Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Expanding our definition of spiritual competence

Eric Nelson
Conditions
June 30, 2017
295 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

The first thing I remember as I regained consciousness, lying in a hospital emergency room, was hearing a nurse ask my mom if I was allergic to any foods. With my eyes still closed, I said, “asparagus,” thinking this might reduce the chances of anyone serving me what was then a dreaded vegetable.

“Asparagus,” repeated the nurse, making a note on my admission form.

And then, with a chuckle and what must have been a great sense of relief to see me alert, Mom said, “He’s not allergic to anything; he just doesn’t like asparagus. Obviously, nothing has happened to his sense of humor.”

I was 15 years old and had just been airlifted off the side of a mountain after sliding nearly a thousand feet down an ice- and rock-covered chute. By the time I came to a stop, my body had taken quite a beating. My pelvis was shattered; my leg was broken in two; my face was pretty banged up; and as I would later find out, there was some internal bleeding.

Obviously, there was a lot of work to do in order to put me back together. Little did I know, however, that it would be what Mom said about my apparently unscathed sense of humor that would provide the first line of defense against what my doctors predicted would be a long and uncertain recovery.

Given my religious upbringing, I understood the deeper meaning of Mom’s comment. As far back as I can remember she had this remarkable ability to see past whatever scrape I’d gotten myself into and detect something of my spiritual substance. In fact, it was this substance that Mom recognized during that brief and seemingly inconsequential exchange with the nurse that helped me to see the same thing, and in so doing, to alleviate my fear.

This was the start of my healing process.

Nowadays those working in the medical profession might use the term “spiritual competence” to describe what Mom did — a particular set of skills usually associated with chaplains and clergy but now widely accepted by most medical schools in the U.S. as something that can and should be encouraged in doctors and nurses as well, at least to some extent.

Having given presentations on the subject at the last two Stanford Medicine X conferences, I’m aware of the debate over the necessity, appropriateness, and value of folding the study of such competencies into the medical curriculum. I’m also aware, based on personal experience, of the need for a broader definition of the subject itself.

Within a medical context, spiritual competence generally refers to a health care professional’s capacity to take into account something other than a patient’s physical symptoms, sometimes but not always involving questions related to spirituality and religion. “What do I need to know about you as a person to give you the best care possible?” asks Dr. Harvey Chochinov, Director of the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit, a question he’s found tends to reveal the “invisible” factors impacting his patients’ health, without crossing any lines of impropriety.

But for me, spiritual competence involves so much more, even the ability to discern, through prayer, my genuine individuality as an expression of Spirit itself. It’s this kind of prayer that time, and again I’ve found to be an effective means of achieving not only better mental and physical health, but better relationships, a more balanced disposition, and a greater appreciation for the Divine. “True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection,” writes Mary Baker Eddy. “Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith [God] loves us.”

Of course, there are those who might wonder how this works for someone like me who is accustomed to relying on prayer in lieu of conventional medicine for his health; someone who, through no choice of his own, happened to have found himself in a hospital.

Looking back, I don’t recall there being anything but a spirit of cooperation in terms of the hospital staff’s accommodation of my approach to healing — a testament, I think, to their own sense of spiritual competence. While my parents and I respected the concerns and recommendations of my doctors, they, in turn, respected our religious convictions and preferences to the extent their professional responsibilities permitted.

I remember one afternoon when one of my doctors insisted that I have immediate surgery to repair my pelvis. X-rays showed that the bones weren’t knitting together as well as he had hoped and the plan was to insert a plate. My parents and I asked if, instead of immediate surgery, we might take the rest of the afternoon and evening to pray about the situation. My doctor agreed but said that he would still plan on coming by in the morning to prep for an operation.

The next day, new X-rays were taken which showed significant improvement. Instead of carting me off to the operating room, my doctor made plans for me to be released from the hospital.

There were other healings that took place along the way. On one occasion during an operation to stop my internal bleeding, my doctor ended up finding nothing wrong. As one of the members of the surgical team put it, “Someone must have gotten in there before us.” And within a relatively short time, every scratch and scar on my face had healed over without any medical intervention. I might add that after my initial surgery and throughout my stay in the hospital, I was not given, nor did I require, any pain medication.

