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| Vol. 22, No. 21 |
| November 15, 2000 |
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Reflections By REV. TOM DAUGHERTY Methodist Health Care System There is growing popular interest in spirituality and health today. Numerous books are being published that deal with the spiritual aspect of healing. It is both interesting and exciting to those of us who have devoted our lives to the healing ministry of our faith traditions to see how this has begun to influence the mainstream medical community.
A contemporary spokesperson within the medical scientific community on the healing power of prayer is Dr. Larry Dossey. Having done extensive research in this area, he is the author of several books dealing with the relationship between prayer, spirituality, meaning and healing. In a recent newspaper article Dr. Dossey was quoted as saying, "About 200 studies have now shown correlations between religious practice and physical and mental health."
People of faith have long known there was a direct correlation between spiritual well-being and healing, health and wellness. They have known this to be true by faith and experience. Many hospital chaplains are excited about the current interest in the spiritual aspects of healing within the mainstream medical community. Chaplains frequently hear patients report how much better they feel after a chaplain has been with them, listened to their stories, and prayed with them. Many clergy who serve congregations report similar experiences. They see the difference spirituality makes in the health and well being of those who daily live out their faith as compared to those who profess beliefs that are not borne out in the way they live.
If we grant that spirituality makes a difference in healing and in wellness, then what do we mean by "wellness?" Simply stated, wellness refers to a realistically positive outlook on life. The positive attitude is based in reality and not on denial of what really exists. For that reason, wellness does not mean the absence of disease. I know people who are living with long-term, chronic illnesses, and others who are terminally ill, who have a high degree of wellness. Wellness has to do with practicing good health habits, but it involves much more. Wellness has to do with living in balance, with staying centered. It has to do with living in harmony with oneself, with significant others, and with God.
Another word for that living in balance and harmony is wholeness. From the perspective of Christian tradition we know that Jesus loved the whole person, and his goal was to help each person become whole. The Gospel accounts of his life and ministry are full of stories of his efforts to bring healing and wholeness to the lives of the people he served. The sacred writings of many of the worlds religions reveal a similar witness to the importance of living in balance and harmony.
A spiritual life that is growing and developing is also essential to wellness. When our life includes spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, reflection, scripture reading, and studying the writings of great thinkers, there is a unifying force bringing the mental and physical aspects of health together. When we have an active spiritual life, we are supported by a feeling of hope that all will ultimately be well. Our outlook on life will be positive, even while looking honestly and realistically at painful and even tragic events and circumstances in our lives.
Some of what I have been saying comes out of a recent personal experience. As I write these reflections I am in my sixth week of recovery from prostate cancer surgery. Throughout this experience I have had numerous friends and work colleagues who have been praying for me. I have had an awareness of their prayers I cannot explain. I have just known I was sustained and supported by my connectedness to a community of love and concern. During this time, my own spiritual disciplines moved to a deeper level. There has been a sense calmness, assurance and peace that all would be well. According to all medical reports the surgery was quite successful. The cancer was contained in the prostate and my surgeon tells me I should be able to expect a cure.
It is interesting and exciting to see the growing, popular interest in the relationship between spirituality and wellness. It is also fascinating and delightful to see religion and medical science moving closer together through the spiritual aspects of wellness. One aspect can never replace the other. Both the scientific and spiritual aspects of healing and wellness are needed for persons to realize the wholeness our faith traditions have long proclaimed.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/11_01_00/page_08.html |