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Spirituality and Health

What is spirituality?

Spirituality is the way you find meaning, hope, comfort and inner peace in your life. Many
people find spirituality through religion. Some find it through music, art or a connection with
nature. Others find it in their values and principles.

How is spirituality related to health?

No one really knows for sure how spirituality is related to health. However, it seems the
body, mind and spirit are connected. The health of any one of these elements seems to
affect the health of the others.

Some research shows that things such as positive beliefs, comfort and strength gained from
religion, meditation and prayer can contribute to healing and a sense of well being.
Improving your spiritual health may not cure an illness, but it may help you feel better,
prevent some health problems and help you cope with illness, stress or death.

How can I improve my spiritual health?

If you want to improve your spiritual health, you may want to try the following ideas.
However, remember that everyone is different, so what works for others may not work for
you. Do what is comfortable for you.

• Identify the things in your life that give you a sense of inner peace, comfort, strength,
love and connection.
• Set aside time every day to do the things that help you spiritually. These may include
doing community service or volunteer work, praying, meditating, singing devotional
songs, reading inspirational books, taking nature walks, having quiet time for
thinking, doing yoga, playing a sport or attending religious services.

Why does my doctor need to know about my spiritual beliefs?

If you are being treated for an illness, it's important for your doctor to know how your
spirituality might affect your feelings and thoughts about your medical situation. If you think
your spiritual beliefs are affecting your health care decisions or your ability to follow your
doctor's recommendations, tell your doctor.

If you have spiritual beliefs, worries or concerns that are causing you stress, talk with your
doctor. Your
Spirituality and Medical Practice: Using the HOPE Questions as a Practical Tool for
Spiritual Assessment

GOWRI ANANDARAJAH, M.D., and ELLEN HIGHT, M.D., M.P.H, Brown University School of
Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island.

Am Fam Physician. 2001 Jan 1;63(1):81-89.

The relationship between spirituality and medicine has been the focus of
considerable interest in recent years. Studies suggest that many patients believe
spirituality plays an important role in their lives, that there is a positive
correlation between a patient's spirituality or religious commitment and health
outcomes, and that patients would like physicians to consider these factors in
their medical care. A spiritual assessment as part of a medical encounter is a
practical first step in incorporating consideration of a patient's spirituality into
medical practice. The HOPE questions provide a formal tool that may be used in
this process. The HOPE concepts for discussion are as follows: H—sources of hope,
strength, comfort, meaning, peace, love and connection; O—the role of organized
religion for the patient; P—personal spirituality and practices; E—effects on
medical care and end-of-life decisions.

Family medicine emphasizes medical care of the whole person, which includes an
understanding of a patient's family and environment, as well as the social, cultural and
psychologic situation. Over the past several years, it has been suggested that spirituality is
another important, yet often neglected, factor in the health of patients.1,2 Up to 77 percent
of patients would like spiritual issues considered as part of their medical care,3 yet only 10
to 20 percent of physicians discuss these issues with their patients.3,4 Reports such as these
have increased interest in the incorporation of spirituality into the practice of medicine.
Nearly 50 medical schools currently offer courses in spirituality and medicine.5

Relationship Between Spirituality and Medicine

The evidence in the medical literature that suggests a strong relationship between
spirituality and medicine is increasing (Table 13,4,6–24). Polls of the U.S. population6 have
consistently shown that 95 percent of Americans believe in God. One study3 found that 94
percent of patients admitted to hospitals believe that spiritual health is as important as
physical health, 77 percent believe that physicians should consider their patients' spiritual
needs as part of their medical care, and 37 percent want their physician to discuss their
religious beliefs more. However, 80 percent reported that physicians never or rarely discuss
spiritual or religious issues with them.

TABLE 1
Studies of the Links Between Spirituality and Health

Study focus Finding

Survey studies

General population6 95 percent of Americans believe in God

Patients3,4,7,8 91 percent believe in God; 74 percent feel close to God

77 percent believe physicians should consider their spiritual


needs
73 percent believe they should share their religious beliefs
with their physician
66 percent want physicians to inquire about religious or
spiritual beliefs if gravely ill
37 to 40 percent believe that physicians should inquire about
religious beliefs more
Only 10 to 20 percent report that their physician discusses
religion or spirituality with them
Study focus Finding

Physicians4,7,9,10 64 to 95.5 percent believe in God; 43 to 77 percent feel close


or somewhat close to God
77 percent believe that patients should share their religious
beliefs with their physician
96 percent believe spiritual well-being is important in health

11 percent inquire at least frequently about spiritual issues


(less than 20 percent discuss this issue in more than 10
percent of encounters)
Greatest barriers to discussion of spiritual issues are lack of
time (71 percent), lack of training (59 percent) and difficulty
in identifying patients who want such a discussion (56
percent)
Relaxation 80 percent of patients voluntarily chose a phrase with a
response/meditation11,12 religious focus
(see Table 2)
25 percent experienced increased spirituality (subjective)

Those who experienced increased spirituality had better


medical outcomes.
Religious commitment and 75 percent of studies show a positive association, including:
health outcomes1,2,13–18
Prevention of illness (including depression, substance abuse,
physical illness, mortality)
Coping with illness

Recovery from illness*

Placebo effect19,20 Beneficial in 60 to 90 percent of diseases, including:

Angina pectoris

Asthma

Herpes simplex

Duodenal ulcer

Prayer effect21–23 Prayer or mental effort from a distance can effect measurable
outcomes
One review of 131 controlled trials found that 58 percent
showed a statistically significant beneficial effect.

*—One review24 points out methodologic problems with these studies, including ethical
issues in studying the effects of religious behavior on health outcomes. The investigators did
not address patients' wishes for spiritual discussions with their physicians, studies on
relaxation/meditation or patient's general spiritual concerns (beyond specific religious
practices).
Information from references 3,4 and 6 through 24.

One study4 of physicians and patients in an outpatient setting found that 91 percent of
patients believe in God, compared with 64 percent of physicians. In this study, 40 percent of
patients felt that physicians should discuss pertinent religious issues; however, only 11
percent of physicians frequently or always did. Another study7 has reported similar findings.
A recent national survey9 of family physicians reports that the percentage of physicians who
have spiritual beliefs is closer to that of the general population.

The relationship between religious commitment and health outcomes has also been
reviewed in detail.1,2,13,14 Although some disagree,24 most authors2,14–16 report that a
positive relationship between religious commitment and mental and physical health was
found in up to 84 percent of studies that included a measure of religious commitment as
part of the study. Religious commitment was helpful in the prevention of illness (including
depression, substance abuse and physical illness), in coping with illness and in recovery
from illness.1,2

A recent study17 of elderly patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery showed that lack of
strength and comfort from religion was independently related to the risk of death during the
six-month period following surgery. A prospective cohort study18 of elderly poor forced to
move from their homes showed that those who were more religiously committed were twice
as likely to survive the two-year study period as persons without such religious commitment.
The most influential study variable was strength and comfort derived from religion.

Some studies11,12 have evaluated the effects of the relaxation response and meditation on
health outcomes. The relaxation response can be elicited by a simple two-step procedure:
(1) repeating a word, phrase or muscular activity, and (2) passively disregarding any
obtrusive thoughts that come to mind and returning to the repetition. When practiced
regularly, this technique results in a reproducible set of physiologic effects and is effective
therapy for several medical conditions (Table 211). Benson11 reports that 80 percent of
patients, when given the choice between a religious or secular phrase, voluntarily chose a
religious phrase to elicit the relaxation response. One quarter of the patients described a
feeling of increased spirituality as a result of practicing the technique. These same patients
were more likely to have better measurable medical outcomes than those who did not
experience increased spirituality.11

TABLE 2
The Relaxation Response

Technique to elicit relaxation response


1. Repeat a word, sound, phrase, prayer or muscular activity that has meaning for you (e.g.,
“one,” “peace,” “Om,” “Sh'ma Yisroel,” “The Lord is my shepherd,” “Insha'allah,” “Hail Mary,
full of grace,” jogging, breathing techniques, knitting).
2. Passively disregard intrusive thoughts that come to mind and return to the repetitive
focus.
Physiologic effects of the relaxation response
Decreased metabolism
Decreased rate of breathing
Decreased blood pressure
Decreased muscle tension
Decreased heart rate
Increased slow brain waves
Effective in treatment of the following conditions
Hypertension
Cardiac arrhythmias
Chronic pain
Anxiety
Insomnia
Mild to moderate depression
Infertility
Postoperative anxiety
Premenstrual syndrome
Migraine and cluster headaches
Low self-esteem
Symptoms of cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Information from Benson H. Timeless healing: the power and biology of belief. New York:
Scribner, 1996.

