work with feet planted firmly on the ground, remaining open hearted and available to the possibilities.
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