Spirituality in Nursing Practice: A Reflective Analysis of Remedies

This reflective journal delves into the role of spirituality in nursing practice, drawing insights from a chapter on remedies and holistic care. The author reflects on personal experiences and philosophical alignment with the chapter's emphasis on addressing the root causes of illness and promoting healthy lifestyles. It highlights the importance of meeting patients' spiritual needs as an integral aspect of holistic care, fostering hope and social engagement. The reflection underscores the significance of exercise, a positive mindset, and productive engagement in maintaining overall wellbeing and aiding recovery. The author aims to integrate these principles into future nursing practice, focusing on the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit to enhance patient satisfaction and ease suffering, ultimately advocating for a holistic approach to nursing that prioritizes spiritual and physical dimensions.

Running head: NURSING
Spirituality paper
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction- Although providing an accurate definition for spirituality is difficult,
providing support to the individual spiritual needs and preferences of patients often assist the
nurses in enhancing client health outcomes, and increasing their overall wellbeing.
Spirituality in healthcare encompasses the part of an individual that provides meaning and
objective to the life of a person (Rogers & Wattis, 2015). This essay will contain a reflective
account of the thoughts, ideas and feelings after reading the chapter 17 titled, “The Use of
Remedies”.
Reflection- The chapter highlights on the fact that diseases never occur without
specific cause and greater number of people are subjected to sufferings, owing to their own
misdeeds. The authors also suggested that transgression of people against laws of nature often
produces indisputable results, and under circumstances when people fall sick, most of them
fail to acclaim their suffering to root cause (White, 2011). However, they are found to hold
God responsible for their condition. This idea presented in the chapter was congruent with
my thoughts and philosophy as I have often encountered patients who require spiritual
support and/or attention in order to deal with their sufferings. It is typically easy on the part
of individuals to blame God for the onset of any chronic illness, without taking into
consideration the fact that failure in maintaining a healthy lifestyle might also have led to the
condition (Mauk, & Schmidt, 2004). I have also come across several people who resort to
different activities for getting healed, namely, appeals for mercy, lamentations, declarations,
and bargaining.
The authors placed a due focus on a plethora of rational remedies, which should be
implemented following conducting a comprehensive assessment of the true nature of the
illness, and removal of the cause. They also acknowledged intemperate eating as a major risk
factor for illness and suggested that adherence to a strict fruit diet often provides relief.
(White, 2011) Adequate explanation was provided on the benefits of taking rest and drinking

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water, in relation to health promotion. I hold the belief that with the spiritual and physical
dimensions and the common impact of the two dimensions, patients have certain spiritual
needs that exist in an intrinsic manner throughout their lives, and forms an essential concept
of holistic care. A thorough reading of the chapter made me believe that it is utmost essential
to satisfy the spiritual needs of all patients, the satisfaction of which will make them mature
into a hopeful and social individual, who takes efforts to thank the all-powerful.
It was duly stated by the authors that an inactive lifestyle is a prolific reason for
disease. Exercise and physical activity hastens and equalizes blood circulation, which fails to
circulate in an appropriate manner in patients who adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Adequate
information was also provided on the fact that patients who consider their disease as a worse
stage of life, are in possession of a negative state of mind that prevents them from
recuperating easily (White, 2011). Time and again I have encountered instances where people
show compliance to unhealthy lifestyle choices that makes them stressed, and creates a
significant impact on their health and wellbeing. Therefore, the chapter helped me realize the
need of promoting healthy lifestyle habits, in order to reduce patient woes, thereby
reinstalling their faith in God. Under circumstances when the invalids fail to occupy their
attention and time, their opinions become focussed on themselves, thus increasing morbidity
and irritability (Mauk, & Schmidt, 2004). Earlier, I found it difficult to make clients
understand the importance to judiciously using their time in some productive work, in order
to recovery from an illness. The authors also elaborated on the fact that light employment acts
in the form of useful labor that does not tax the mind or the body, and creates a positive
influence on health.
I intend to apply the principles explained in the chapter in future nursing practice by
promoting living a healthy lifestyle, both in self, as well as in the patients. I comprehended
that the procedure of accomplishing and sustaining a healthy lifestyle is not a passing goal

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but an incessant state of concentration that must be practiced. Therefore, I will ensure the
presence of a strong body and normal weight and sound state of mind that will help me and
all the patients enjoy all that life offers to us. There is mounting evidence for the fact that
although nurses have necessary knowledge on healthy life habits, it does not always get
translated to care (Lindquist, Tracy & Snyder, 2018). I would focus on delivering holistic
nursing in future practice, by placing my faith on the associations among the mind, body, and
spirit.
Conclusion- To conclude, the chapter helped me understand that attending to the
spiritual needs of patients through holistic nursing and rational remedies will increase patient
and family satisfaction, and ease my pain, while I witness their misery.

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References
Lindquist, R., Tracy, M. F., & Snyder, M. (Eds.). (2018). Complementary & alternative
therapies in nursing. Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from
https://books.google.co.in/books?
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Mauk, K. L., & Schmidt, N. A. (Eds.). (2004). Spiritual care in nursing practice. Lippincott
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Rogers, M., & Wattis, J. (2015). Spirituality in nursing practice. Nursing Standard, 29(39),
51-57. Retrieved from
http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/24730/1/SpiritualityinNursingFebruary2015.pdf
White, E. G. (2011). The Ministry of healing. Guildford, UK: White Crow Books. Retrieved
from http://www.centrowhite.org.br/files/ebooks/egw-english/books/The%20Ministry
%20of%20Healing.pdf