Week 5: Rethinking the Western Health Services

Week 5: Rethinking the Western Health Services
ASA 189B
Franchesca Flores

Photo from "Course Excerpt: Transpersonal Counseling and Healing" by Kristé Sprague from University of Metaphysical Sciences 

When re-thinking the Western Health Services, it starts to become controversial, as seen in the documentary Big Pharma, since doctors are trying to work as fast as they can, and with efficiency sometimes all they feel that they can do is prescribe some medication and watch how it plays out with the patient. In the review, “You are Here” by Parameshwaran Ramakrishnan, they explain the aspects involved with spiritual health and how to assist spiritual healers in the current medical field. In the medical field, Ramakrishnan explains that spirituality can be found in two different departments, complementary and alternative medicine. Similar to other practices of physical and mental health, there is a program and process that assists people in “transcending their ‘self’” called, chaplaincy. The chaplaincy process assists people in mindful-based meditation. The process helps people develops skills in self-awareness, which further improves deep-listening skills that allows one to be empathetic in their surroundings, but most importantly with themselves. In order for the topic of spirituality to be a part of the medical field, students are trained in chaplain’s model that focuses on “transpersonal-mindfulness/empathy” that was founded by the neurophysiological principles.  

I think that spirituality integrated into the medical field would reduce the amount of mental illnesses that are being founded in the DSM. Which is why I feel that the topic becomes controversial because the drug industry rules the psychology department. With that said, the question I want to pose is, do you think that the chaplain’s model is the most appropriate for the topic of spirituality?