Within four months of my returning home, I was leading my high school marching band in a parade. Since that time, nearly 40 years ago, I haven’t suffered any after effects and have continued to participate in a variety of athletic activities, including long-distance biking.

While I am deeply appreciative of what my doctors did for me, I can’t help but think back to that moment when I first arrived at the hospital when Mom said, in essence, “I see something in you that perhaps you’re having trouble seeing and feeling right now” — that “something” being my innate and indestructible spiritual essence. More than anything else, it was this extraordinary expression of divine insight — of true spiritual competence — that paved the way for healing.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that asparagus is now one of my favorite vegetables — a side effect, I suppose, of God’s great and ironic sense of humor.

Eric Nelson is the spokesperson, Christian Science in Northern California. He can be reached at his self-titled site, Eric Nelson.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

10 strategies to try when you're sick of being sick

June 30, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

Where physician and mother meet

June 30, 2017 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
10 strategies to try when you're sick of being sick
Next Post >
Where physician and mother meet

More by Eric Nelson

  • The value of a spiritually competent doctor

    Eric Nelson

Related Posts

  • The expanding role of specialists in value-based care

    Martin Lustick, MD
  • Expanding coverage and cutting health care costs: ideas for 2018

    Cedric Dark, MD, MPH
  • Expanding health care access and equity through telehealth

    Gjanje L. Smith, MD, MPH, Wanneh A. Dixon, and Maria Phillips, JD
  • Qualifying conditions for medical marijuana

    Patricia Frye
  • Settlements in the opioid cases need these non-negotiable conditions

    Rosanne Aulino, RN
  • What does Kelly Loeffler’s health plan do to coverage for preexisting conditions?

    Robert Laszewski

More in Conditions

  • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Embracing life’s purpose in the face of inevitable death

    Michael Brant-Zawadzki, MD
  • From ICU to kidney mass: a nurse’s journey of fear

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN
  • Intravenous immunoglobulin for gastroparesis: What happened to me

    Maria Jay
  • Save time with these 4 charting tips

    Erica Dorn, FNP
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • The dark role of science, medicine, and tasers

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • From fishing licenses to gun control

      Mitch Bruss, MD | Policy
    • Decoding AI hallucinations in health care: Embracing a new era of medical innovation

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How generative AI will upend the doctor-patient relationship

      Robert Pearl, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • The erosion of compassion in medicine

      Daniel Luger, MD | Education
    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor struggles to provide mental health care in Appalachia

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Breaking free from metric shaming [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physicians are burned out. Could entrepreneurship be a cure?

      Arun Mohan, MD, MBA | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Inspections of Foreign Drug Manufacturers Haven't Bounced Back After Pandemic
  • Is Omitting Radiation Therapy in Low-Risk Breast Cancer a Good IDEA?
  • Kidney Disease in Pregnancy Often Overlooked for Care
  • Got Raw Milk?
  • ChatGPT Takes on the Neuro Boards

Meeting Coverage

  • Is Omitting Radiation Therapy in Low-Risk Breast Cancer a Good IDEA?
  • Study Supports ADC as a New Option for Endocrine-Resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer
  • Maintenance Pembrolizumab-Olaparib Fails to Boost Survival in TNBC
  • Mobile Unit Preferred for Buprenorphine Access
  • Study 'Underscores' Value of Early Fertility Counseling for Breast Cancer Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • The dark role of science, medicine, and tasers

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • From fishing licenses to gun control

      Mitch Bruss, MD | Policy
    • Decoding AI hallucinations in health care: Embracing a new era of medical innovation

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How generative AI will upend the doctor-patient relationship

      Robert Pearl, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medicare coverage saves lives. Enrolling shouldn’t be this complicated.

      Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Emergency department burnout: a cry for change

      Anonymous | Conditions
    • The erosion of compassion in medicine

      Daniel Luger, MD | Education
    • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

      Christopher Habig, MBA | Policy
    • Pain medicine realities: beyond the opioid crisis

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD and Stephen E. Nadeau, MD | Conditions
    • What we have to gain from weight loss drugs

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Navigating life’s crossroads: Change, accept, or leave [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A doctor struggles to provide mental health care in Appalachia

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Burnout on the U.S.S. Enterprise

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Conditions
    • The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Breaking free from metric shaming [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physicians are burned out. Could entrepreneurship be a cure?

      Arun Mohan, MD, MBA | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...