The importance of Integrating Spirituality into Healthcare

At the moment we are in the middle of a project with a group of hospitals in Ireland.  It is a brilliant project to integrate spirituality into healthcare.  We have been using some material from JF’s Values in Healthcare – a Spiritual Approach, and other material that we use on the Wisborough Conscious Leadership Programmes.  We married the material from both of these programmes so that the senior nurse managers could work on integrating spirituality into healthcare at many different levels; that of personal and spiritual development, and organisational development.

There are many ways to Integrate Spirituality into Healthcare

The group were able to deeply explore how spirituality is, or could be, practically integrated into their work as managers, into patient care, and into the organisational ethos.  They were able to draw up network and commitment maps to plan how to take their ideas and practises forward.  These ranged from “recognising and nurturing the spirituality in myself and others”, changing care planning meetings for residents, introducing ideas about spirituality into education, responding more appropriately with support, compassion and co-operation, to “I’m going to explore values and qualities with my team”.

 Here are some comments from delegates:

·         I hadn’t realised that the everyday things I did and practised had so many values.

·         I now have permission to restore myself.

·         I can now have conversations about spirituality with my colleagues.

·         It has been energising, informative and very powerful.

·         Wonderful and exciting days.

·         Your professional and gentle facilitation and presence is very impressive and inspiring.

·         I felt safe in the group.  It was very easy to build relationships and work with others in the group.

·         The spirituality fascinated me.  It’s in everyday life but I had never seen it.

·         As humans we are capable of deep connection.

Integrate Spirituality into Your Workplace

If you work in a health service or residential care setting we would be delighted to explore how we could work together to integrate spirituality into your workplace setting.  We would be willing to do an initial project with you for only fifty percent of our normal fee as we are passionate about sowing seeds like this to raise the level of compassionate care for both staff and patients everywhere.

Facilitating a Retreat in India. 

We recently went to India and had a great time.  We were facilitating a Conference/Retreat with the Janki Foundation for Global Healthcare.  We haven’t been to India before and so the whole trip was very exciting.  The theme of the Conference/Retreat for Healthcare professionals was “Integrating Spirituality into Healthcare.

Although the event was international with clinicians and managers from Africa, Europe, America, and Australia, the largest group came from India, and they had asked us to introduce them to some of the adult learning concepts we have used on previous Conference/Retreats.  So, we included several creative sessions, some group dialogues, open space sessions, and, of course, visualisations and meditations. 

Meditation and Mindfulness 

The conference was a great success with people deepening their own personal insights, as well as taking back ideas to implement in their own practice with patients, and in their organisations.  The main learning for us was seeing how some hospitals had integrated complementary therapies and meditation teaching into patient healthcare plans.

 It was affirming to see that meditation and mindfulness which are included in all our leadership programmes are being used in healthcare as well as organisational development.

 If you would like to know more about the Janki Foundation for Global Healthcare go to or if you would know more about how we could help you mindfulness in your work call (44) 01798 872 266 or email info@wisborough.com headed “mindfulness at work”  or go to contact us.

We were involved with an International Healthcare Dialogue entitled THE SPIRIT OF HEALTHCARE ~ EXPLORING THE INTEGRATION OF SPIRITUALITY IN HEALTHCARE that was held in Australia from Thursday 22 March - Sunday 25 March 2012. There were 69 participants from all states of Australia together with several international guests from New Zealand, USA, UK and Cambodia. The dialogue followed an Appreciative Inquiry format and utilised facilitative methodologies such as Open Space, Talking Stick and Global Café. There was time for silence and meditation as well as for planning how to carry ideas forward.

Here are some quotes from the Conference

“Sixty four percent of patients believe that spiritual beliefs help them with emotional pain although only ten percent of staff believe this.”

“Spirituality is not just chemical changes in the brain but a transcendent experience for the client and or practitioner. I need to focus myself as a spiritual being – what energy should I be giving to them? Connecting as a spiritual being may not be giving a tablet, but giving love through spiritual connection.”

“By maintaining my own spirituality I can help others to maintain their own integrity. This does not mean imposing my own ideas on others. We need to learn to ask questions to enable people to bring up deeper issues without imposing our own beliefs.”

“Sometimes the system is supportive, protects and facilitates, however people get trapped in the system, both health professionals and patients/clients. If you push against the system it makes it push back and gives it energy-. We need to be clear about what we want without using force. It is not always about challenge but about personal power.”

“The biomedical model is strong in the development of community doctors. There is a basic but limited focus on treating the whole person. A break through is needed so that spirituality is raised in the training, ‘What is spirituality and how can it be used in the future?’ The patients see so many practitioners for different things, but with spiritual connectedness it is possible to gain an appreciation of the whole person in a short time.”

“There are challenges involved in bringing spirituality into the work place. It requires discipline of self and not just being present physically, but maintaining spirituality at the same time as working. This is especially important at times of chaos.”

As a healthcare manager what do you think? How do you help people within your organisation integrate spirituality into their work, both with patients and each other?

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