Although still preliminary, other areas of study regarding spirituality and medicine include
the effects of prayer21–23 and the placebo effect.19,20

Definition of Terms

SPIRITUALITY VS. RELIGION

In order to have a meaningful discussion with patients regarding spirituality and medical
care, a common understanding of terminology is essential. Many authors25–30 recommend
clarifying the difference between the terms “spirituality” and “religion.” They advocate a
universal, broad-based definition of spirituality that encompasses religious and nonreligious
perspectives.

Spirituality is a complex and multidimensional part of the human experience. It has


cognitive, experiential and behavior aspects. The cognitive or philosophic aspects include
the search for meaning, purpose and truth in life5,10,25–29,31,32 and the beliefs and values
by which an individual lives.26,31,33 The experiential and emotional aspects involve feelings
of hope, love, connection, inner peace, comfort and support. These are reflected in the
quality of an individual's inner resources,28,31,33 the ability to give and receive spiritual
love,28 and the types of relationships and connections25,29–32 that exist with self, the
community, the environment and nature,31 and the transcendent27,28,30,31 (e.g., power
greater than self, a value system, God, cosmic consciousness). The behavior aspects of
spirituality involve the way a person externally manifests individual spiritual beliefs and
inner spiritual state.

Many people find spirituality through religion or through a personal relationship with the
divine. However, others may find it through a connection to nature, through music and the
arts, through a set of values and principles or through a quest for scientific truth.

Study of the world's religions34,35 reveals that each religion attempts to help answer
mankind's spiritual questions and that each has developed a specific set of beliefs,
teachings and practices.25,26,30 A person's experience with religious organizations may
range from extremely positive to extremely negative.
SPIRITUAL DISTRESS

Spiritual distress28,32 and spiritual crisis occur when individuals are unable to find sources
of meaning, hope, love, peace, comfort, strength and connection in life or when conflict
occurs between their beliefs and what is happening in their life. This distress can have a
detrimental effect on physical and mental health. Medical illness and impending death can
often trigger spiritual distress in patients and family members.

SPIRITUAL CARE AND SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT

General spiritual care can be defined as recognizing and responding to the “multifaceted
expressions of spirituality we encounter in our patients and their families.”30 It involves
compassion, presence, listening and the encouragement of realistic hope,36 and might not
involve any discussion of God or religion. General spiritual care may be provided by anyone.
Specialized spiritual care often involves understanding and helping with specific theologic
beliefs and conflicts. It is ideally performed by persons with special training in this area, such
as those trained as Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) chaplains.

Spiritual assessment is the process by which health care providers can identify a patient's
spiritual needs pertaining to medical care.

Role of the Physician

Family physicians are concerned with any factors that affect their patients' health. It is
important that physicians maintain a balanced, open-minded approach to medical care
without sacrificing scientific integrity. Physicians can begin to incorporate spirituality into
medical practice in three ways: (1) by scientific study of the subject; (2) by assessment of
the patient's spirituality and diagnosis of spiritual distress; and (3) by therapeutic
interventions.

Scientific study involves evaluating the current evidence for a link between spirituality and
health and planning further study to clarify these effects. It is important to keep an open
mind regarding new methods of study and to be aware that there are some things that may
never be fully understood.

For assessment and diagnosis, the physician should evaluate whether spirituality is
important to a particular patient and whether spiritual factors are helping or hindering the
healing process.

Therapeutic interventions include consideration of a patient's spirituality in


recommendations regarding prevention, medical treatment and adjuvant care. In addition,
elements of general spiritual care should be incorporated into the routine medical
encounter. Although not easily measurable, a physician's ability to offer connection,
compassion and presence can be a powerful therapeutic intervention.

Spiritual Assessment

A spiritual assessment performed during a medical encounter is a practical way to begin


incorporating spirituality into medical practice.

GENERAL PREREQUISITES
Several factors can increase the success of a discussion of spiritual issues with patients.

Spiritual Self-Understanding and Self-Care

A physician needs to understand his or her own spiritual beliefs, values and biases in order
to remain patient-centered and non-judgmental when dealing with the spiritual concerns of
patients. This is especially true when the beliefs of the patient differ from those of the
physician.

One way to promote self-understanding is to perform a formal spiritual self-assessment


using the tool described in this article. Spiritual self-care is integral to serving the multiple
needs and demands of patients in the current health care system. Self-care can take the
form of reconnecting with family and friends, time alone (for quiet contemplation, playing a
sport, recreational reading, nature watching, etc.), community service, or religious practice.

Self-care and self-understanding can help physicians prepare for difficult questions, such as
“Why is this happening to my child [or me]?” or questions regarding the physician's beliefs.
It can also help physicians prepare for times when patients may make requests for prayer,
or prepare for emotional responses from the patient or the physician.

Establishment of a Good Physician-Patient Relationship

The patient is more likely to discuss spiritual concerns within the context of a trusting and
therapeutic physician-patient relationship.

Appropriate Timing of Discussions

Maslow's hierarchy of needs (i.e., physical, then mental and spiritual) is one way to help
determine when timing is appropriate. Routine inquiry about spiritual resources can flow
naturally following discussion of other support systems and may open the door for further
discussion. Appropriate timing for more in-depth discussion requires skillful interpretation of
verbal and nonverbal cues from patients and families and the willingness to explore further
with gentle, open-ended interview techniques. The topic of spirituality may be introduced
during discussion of advance directives, a new diagnosis of severe illness, terminal care
planning, addiction, chronic pain, chronic illness, domestic violence or grieving.

INFORMAL SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT

Informal spiritual assessment may be accomplished at any time during the medical
encounter. Because most patients use symbolic and metaphoric language when expressing
spiritual thoughts, spiritual assessment often involves listening carefully to the stories that
patients tell regarding their lives and illness and then interpreting the spiritual issues
involved.37 Themes such as the search for meaning, feelings of connection versus isolation,
hope versus hopelessness, fear of the unknown, are clues that the patient may be struggling
with spiritual issues. Perceiving these clues and following with open-ended as well as specific
questions regarding the patient's spiritual beliefs may reveal more about a patient's spiritual
needs than direct inquiry with a formal spiritual assessment. This is the approach most often
employed by CPE chaplains. Many family physicians notice such clues instinctively and can
easily continue to develop this perception skill once they know what to look for.

FORMAL SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT


A formal spiritual assessment involves asking specific questions during a medical interview
to determine whether spiritual factors may play a role in the patient's illness or recovery and
whether these factors affect the medical treatment plan. There are many possible formats
for conducting a formal spiritual assessment, and several have been reviewed elsewhere
(www.gwu.edu/~cicd/toolkit/spiritual.htm).38,39 Most of these tools were developed for use
in the hospice setting, for use by pastoral counselors or nurses, or as research
instruments.28,33,38–41 Little has been written about approaches developed for use by
practicing physicians in a routine medical encounter.42–44

The HOPE Questions

The HOPE questions, outlined below, were developed as a teaching tool to help medical
students, residents and practicing physicians begin the process of incorporating a spiritual
assessment into the medical interview. These questions have not been validated by
research, but the strength of this particular approach is that it allows for an open-ended
exploration of an individual's general spiritual resources and concerns and serves as a
natural follow-up to discussion of other support systems. It does not immediately focus on
the word “spirituality” or “religion.” This minimizes barriers to discussion based on use of
language.

The HOPE questions cover the basic areas of inquiry for physicians to use in formal spiritual
assessments (Table 3). The first part of the mnemonic, H, pertains to a patient's basic
spiritual resources, such as sources of hope, without immediately focusing on religion or
spirituality. This approach allows for meaningful conversation with a variety of patients,
including those whose spirituality lies outside the boundaries of traditional religion or those
who have been alienated in some way from their religion. It also allows those for whom
religion, God or prayer is important to volunteer this information. There are many ways of
asking these questions (Table 4).

