Ziqi Yin - Week 6

Ziqi Yin - Week 6

In the changing modern world, science is acknowledging the role of spirituality in restoring health. Complimentary medical interventions like clinical chaplaincy, meditation, phenomenology, embodied care, and other religious-theological interventions have proved effective in improving clinical outcomes. However, Ramakrishnan assumed the challenges associated with his dichotomous thinking on the increasing relevance of spirituality in medicine. Despite the efforts to initiate physician chaplaincy programs to enhance spiritual care, obtaining the required spiritual skills requires more than formal education. To derive the benefits from spiritual care, the chaplain needs spiritual mentoring by experienced religious scholars. As most physicians and nurses have limited time to engage in lengthy prayers and meditation to receive divine revelations and communication from the spirit realm., Ramakrishnan’s clinical chaplaincy model is unlikely to achieve the desired spiritual healing outcomes. Despite the shortcomings of the spiritual care model proposed in the article, application of transcultural nursing concepts like shared beliefs can help the patient tap into supernatural forces in the spirit realm. Connecting with such forces brings natural healing and restoration of physical, psychological, and spiritual health.

Work Cited:

Ramakrishnan, Parameshwaran. "‘You are here’: Locating ‘Spirituality’ on the Map of the Current Medical World." Current Opinion in Psychiatry, vol. 28, no. 5, 2015, pp. 393-401.