NUR 4111 Metaphysical Nursing

Mary Patton-Lester
November 25, 2014
Reflection Paper

Reflection Paper
I was raised in the Catholic Church and have always been a spiritual and religious person.
Recently I noticed that life has gotten in the way of spiritual practices that were once a normal
routine: going to church every Sunday, saying grace before meals and saying a prayer before
going to bed. I wanted to explore the self-care modality of prayer because I have known the
great benefits of its use and I am interested in the universal view of prayer and the meaning
behind it. Prayer fit into my personal value system as I pray on a regular basis, I believe in the
power of prayer as a healing and calming modality.
Prayer can be interpreted in many different ways depending on ones religion, cultural
background or ethnicity. Prayer is most often defined simply as a form of communication and
fellowship with a Deity or Creator. (Fontaine, 2011. p. 353) The definition is vague and can
mean different things to different people. For example, prayer can be meditation, it can be a
prayer spoken aloud in a church or temple, prayer can be inner thoughts or it can be silence.
Another definition is prayer is communication with the Absolute. (Fontaine, 2011. p. 353)
This definition allows for a broader interpretation, a person can interpreted their form of
communication and what Absolute means to them, its all inclusive. Dossey divides prayer
into two forms: direct and indirect. There is a specific goal or outcome in mind with direct
prayer. With indirect prayer there is no specific goal in mind. (2013. p. 477) It depends on your
reason for prayer as to which form you would use. A prayer for healing or for guidance would
be direct, praying the Lords Prayer in church or reciting a mantra would be indirect prayer.
Prayer can be useful to help ease anxiety, decrease loneliness, promoting health and wellness,
there are many more benefits to prayer that vary per the individual. There is much debate

whether prayer can be used as a treatment modality, the exact mechanism of prayer is unknown
but there is evidence that prayer works. (Fontaine, 2011)
At the beginning of this semester when I found out about this project I knew I wanted to
explore prayer as a self care modality right away. I decided I would make every effort to attend
church on the weekends I was not working, I would get back into the habit of saying grace again
before every meal and I would say prayers at bedtime and throughout the day if I felt it
necessary. I was curious if prayer more would make a difference in my life. I found myself
feeling well after leaving church on a Sunday morning, I felt like I had accomplished something
good and the day hadnt even really started yet. Grace became a normal part of every meal, it
felt nice to sit with my husband and take a quiet moment before eating to thank God for the
blessings he gave us. I found that saying a prayer of thanks before bed gave me a calming
feeling which helped me ease into a state of relaxation. I also incorporated prayer into my school
life, I made it a habit to say a prayer before every test to ask for strength, and intelligence and the
ability to do the best work I could with the tool God has given me. I feel healed, I feel relieved,
and I feel relaxed after I pray. This has been one of the hardest semesters of my college career
and I truly believe incorporating prayer throughout this semester has helped me to make it
through. Praying helped relieve stress, it also helped me manage my many responsibilities,
prayer also helped my relationship with my husband and family become stronger. I absolutely
see myself continuing utilizing the power of prayer in my future. The feeling or peace, calm and
relaxation that prayer provides is unlike any other. Knowing that I can always express myself to
God as I need to and he is there to listen give me strength and peace. I see myself incorporating
prayer into nursing practice by using it for myself to help with stressful situations, to help ground
my thoughts, to help me get through tough times and to be thankful for my many blessings. I

can also see myself incorporating prayer into nursing practice by using it as needed with patients,
if warranted and welcomed. Utilizing a faith and prayer assessment, asking questions regarding
patients religious beliefs and practices, asking if they would like to practice various traditions
and accommodating them when possible and consulting to pastoral care when needed.
Prayer can be universal, many cultures and religions practice prayer and the key is to
incorporate prayer into nursing practice if desired. This can mean to accommodate and respect
religions practices and beliefs, collaborate with pastoral care when available and use the self-care
modality on oneself if warranted. Prayer fits within the concept of holistic nursing because it ca
effect the mind, body and spirit all at once. Prayer can ease anxiety, and help heal the mind and
spirit. Prayer fits in with Jean Watsons theory of caring by instilling faith and hope in others,
nurturing individual beliefs and practices, creating a healing environment, assisting in emotion
and spiritual human needs and allowing miracles to happen. I would recommend prayer to
anyone. As stated previously prayer can be in many forms, open talking, silent meditation,
reciting prayers, or expressing inner thoughts. Prayer can instill a sense of calm, relaxation and
peace. Prayer can center and clear your mind; it can prepare you for a difficult situation or help
you cope with illness or death. I would recommend anyone to try sitting quietly or saying a
bedtime prayer regularly and reap the benefits of stress relief and a sense of calm.

References
Dossey, B. & Keegan, L. (2013). Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (6th ed).
Burlington, Maine: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Fontaine, K. (2011). Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Nursing Practice, New
York: Pearson.