TABLE 3
The HOPE Questions for a Formal Spiritual Assessment in a Medical Interview

H Sources of hope, meaning, comfort, strength, peace, love


: and connection
O Organized religion
:
P Personal spirituality and practices
:
E Effects on medical care and end-of-life issues
:
TABLE 4
Examples of Questions for the HOPE Approach to Spiritual Assessment

H Sources of hope, meaning, comfort, strength, peace, love and connection


:
We have been discussing your support systems. I was wondering, what is there in your life
that gives you internal support?
What are your sources of hope, strength, comfort and peace?
What do you hold on to during difficult times?

What sustains you and keeps you going?

For some people, their religious or spiritual beliefs act as a source of comfort and strength
in dealing with life's ups and downs; is this true for you?
If the answer is “Yes,” go on to O and P questions.

If the answer is “No,” consider asking: Was it ever? If the answer is “Yes,” ask: What
changed?
O Organized religion
:
Do you consider yourself part of an organized religion?

How important is this to you?

What aspects of your religion are helpful and not so helpful to you?

Are you part of a religious or spiritual community? Does it help you? How?

P Personal spirituality/ practices


:
Do you have personal spiritual beliefs that are independent of organized religion? What
are they?
Do you believe in God? What kind of relationship do you have with God?

What aspects of your spirituality or spiritual practices do you find most helpful to you
personally? (e.g., prayer, meditation, reading scripture, attending religious services,
listening to music, hiking, communing with nature)
E Effects on medical care and end-of-life issues
:
Has being sick (or your current situation) affected your ability to do the things that usually
help you spiritually? (Or affected your relationship with God?)
As a doctor, is there anything that I can do to help you access the resources that usually
help you?
Are you worried about any conflicts between your beliefs and your medical
situation/care/decisions?
Would it be helpful for you to speak to a clinical chaplain/community spiritual leader?

Are there any specific practices or restrictions I should know about in providing your
medical care? (e.g., dietary restrictions, use of blood products)
If the patient is dying: How do your beliefs affect the kind of medical care you would like me
to provide over the next few days/weeks/months?

The second and third letters, O and P, refer to areas of inquiry about the importance of
organized religion in patients' lives and the specific aspects of their personal spirituality and
practices that are most helpful. A useful way to introduce these questions is a normalizing
statement such as: “For some people, their religious or spiritual beliefs act as a source of
comfort and strength in dealing with life's ups and downs. Is this true for you?”
If the answer to this question is “Yes,” inquiry can proceed with specific questions regarding
religion and personal spirituality (Table 4). If the answer to the question is “No,” the
physician can end this line of questioning or, if the patient appears to be at ease, ask follow-
up questions such as: “Was it ever important to you?” If the answer is “Yes,” then the
question “What changed?” opens the door for patients to discuss important spiritual
concerns that may have an impact on their medical care.

The final letter of the mnemonic, E, pertains to the effects of a patient's spirituality and
beliefs on medical care and end-of-life issues. These questions can help focus the discussion
back onto clinical management. Table 4 suggests several areas of inquiry, including barriers
to the access of usual spiritual resources; fears, concerns or conflicts regarding the patient's
belief system and the current medical situation; and the effects of specific beliefs or rituals
on medical management. Understanding spiritual issues in the care of the dying has been
addressed in detail elsewhere.30,36,39 Major themes include fear of disconnection or
isolation and the ability to make peace with the death that is approaching as well as with the
life that is ending.

Effects of Spiritual Assessment on Medical Management

Many possible steps may follow the spiritual assessment.

1. Take no further action. Spiritual concerns and questions often have no clear answers
or solutions, yet they can significantly affect the quality of a patient's suffering.
Experienced physicians know that in many cases there is little they can offer to their
patients in the way of medical solutions and cure. At these times, the best therapeutic
intervention is to offer their presence, understanding, acceptance and compassion.
2. Incorporate spirituality into preventive health care. Patients can be helped to identify
and mobilize their own internal spiritual resources as a preventive health care measure.
These resources may include prayer, meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, walks in the country or
listening to soothing music.
3. Include spirituality in adjuvant care. The physician can help patients identify
spiritually based measures that can be useful to them in conjunction with standard
medical treatment. For example, a patient may choose to say the rosary while taking
medication or may need to listen to music or read scripture before surgery.
4. Modify the treatment plan. Modifications can be made based on better understanding
of the patient's spiritual needs as related to medical care. This can include such measures
as stopping or continuing chemotherapy in a patient with metastatic cancer; referring a
patient in spiritual distress or crisis to a clinical chaplain; using community cultural or
religious resources; and teaching the relaxation response or other meditation techniques
to patients with chronic pain or insomnia.

Final Comment

Spirituality is an important, multidimensional aspect of the human experience that is difficult


to fully understand or measure using the scientific method, yet convincing evidence in the
medical literature supports its beneficial role in the practice of medicine. It will take many
more years of study to understand exactly which aspects of spirituality hold the most benefit
for health and well-being. The world's great wisdom traditions suggest that some of the
most important aspects of spirituality lie in the sense of connection and inner strength,
comfort, love and peace that individuals derive from their relationship with self, others,
nature and the transcendent.

As family physicians begin the process of integrating spirituality into medical practice, it is
important to keep in mind the advice to “do no harm” and to maintain the utmost respect
for the patient's rights to autonomy and freedom of thought and belief. If done responsibly,
the practice of medicine may be the best arena for integrating science and spirituality. The
future exploration of this field offers physicians the opportunity to improve care and gain a
clearer understanding of some of life's and medicine's greatest mysteries.

A Wisdom Archive on Spirituality and Health

Spirituality and Health

Spirituality and health is in essence to also look beyond the physical body.
In the ancient systems of medicine and healing, mind, body and soul where
seen as interconnected and non-separable. Spirituality and Health were not
seen as separated but closely connected. When one part of the whole was
stimulated, it also affected the other parts as well as the whole.

Health in a spiritual perpective concern both physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
aspects of our being. An approach where spirituality and health are seen as two sides
of the same coin is holistic

by nature and looks at the whole being to understand and correct that which is not in
balance.

Resources on Spirituality and Health

Spirituality and Health: The connection between heart, brain and God

The allopathic medicine have largely separated the physical body from the Soul
and only treated the symptom but not looked at the larger picture of a person and
tried to locate the cause of the physical imbalance.

The French philosopher Descartes of the 17th century basically recommended: “let
the doctors should take care of the body and the priests about the soul”. Since
then, doctors have looked at the physical body more or less as a
machine/organism.

Nowadays, the role of spiritual and religious factors in health, viewed from a
scientific perspective, has been yielding interesting if not intriguing results. In
general, studies have reported fairly consistent positive relationships with physical
health, mental health, and substance abuse outcomes, mostly using cross-sectional
or prospective designs.
Social environmental and cultural factors also appear to influence health and
disease status.
The notion that the body works in close collaboration with mind to influence health
and disease has been increasingly accepted and is not that controversial any
longer.

In the ancient systems of medicine and healing, mind, body and soul where
interconnected. When one part of the whole was stimulated, it also affected the
other parts as well as the whole.

The following article explore the connection between body and Spirit:
How are your Heart and Brain connected to God? (2003-11-18)

Cleansing of colon for spiritual energy.

Cleaning of the colon is strongly recommended by Kalki and The Golden Age
Foundation in order to be fully receptive for pranic energy. It is so vital that it
should be the mandatory preparation before all depper spiritual processes and as a
continous maintenance of the body as an antenna of cosmic energies.

Bentonite (also available at many pharmacies under the substance name


bentonitum) is believed to be exceptionally effective. This article from
www.alternativemedicine.com desribes the properties and use of bentonite.

The Bentonite Clay Cure - Cleansing of colon for improved energy level (2003-12-
27)

Spirituality and Health: Spiritual Healing


Prana or ki is that life energy which keeps the body alive and healthy. In Greek it is
called 'pneuma', in Polynesian 'mana', and in Hebrew 'ruah', which means 'breath
of life'. The healer projects prana or life energy or 'the breath of life' to the patient,
thereby, healing the patient. It is through this process that this so-called
'miraculous healing' is accomplished.

Basically, there are three major sources of prana: solar prana, air prana and ground
prana.

Certain areas or places tend to have more prana than others. Some of these highly
energized areas tend to become healing centers.

Prana or ki is that life energy which keeps the body alive and healthy. In Greek it is
called 'pneuma', in Polynesian 'mana', and in Hebrew 'ruah', which means 'breath
of life'. The healer projects prana or life energy or 'the breath of life' to the patient,
thereby, healing the patient. It is through this process that this so-called
'miraculous healing' is accomplished.
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Integration Therapy

Spiritual Integration Therapy (S.I.T.): Variable, energetically based method


developed by Lynida Darbes, M.A. It embraces bodywork, dreamwork, imagery, and
meditation.

(See also: Spiritual Integration Therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health,
Alternative Health Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Spirituality And Health Dictionary

Spirituality and Health: : Spiritual Health – Amalgam from an homeopathic


view

There are 40 to 60 tons of amalgam in the teeth of Sweden's population. About 50


percent of this is mercury. Everyone agrees that mercury is not good for the
environment or for health, but still a majority of people have amalgam in their
teeths. The homeopath Lars Lonnerud knows what mercury does to us and how we
can have it removed without getting sick.

Read more here: » Spiritual Health – Amalgam from an homeopathic view

Spirituality and Health: Alternative Health Dictionary on Combine


Spirituality and Psychotherapy

Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Eclectic integrative system


developed and practiced by author Bernard Green, Ph.D. It includes consciousness
expansion, Eastern psychotherapy (see Eastern psychology), nutritional
psychology, psychosynthesis, Simonton techniques (see Simonton method), and
Sufi psychology (see Sufi healing).

(See also: Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative
Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Spirituality And Health Dictionary


Spirituality and Health: Alternative Health Dictionary on Spiritual Beauty
Care

Spiritual Beauty Care: Subject of a paperback of the same name, by Jacqueline


Sinnige. Spiritual Beauty Care either constitutes or is a part of alternative beauty
care. Its purpose is to restore the balance of bodily energies.

(See also: Spiritual Beauty Care, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health,
Alternative Health Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Spirituality And Health Dictionary

Spirituality and Health: New Age Spirituality Dictionary on Science and


Health with Key to the Scriptures

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Principal scripture of Christian Science.

(See also: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, New Age Spirituality,
Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Spirituality And Health Dictionary

Spirituality and Health: Vedic Astrology and Mental, Emotional and


Spiritual Health

Vedic Astrology and Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Health

In order to maintain a healthy mind we must realize the true realities of life.
Therefore we must consider our spiritual nature to understand the subtleties of
mind, intelligence and ego. Accordingly mental, emotional and spiritual health go
together and, unless you have some knowledge in this regard, you cannot stop the
onslaught of negative emotions brought on by ignorance and fear. We not only
need to engage ourselves in some sort of fulfilling work to occupy our minds but
need to understand why we fall victim to feelings of hate, envy, greed and avarice.
These emotions only serve to destroy us intellectually, psychologically, emotionally
and spiritually. Why is there so much hate in the world, anyway?

Excerpt from "An Introduction to Vedic Astrology" by Howard Beckman

Read more here: » Vedic Astrology: Vedic Astrology and Mental, Emotional and
Spiritual Health

Spirituality and Health: Strike a Balance

Health is a key factor in the human evolutionary process. Health is not just physical
fitness or absence of disease. In ancient India, the term health had a much wider
connotation; it was something that went beyond physical and mental dimensions.
The spiritual dimension reinforces and also uplifts the physical and mental
dimensions of health.

Read more here: » Mind, Body, Spirit: Strike a Balance

Spirituality and Health: Encyclopedia - Health science

Health science is the discipline of applied science which deals with human and
animal health. There are two parts to health science: the study, research, and
knowledge of health and the application of that knowledge to improve health, cure
diseases, and understanding how humans and animals function. Research builds on
the pure sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics as well as social sciences (for
example medical sociology). Health science - Historical overview. The foundations
for the health science fi ...

Including:

• Health science - Historical overview


• Health science - Acquisition of health-related knowledge
• Health science - Application of health-related knowledge
o Health science - Health delivery
• Health science - Contemporary themes
• Health science - Health practices
o Health science - Conventional Western practices
o Health science - Complementary and alternative medicine
o Health science - Spiritually-based healing
o Health science - Traditional medicine and folk medicine
o Health science - Health practices of historical interest

Read more here: » Health science: Encyclopedia - Health science

Spirituality and Health: Natural Health Therapy Dictionary on Spiritual


healing & prayer

SPIRITUAL HEALING & PRAYER: Religious belief and prayer bring comfort, hope,
and relaxation to the faithful of all backgrounds. Studies have shown that regular
spiritual observance, prayer, and religious ritual are beneficial to overall health.

(See also: Spiritual healing & prayer, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Spirituality And Health Dictionary

OTHER RELEVANT RESOURCES

Prana

Prana or ki is that life energy which keeps the body alive and healthy. In Greek it is
called 'pneuma', in Polynesian 'mana', and in Hebrew 'ruah', which means 'breath
of life'. The healer projects prana or life energy or 'the breath of life' to the patient,
thereby, healing the patient. It is through this process that this so-called
'miraculous healing' is accomplished.

Basically, there are three major sources of prana: solar prana, air prana and ground
prana. Certain areas or places tend to have more prana than others. Some of these
highly energized areas tend to become healing centers.

Read more here: » Prana

Spiritual Healing

Spiritual healing

is a goal in all spiritual practices, traditions and religions and what any spiritual
seeker is looking for. If we carry wounds of being hurt from past experiences and
situations, our spiritual awakening progress may stop.

One way to explain Spirit is �that which exist beyond any physical realm�.
Other names for Spirit are Life-force, Soul, Awareness, or Beingness. Spiritual
Healing is the letting go that which we are not and the waking up to our full
potential.

The topic of spiritual healing will be covered at this page and at the Oneness
Festival.

Read more here: » Spiritual Healing


Spirituality

Overview:

What is spirituality?

Spirituality has been defined in numerous ways. These include: a belief in a power operating
in the universe that is greater than oneself; a sense of interconnectedness with all living
creatures; and an awareness of the purpose and meaning of life and the development of
personal, absolute values. It's the way you find meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace in
your life. Although spirituality is often associated with religious life, many believe that
personal spirituality can be developed outside of religion. Acts of compassion and
selflessness, altruism, and the experience of inner peace are all characteristics of
spirituality. Many Americans are becoming interested in the role of spirituality in their health
and health care. This may be because of dissatisfaction with the impersonal nature of our
current medical system, and the realization that medical science does not have answers to
every question about health and wellness.

What is the history of spirituality and health care?

In most healing traditions and through generations of healers in the early beginnings of
Western medicine, concerns of the body and spirit were intertwined. But with the coming of
the scientific revolution and the enlightenment, these considerations were removed from the
medical system. Today, however, a growing number of studies reveal that spirituality may
play a bigger role in the healing process than the medical community had previously
thought.

How does spirituality influence health?

Spiritual practices tend to improve coping skills and social support, foster feelings of
optimism and hope, promote healthy behavior, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety,
and encourage a sense of relaxation. By alleviating stressful feelings and promoting healing
ones, spirituality can positively influence immune, cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels),
hormonal, and nervous systems. An example of a religion that promotes a healthy lifestyle is
Seventh Day Adventists. Those who follow this religion, a particularly healthy population, are
instructed by their Church not to consume alcohol, eat pork, or smoke tobacco. In a 10-year
study of Seventh Day Adventists in the Netherlands, researchers found that Adventist men
lived 8.9 years longer than the national average, and Adventist women lived 3.6 years
longer. For both men and women, the chance of dying from cancer or heart disease was 60 -
66% less, respectively, than the national average.

Again, the health benefits of religion and spirituality do not stem solely from healthy
lifestyles. Many researchers believe that certain beliefs, attitudes, and practices associated
with being a spiritual person influence health. In a recent study of people with acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), those who had faith in God, compassion toward others,
a sense of inner peace, and were religious had a better chance of surviving for a long time
than those who did not live with such belief systems. Qualities like faith, hope, and
forgiveness, and the use of social support and prayer seem to have a noticeable effect on
health and healing.

• Faith. A person's most deeply held beliefs strongly influence his or her health. Some
researchers believe that faith increases the body's resistance to stress. In a 1988 clinical
study of women undergoing breast biopsies, the women with the lowest stress hormone
levels were those who used their faith and prayer to cope with stress.
• Hope. Without hope -- a positive attitude that a person assumes in the face of
difficulty -- many people become depressed and prone to illness. In a 35 year clinical
study of Harvard graduates, researchers found that those graduates who expressed
hope and optimism lived longer and had fewer illnesses in their lifetime.
• Forgiveness. A practice that is encouraged by many spiritual and religious
traditions, forgiveness is a release of hostility and resentment from past hurts. In 1997, a
Stanford University study found that college students trained to forgive someone who
had hurt them were significantly less angry, more hopeful, and better able to deal with
emotions than students not trained to forgive. Another survey of 1,400 adults found that
willingness to forgive oneself, and others and the feeling that one is forgiven by God,
have beneficial health effects. Some researchers suggest that emotions like anger and
resentment cause stress hormones to accumulate in the blood, and that forgiveness
reduces this build up.
• Love and Social Support. A close network of family and friends that lends help and
emotional support has been found to offer protection against many diseases.
Researchers believe that people who experience love and support tend to resist
unhealthy behaviors and feel less stressed. In a clinical study of a close knit Italian-
American community in Pennsylvania, researchers found that the death rate from heart
attack was half that of the United States' average. Researchers concluded that the
strong social support network helped protect this population from heart disease.
• Prayer. The act of putting oneself in the presence of or conversing with a higher
power has been used as a means of healing across all cultures throughout the ages.
Today, many Americans believe that prayer is an important part of daily life. In a 1996
poll, one half of doctors reported that they believe prayer helps patients, and 67%
reported praying for a patient. Researchers are also studying intercessory prayer (asking
a higher power to intervene on behalf of another either known or unknown to the person
praying; also called distance prayer or distance healing). Although it is particularly
difficult to study the effect of distance prayer, current research in coronary care units
(intensive care units in hospitals devoted to people with severe heart disease, like those
who just suffered a heart attack) suggests that there is benefit. Compared to those who
were not prayed for, patients who were prayed for showed general improvements in the
course of their illness, less complications, and even fewer deaths.

What illnesses and conditions respond well to spirituality?

Programs with a strong spiritual component, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), show that
spiritual disciplines may be especially effective for drug and alcohol addiction. The regular
practice of prayer and meditation is strongly associated with recovery and abstinence from
drugs.

Results from several studies indicate that people with strong religious and spiritual beliefs
heal faster from surgery, are less anxious and depressed, have lower blood pressure, and
cope better with chronic illnesses such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and
spinal cord injury.

One clinical study at Duke University found that people who attend regular religious services
tend to have better immune function. In another clinical study of 232 older adults
undergoing heart surgery, those who were religious were 3 times less likely to die within the
6 months after surgery than those who were not. Not one of the 37 people in this study who
described themselves as deeply religious died. Of course, the studies are not
comprehensive, and many people find help in spiritual resources for numerous conditions.

Can spirituality have a negative impact on health?

Some experts warn that religious beliefs can be harmful when they encourage excessive
guilt, fear, and lowered self-worth. Similarly, physicians should avoid advocating for
particular spiritual practices; this can be inappropriate, intrusive, and induce a feeling of
guilt or even harm if the implication is that ill health is a result of insufficient faith. It is also
important to note that spirituality does not guarantee health. Finally, there is the risk that
people may substitute prayer for medical care or that spiritual practice could delay the
receipt of necessary medical treatment.

How can I receive spiritual counseling when I am in the hospital?

Many hospitals have access to counselors from organized religions. If you would like spiritual
counseling or someone to pray with, ask your doctor to refer a counselor.

What is the future of spirituality in medical practice?

Many medical schools in the United States have included spiritual teachings in their
curricula. However, what role, if any, a doctor should play in assisting or guiding patients in
spiritual matters remains controversial. In addition, given that there appears to be a growing
belief in the connection between spirituality and health, scientists in this field feel that
research should begin to focus on assessing the validity of this connection, a better
understanding of why there is this connection, and how it works. There is also interesting
research emerging that evaluates the impact of religion and spirituality (both the child's and
the parents') on the health of children and adolescents.

• Reviewed last on: 9/28/2009


• Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD, Solutions Acupuncture, a private practice specializing in
complementary and alternative medicine, Phoenix, AZ. Review provided by VeriMed
Healthcare Network.

Holistic Nursing Theories and Models

Holist nursing is a specialty field that combines nursing knowledge, theory, intuition,
and experience as guidance for forming a partnership with the patient in order to
increase healing and promote health. The philosophy of holistic nursing is that every
human being is made up of mind, body, spirit, and emotion. A patient's physical,
spiritual, and psychological systems all work together, and each part affects the other.
As a result, the whole is seen as greater than the sum of its parts.

All aspects of the patient's life are included in assessment and intervention; culture,
society, background, environment, and relationships are all interrelated and work
together. Holistic nursing practice acknowledges and honors the patient's life
experiences and their health beliefs and values. All humans also affect each other, and
relationships exist globally between all humans.

Holistic nursing may use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) such as
acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, biofeedback, chiropractic medicine, dance
therapy, homeopathy, meditation, osteopathy, and yoga; as well as many other
treatment modalities. CAM is not a replacement for traditional medicine, but is used in
addition to traditional medicine to enhance healing, health, and well-being of patients.

Holistic nursing is seen as a way of being. Holistic nurses must personally develop high
levels of responsibility, self-care, reflection, and spirituality in their own lives. This
allows for self-awareness and an understanding of the relationship between nature,
spirit, others, and themselves. A liberal arts background also helps to provide a
framework for holistic nursing practice; the mind is expanded, critical thinking skills are
increased, and personal growth occurs.

Holistic Nursing Theories and Models

 Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain's Modeling and Role-Modeling


 Newman's Health as Expanding Consciousness
 Parse's Human Becoming Theory
 Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings

 Watson's Philosophy and Science of Caring

Question.—What is the difference between the mind, spirit and soul?

Answer.—It has been before explained that spirit is universally divided into five
categories: the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of faith,
and the Holy Spirit.

The vegetable spirit is the power of growth which is brought about in the seed through
the influence of other existences.

The animal spirit is the power of all the senses, which is realized from the composition
and mingling of elements; when this composition decomposes, the power also perishes
and becomes annihilated. It may be likened to this lamp: when the oil, wick and fire are
combined, it is lighted; and when this combination is dissolved—that is to say, when the
combined parts are separated from one another—the lamp also is extinguished.

The human spirit which distinguishes man from the animal is the rational soul, and
these two names—the human spirit and the rational soul—designate one thing. This
spirit, which in the terminology of the philosophers is the rational soul, embraces all
beings, and as far as human ability permits discovers the realities of things and
becomes cognizant of their peculiarities and effects, and of the qualities and properties
of beings. But the human spirit, unless assisted by the spirit of faith, does not become
acquainted with the divine secrets and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror which,
although clear, polished 209 and brilliant, is still in need of light. Until a ray of the sun
reflects upon it, it cannot discover the heavenly secrets.

But the mind is the power of the human spirit. Spirit is the lamp; mind is the light which
shines from the lamp. Spirit is the tree, and the mind is the fruit. Mind is the perfection
of the spirit and is its essential quality, as the sun’s rays are the essential necessity of
the sun.

This explanation, though short, is complete; therefore, reflect upon it, and if God wills,
you may become acquainted with the details.

('Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 207)

What Do We Mean by “Body-Mind-Soul-Spirit”?

Copyright (c) 1996 by Timothy Conway, Ph.D.

It is now becoming something of a cliché in various circles of modern life—from religion to


psychology to holistic medicine—to use the nifty phrase “body-mind-soul” or “body-mind-
spirit” when referring to our totality as a human being.

But what do we mean by this phrase? What is the “body”? What is the “mind”? What is
“soul”? And what is “spirit”? If we are not careful, each of these words can be used so
glibly that the wondrous reality denoted by each term is ignored and neglected.

I submit that we need a much fresher, deeper understanding of each component of


our totality so as to help us awaken from the somnambulist trance of ordinary,
unenlightened consciousness —lest we all fall into a limbo of mediocrity.

Let’s start with this aspect of ourselves we call “the body.” From the usual viewpoint, the
body is this fleshy, bony “thing” that we awaken to each morning. We wash it and brush its
teeth, we walk, drag or drive it around through the day to the various places we need to go,
we (hopefully) give it adequate exercise, we shovel (hopefully) healthy food and liquids into
it, we let it relieve itself of accumulated wastes. We might allow it various forms of pleasure
(ranging from nature walks to ecstatic dancing to massages and other delights, depending
on one’s fancies). Finally, we lay it down to rest at night in sleep. For too many doctors, the
body is coldly viewed as merely a biochemical machine, needing to be fixed when it breaks
down (usually by pumping drugs into it or invading it with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation
—such interventions often quite helpful, even life-saving, but also far too often an
inappropriate way of dealing with the roots of the problems). From a mercenary point of
view, the body is just a skinbag of water (comprising two-thirds of the body), plus carbon,
calcium and other materials, with an overall cash value of about $8.

But now, from a more “up close” biological viewpoint, the body is this utterly
marvelous, living assemblage of exquisite organ systems, whose simultaneous,
relatively-smooth functioning is a major miracle. Consider this: what is the fantastic
Power that fertilized a pinpoint-sized egg cell in mama’s womb and grew it for nine months
into a fetus—unfolding 10,000 generations of genetic memory, and differentiating this single
little cell into various kinds of cells such as muscle cells, nerve cells, blood cells, and so
forth? What is the Intelligent Power that then brought this organism from the womb into the
world, since which time it has grown from infancy into childhood into its present adult form
of about five or six feet tall, comprised of some 75 trillion cells for the average body (155
pounds)? Incidentally, the configuration of these approximately 75 trillion cells is rather
unusual: only about 3.4 trillion cells are tissue cells, and another 31.5 trillion cells are native
non-tissue cells, mainly in the form of erythrocyte red blood cells (~28.5 trillion), plus
platelet cells, white blood cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, and other reticuloendothelial
cells. Beyond all these native cells, our bodies contain, on average, about 40 trillion
foreign cells, mostly bacteria in our colon. As scientists like Robert Krulwich have pointed
out, "there are more bacteria in you than there is 'you' in you.... Aliens from outer space
might conclude that humans are just one big chain of microbe hotels."

Each of our native cells is on average 1/1000th inch in diameter, ranging from tiny platelets
and red blood cells to much larger neurons, some of which are huge. Each of these cells is
awash in a sea of water inside and outside, with a miraculous membrane of phospholipids.
Each cell is made of a number of atoms equalling approximately 10 to the 27th power--one
thousand million million million million! Each cell makes some 2,000 proteins per second—
and, given that each protein is comprised of a few hundred amino acids—we see that each
cell is selecting 500,000 amino acids per second, organizing them, joining them, checking
them, and shipping them.

And of the various kinds of cells, consider the electrically excitable nerve cells or neurons,
the core components of our brains, spinal cords, and peripheral nerves. Running through the
body are a million miles of nerves (each made of vast numbers of neurons), a total length 40
times the circumference of the earth. Some 200 billion neurons are found transmitting
information in our central and peripheral nervous systems. The brain alone has ~100 billion
neurons. Our body's neurons mostly process information either in an outgoing or incoming
direction, with many neurons in the brain functioning interneuronally in both directions. Each
neuron has from 1 to over 1,000 dendrite "branches" and axon protrusions culminating in
synapses, across which "synaptic gap" flow a variety of neurotransmitter chemicals to the
receptors of other neurons. (We have up to 500 trillion connecting synapses in our central
and peripheral nervous systems.) These neurons and their neurotransmitter chemicals allow
us, along with the mystery of consciousness (see below), to receive various sensations
(sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile and kinesthetic sensations, sense of balance, etc.),
build up perceptions out of these sensations, experience emotions, make value judgments,
think thoughts, contemplate plans, store and retrieve memories, and enact motor behaviors
with the body.

On another level of the body, what is this Intelligent Power that is right now beating my
heart, pumping blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels (roughly 55 million gallons
pumped in a lifetime), oxygenating tissues, growing hair, digesting food (despite the “junky”
food one might choose), eliminating wastes, managing the 22 internal organs,
growing/renewing 600+ muscles and 206 bones, operating the lymphatic system, and so on
ad gloriam Dei?

Biologists, chemists and physicists know that this wondrous body is composed of, as
mentioned, some 75 trillion cells, each in turn composed of various molecular substances
such as DNA and RNA which, in turn, are composed of zillions of atoms (circa 10 to the 27th
power) which are composed of countless subatomic “particles” which need to be more
accurately designated “wavicles” because they are mysteriously both discrete and also
diffused in spacetime (defying all Western logic). Moreover, modern physics has shown us
over this last century that the atoms which constitute our bodies are largely
(99.9999999999999%) composed of empty space! On the bodily, physical level, we are a
play of light, more akin to dreamlike no-things than “solid somethings.”
--------

Turning to that aspect of ourselves we call “the mind,” we find the psyche actually ranges
from “lower mind” computational functions all the way through the “higher mind” function
we might call the “soul.” The former, which can be categorized as the “normal mind,”
consists in 1) perceptions which organize raw bodily sensations due to various kinds of bio-
electro-magnetic vibrations into familiar entities such as recognizable colors, sounds, tactile
and kinesthetic sensation, smells and tastes, movements, processes, places, objects,
persons, etc.; 2) scanning for relevant, meaningful data in one’s environment or within one’s
own memory banks or reservoir of knowledge; 3) value judgments and emotional reactions
—the former basically dividing good-bad, appropriate-inappropriate, the latter dividing into
emotional charges associated with like and dislike, attachments and aversions, and all the
permutations thereof: joy, elation, euphoria, delight, fear, anger, shame, guilt, envy,
jealousy, trauma, shock; 4) memories of a constructed past; 5) anticipations of an expected
future; 6) abstract “philosophical” concepts about the world and the meaning of certain
events; 7) linguistic mental processing structured by grammar and syntax, deployed either
to speak or understand speech; 8) mathematical mental processing; 9) dreaming,
daydreaming, fantasizing, modeling, planning or creative “channeling” of new ideas.

Associated with both the lower mind and higher mind (see below) are some rather
wondrous, "extraordinarily ordinary" powers of consciousness that most folks simply take
for granted. For instance:

• Neuroscientists (psycho-physiologists) are entirely unable to satisfactorily account for the


subjective, “phenomenological” experience of seeing color, hearing sound and music, and
feeling emotional states such as “love,” “happiness,” “sadness”—merely in terms of
neuronal processes in the brain. Such physiological states can be correlated with these
subjective experiences, but descriptions of physiological events cannot adequately account
for the extremely vivid immediacy and emotional richness of these “noetic” experiences.
This phenomenon—better to say “noumenon”—fascinated the eminent Canadian brain
surgeon Wilder Penfield, who raised these philosophical issues back in the 1970s, issues that
have never been adequately accounted for by neuroscientists, asserts a contemporary
philosopher of science and consciousness, David Chalmers.

• Notice how mysterious it is that efferent impulses are initiated and enacted, such as
suddenly having the mental idea, “I am going to move my left hand,” and then executing
this as an actual physical movement of the hand in a feat of, literally, “mind over matter.”
The late Roger Sperry and Sir John Eccles, Nobel laureates and fathers of the modern field of
neuroscience, always reminded their reductionist colleagues in the field (from Francis Crick
to Daniel Dennett, et al.) that we don’t have a clue how such efferent impulses are launched
in the “silent area” of the neo-cortex. There is simply no satisfactory way of explaining these
initiatory mental events in physiological terms. Again, there may be neuronal correlates for
these mental events, but it is foolish to claim that the brain matter itself launches the
efferent impulses.

• Notice the strange, wondrous ability to switch attention from one sensory or cognitive
input to another. For example, you can switch your auditory focus from one sound to
another sound. This is the “cocktail party phenomenon”: you can inwardly “elect” to listen to
one conversation over another and then switch back and forth if you choose. Or notice how
you are able to switch your kinesthetic focus from one body sensation to another, say, from
sensations in your left hand to those in your right hand. Such subjective switching occurs
through a mysterious inner “attuning” process whereby you suddenly isolate one input as
“figure” while all the other massive sensory information instantly becomes “background.”
But precisely how do you do this? No neuroscientist has the faintest clue how you initiate
these changes, though scientists can observe with their PET-scan technology various parts
of the brain lighting up when you do this.

• The multi-faceted phenomenon of memory continues to be quite mysterious in important


aspects of both storage and retrieval, for both short-term “working” memory and long-term
memory. For instance, despite recent findings that regions of the bilateral parahippocampal
cortex and pre-frontal cortex are involved in encoding sensations, experiences and ideas
into lasting memory, no one “knows yet what prompts the greater mental activity that
seems to cement something in memory. We don’t know the source of those small
differences in neural activity,” as one science journalist has observed.

• Witness the positive and negative effects that mental visualizations and intentions can
have on biochemical processes in the human body, especially neuropeptides and the
immune system. This anomaly has ushered in an entire field, psychoneuroimmunology, or
PNI; also known as “mind-body medicine.” This is, truly, another form of “mind over matter.”

• Most recently it has become clear that our minds are synchronized, with brain cells
flickering in time with a regular electrical oscillation or gamma wave, occurring among
widely dispersed neuron cells throughout the brain with no apparent spatial pattern, and
much too rapidly to be explained by far slower neurochemical reactions. Moreover, these
gamma waves issue from each neuron's supposed "inputs," not its output areas, and there
are inter-neuronal interconnections among these gamma-producing "inputs/outputs,"
suggesting the existence of an altogether different set of neuronal networks than our
longstanding brain maps show; hence, current brain maps cannot explain consciousness.
Finally, as Stuart Hameroff argues, trillions of computations per second are occurring in the
extensive circuitry of the micro-tubule "scaffolding" that underpins each neuron, meaning
that the brain's processing speed is likely 10 to the 28th power operations per second, fully
a trillion times faster than is generally thought.

• The bottom line is that almost nothing is known about how our brains “produce”
consciousness. The idea that neuroscientists are just several years away from explaining
consciousness in terms of material brain processes, or anywhere close to creating “self-
aware” or even just “sentient” robots through a successful Artificial Intelligence (AI)
program-- is utter fantasy.

(Note: the above section on powers of consciousness is adapted and excerpted from my
larger essay on Consciousness, posted at the Science & Spirituality section of this website;
see that original article for more anomalies and for endnote references.)

-------

Now, there is a “higher-mind” or what might be called the psychic “soul” aspect to our
personality or consciousness which deserves to be distinguished out from the “normal” or
“lower” mind. Some of this entails simply going more deeply into aforementioned aspects of
certain normal mind functions, such as delving so deeply into memories that, with or without
the aid of hypnosis, one taps into full-blown past-life memories. Or else going so deeply with
certain kind of creative visualization and/or creative channeling that one begins to access
information from paranormal psi sources in what has been termed ESP or extra-sensory
perception. This can take the form of remote viewing (“seeing” distant places, without the
use of eyeballs and normal light-refraction off visible objects), telepathy, clairvoyance,
precognition (“knowing aspects of the future”), retrocognition (“knowing aspects of the
past”), discernment of discarnate “subtle-plane” personalities (ancestors, ghosts, devas,
spirit guides), etc.
At this higher-mind or psychic level it becomes obvious that we are each more than just a
distinct, discrete “bodymind”—rather, we are soul personalities that evidently don’t ever
die and can have access to states of “nonlocal consciousness” that deliver paranormal forms
of information about other places on earth, other planets, other (subtler) planes or realms of
being, other time-periods for these locales, and so forth. And, along with this paranormal
power of knowing or information-collecting can come paranormal powers of doing such as
healing and remotely influencing beings, objects, the weather, destiny—either for the better
or worse. This last area, of course, is the domain of white magic or black magic.

As souls, we are capable of a much wider array of experiences than when we are identified
merely with bodily and (lower) mental aspects of being. We can associate with multiple
levels of manifestation, from the earth planes to the highest heavens, and all kinds of subtle
realms in between—pleasant or unpleasant.

--------

Beyond the dynamics and manifestation of body-mind-soul is Spirit or Open Awareness. If


we are to use the word carefully and strictly in a meaningful way, in line with what so much
of the Perennial Wisdom “Great Traditions” would suggest, we can say that Spirit is the
domain of authentic spirituality, beyond mind and magic, beyond space-time, beyond
structure and parts, beyond energies, no matter how subtle, celestial or heavenly, and
beyond any form of egocentricity or selfishness.

The various Perennial Wisdom Traditions would say that Spirit is none other than the God-
Self, Absolute Awareness, Transpersonal Consciousness, Atman-Brahman (Self-Reality),
Buddhata (Buddha-nature), Shunyata (Openness-Emptiness), Dharmakaya (Truth Body), Tao
(Source/Way), Purusha (Divine Person). This is the Divine Self-Nature, the “I Am That Am,”
sheer Isness-Aliveness-Awareness, what Hindu Vedanta tradition calls Absolute Being-
Awareness-Bliss (Sat-Cit-Ananda), what Jewish mysticism terms the Ain Sof (Ein Soph,
Boundless Divine No-thing), what Muslim Sufi mystics call al-Haqq (the Divine Truth) or Dhat
(Absolute Essence).

Being truly Absolute, nondual or non-relative, there is only one Spirit or Awareness
here, Infinite and Eternal. This is the One Spirit that wondrously, magnificently conjures up
the cosmic play of multiple phenomena, the one Spirit that dreams this Divine Dream of a
universe. This Spirit, in truth, is the One Actor playing all the “soul-roles,” the One Self
displaying as all selves, the One Being manifesting in the disguise of all beings.

In sum, while there are many souls, there is only this one, nondual Self or Spirit or Divine
Reality, call this whatever you wish.

That this God-Self or Buddha-Nature can emanate a world of such endless variety—from the
subatomic quarks to the periodic table of chemical elements to complex molecules to living
cells to large cell-clusters-in-the-form-of-organs to the bodies composed thereof (from
worms to whales to humans) to the various conscious minds and souls associated with these
bodies—what a wonder! What a fantastic, amazing wonder!

Let all body-mind-souls praise this single, nondual God-Self from Whom all blessings flow
and from Whom all beautiful and bewildering manifestations emanate. Allelujah!
Alhamdulillah! Jaya Jagadeesha Hare!

Body, Soul and Spirit


Dear Ken,

I have been studying in the book of Hebrews on Wednesday evening and came across an
interesting passage. My question is on Hebrews 4:8-13; in particular verse 12. In verse 12 it
speaks of the division of soul and spirit. Before reading this passage I had been under the
impression that the soul and spirit were one in the same, but this has me a bit stumpted.
Would you like to take a shot and offer commentary on this passage (Hebrews 4:8-13)? In
the past I have found your comments most helpful and your site an encouragement. Once
again, I thank you.

Jonathan

Several words speak of the "inner man" including soul (life), spirit, mind or heart. Spirit and
Mind are almost always used interchangeably. Or they are connected so that we understand
that the phrase "Spirit of the Mind." God is pure or Holy Spirit: that means WHOLLY SPIRIT.
Otherwise, the Spirit OF God is the mental disposition of God. As we will see the Holy Spirit is
to God what our spirit is to us. As we look at First Corinthians chapter two we will see the
punch line: WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.

The Book of Romans has many parallels between MIND and SPIRIT and it is a fact that Paul
nevr speaks of the Holy Spirit as a separated being from Father or Son. He speaks of the
Spirit OF God or the Spirit OF Christ or he speaks of OUR spirit in contrast to OUR flesh. Look
here for Romans and Look Here for many more Spirit-Mind parallels. The Romans link
will lead you to many chapters.

Well, Jonathan, here are some comments off the top of the head. First, let's quote the verse.
Paul said that:

For the word of God is quick (zao alive), and powerful (energized or effective), and sharper
(decisive at a single blow) than any twoedged (This is symbolic of thesuperior mouth of Jesus
Rev 1:16) sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The usual formulation is of a three-fold or "triune" nature of mankind who is made in the
nature of the One God Who is not a simple puff of wind (spirit) but fulfills a complex task:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1
Thessalonians 5:23

Soul is from the Greek:

Psuche (g5590) psoo-khay'; from 5594; breath, i.e. (by impl.) spirit, abstr. or concr.

(the animal sentient principle only;

thus distinguished on the one hand from

4151 (Spirit), which is the rational and immortal soul;


and on the other from 2222 (Zao or Zoe), which is mere vitality, even of plants: these
terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Heb. [5315, 7306 and 2416]): - heart (/
-ily), life, mind, soul, / us, / you.

However, it seems to me that this "life principle" is something which survives death:

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Mt.10:28

We might conclude that the body is the "machinery" much like that of animals. However, the
soul is also used of a form of life at a higher level. The life is that which includes the brain
and propels the body and gives it power to move and do the bidding of the mind.

The Hebrew for soul is:

Nephesh (h5315) neh'-fesh; from 5314; prop. a breathing creature, i. e. animal or (abstr.)
vitality; used very widely in a lit., accommodated or fig. sense (bodily or mental): - any,
appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, * dead (-ly), desire, * [dis-] contented, * fish, ghost, /
greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, * jeopardy of) life (* in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,
one, own, person, pleasure, (her- , him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, / slay, soul, /
tablet, they, thing, (* she) will, * would have it.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath (intellect) of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

This means that man is like an animal but more than an animal.

Spirit, however, also seems to say something about the soul:

Pneuma (g4151) pnyoo'-mah; from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by
analogy. or fig. a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by impl.) vital principle, mental
disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, doemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy
Spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Comp. 5590.

You will notice that Strong compares Pneuma to Psuche showing the connection. My own
feeling is that we have a body. A lot of our body is regulated by automatic control with
"brain-like" control locally regulating it.

That body is "intellectually powered" by a brain (still physical machinery) and this is the
soul or life principle which survives death as the body goes back to the dust. On the other
hand, the "third member of the trinity" of man made in God's image is spirit or the mental
disposition of the soul. An animal has body and some form of "life" but we have no
evidence that it has the "spirit" or mental disposition to identify with God. A carnal person
has a body and a soul but their spirit is not disposed toward God and His Word.

The Hebrew for "spirit" or "Spirit" is:

Ruwach (h7307) roo'-akh, roo'-akh; from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i. e. a sensible
(or even violent exhalation; fig. life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extens. a region of the sky;
by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (includ. its expression and functions): - air,
anger, blast, breath, * cool, courage, mind, * quarter, * side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, * vain,
([whirl-]) wind (-y).
I believe that the first time "spirit" is used of mankind is in connection with Joseph and it
meant that he had the wisdom to save the Egyptians and Hebrews from a seven-year
famine.

And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the
Spirit of God is? Ge.41:38

This does not mean (I think) that Joseph had a third member of the Godhead living inside of
him. It meant that he had been given something more than human intelligence in order to
solve the famine problem. He was normal body, normal soul and more than normal spirit
enlightened by God Who is Holy or pure Spirit.

The men who had God's "spirit" to help build the tabernacle simply had a super supply of
know-how to perform all of the tasks in the wilderness which might have been commonplace
in a developed city with a foundary.

I think that Paul was comparing soul and spirit to joints and marrow because you can't have
one without the other. Joints and bones are the mechanical things which allow us to move
and obey the brain. These can be replaced with metal. However, the marrow is the "life
giving" part of the bones which supply blood to keep the "human" parts of us alive.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26

I know that these terms tend to overlap and you cannot always "cut them apart" but it is
encouraging that both our God-given spirit which He put into us, as well as the soul or the
life-consciousness will survive if we are faithful but can be destroyed if we are not.

It might also help to understand that because we are created in the image of God (imaged
in His mind before created) we have human "parts" of body, soul and Spirit. In explaining the
nature of God we understand that the Word delivered through Lord Jesus Christ is the Spirit
of God or the Mind of Christ. (John 6:63):

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?

even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (which is in Him
figuratively). 1 Corinthians 2:11

Christ said that his words were "Spirit and Life." Therefore, when He speaks or we read what
He spoke we are given knowledge directly from God. In our creation all mankind has "spirit"
directly from God and this is the human part which is, or can be, receptive to Spirit or Truth
from Him:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we
might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12

Which things also we speak, not in the words which mans wisdom (from his body and soul)
teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1 Corinthians
2:13

To deny that Christ can transfer "Spirit" in the form of knowledge into our "spirit" through
the spoken or written Word is to deny that Christ is God.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually (figuratively) discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually (figuratively)
is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:8

The natural man is:

Psuchikos (g5591) psoo-khee-kos'; from 5590; sensitive, i.e. animate (in distinction on the
one hand from 4152, which is the higher or renovated nature; and on the other from 5446,
which is the lower or bestial nature): - natural, sensual.

But he that is spiritual (non-human part of us) judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
no man. 1 Corinthians 2:15

Spiritual is:

Pneumatikos (g4152) pnyoo-mat-ik-os'; from 4151; non-carnal, i.e. (humanly) ethereal (as
opposed to gross), or (daemoniacally) a spirit (concr.), or divinely supernatural, regenerate,
religious: - spiritual. Comp. 5591.

A spiritual person "Judgeth all things." This is defined as:

Anakrino (g350) an-ak-ree'-no; from 303 and 2919; prop. to scrutinize, i.e. (by impl.)
investigate, interrogate, determine: - ask, question, discern, examine, judge, search.

The Bereans were more "well born" or aristocratic than the Thessalonicans because they
judged everything or questioned it:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts
17:11

Paul then completes his definition of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of
Christ as the Mind of Christ:

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the
mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

So, we have it: God reveals His Spirit through the Mind of Christ. For our part, if we have
risen above just the animal level, are spiritually minded. And if we are spiritually minded
then we are receptive to the Holy Spirit or the Mind of Christ; the proof of that nature is that
we hunger and thirst for knowledge to "fill up" our spirit with God's Spirit.
While we believe that the Words of Christ say exactly what He wanted to say; and "the
words mean what they say," that "spiritual" truth cannot be comprhended totally by the
human "brain" but must be understood by the deep, supernatural part God put into every
human being to develop or die. Because that spirit is invisible and incomprehensible to us,
God's Spirit is revealed through the Mind of Christ. Jesus Christ speaks to us through
parables or figurative language to hide the truth from the purely mind- or carnal-nature.

God lives in a Spirit dimension and we live in a secular or carnal dimension. A "freight
train" from another dimension might now be rushing through my body but I couldn't know it.
And God "is not far from us" but I cannot see, feel, taste, smell or hear Him. It is grotesque
to try to "call God down to land on our dance team" or use musical worship teams to move
the "worshippers into the presence of God."

God has already laid aside His "Spiritual" garments and put on the "body" of a human being.
As a result He lives in both dimensions like a Gate, Door or Mediator.

Only by having the Mind of Christ and being "baptized into His body" is it possible for us to
move our citizenship from the physical dimension into the spiritual dimension.

And only by looking into or through the Mind of Christ can we look through the narrow, tiny
door into the Spirit world and think in Spiritual terms.

But how can I know when this happens? I believe that it happens when unspeakable
disgust sweeps over you like a storm when you see people doing labor-intensive work
trying to "ascend" to force Christ to come down or "descend" trying to bring Him alive again.
Refusing to "go into all the world" by calling the non-seekers into a musical performance
"made in their image" is a sign of laziness or lostness.

Like the Bereans, you become "aristocrats" in the kingdom of God when you test, question,
examine and digest the Words of Christ like a hungry person consumes food and water.

Jesus said that He hid these "pearls of great price" in parables or figurative (spiritual)
language "from the very beginning." He laid out two predestinated paths from the very
beginning. If you reject the fun and games and search for Him He will be there and the end
of the path is spiritual life. If we decide that "rituals" are necessary for us to manipulate God
we reject His grace and the determined end is spiritual death.

At some time or event most of us make this fateful choice of whether we will live as a carnal
being or a spiritual being devoted to the search for truth. From that decision God seems to
decide how to speak to us:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Matthew 13:10

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Matthew 13:12

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Matthew 13:11

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand. Matthew 13:13
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: Matthew 13:14

The clergy and those who put their trust in human teachers did not have the "machinery" to
grasp spiritual truth and Jesus said that if they won't hear the pure gospel then you need to
move fast and shake the dust from your feet because "the works of human hands" do not
have the power to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear."

All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he
not unto them: Matthew 13:34

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in
parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the
world. Matthew 13:35

To put the focus upon "body" worship means that we have decided not to follow Jesus and
He sends us strong delusions (2 Thessalonians 2:11) and does not speak to us anymore.
When we see the "body" in action trying to reach God or to call Him down we can know that
this is not a "spiritual" band of people.

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