Positive Spirituality in Health Care: Nine Practical Approaches to Pursuing Wholeness for Clinicians, Patients, and Health Care Organizations

by Frederic C. Craigie, Jr.

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Frederic C. Craigie, Jr. Positive Spirituality in Health Care: Nine Practical Approaches to Pursuing Wholeness for Clinicians, Patients, and Health Care Organizations. Minnesota, MN: Mill City Press, 2010. 380 pages. References and 2 appendices. $21.95     

This substantial volume offers much more than its title promises. In his warm, conversational and humorous style, Frederic Craigie, a clinical psychologist and medical educator, shares his passion for integrating spirituality, or the spiritual dimension, in three crucial areas in health care: clinicians, patients and health care organizations. He invites his readers through fascinating stories, interview transcripts, research reviews and case histories, combined with a wealth of professional and personal experience and wisdom, to broaden and deepen their understanding of why spirituality matters in the health care setting.

The author proposes four reasons why spirituality is important in health and wellness care and builds his entire book on these four premises: 1. Spirituality is intimately related to health, wholeness and well-being; 2. Spirituality mediates choices in health behaviors; 3. Spirituality often frames the ways that people cope with adversity and peruse the journey toward wellness/wholeness; and 4. Spirituality is important because people want to be known in this way by their caregivers.

Frederic Craigie uniquely focuses on ‘positive spirituality,’ which he understands not as the antithesis to ‘negative spirituality,’ but rather as the signal and emphasis for the direction and the pursuit of inquiry for all parties involved in health care. He encourages clinicians to learn the art of conversation that explores what truly matters to the patients, what is sacred for them and what sustains them. Throughout his entire book he provides wonderful practical examples, questions and suggestions. At the end of each chapter, F. Craigie includes a broadly based and substantial list of references. It would be extremely useful for the next edition of the book to include a final bibliography for ease of access because otherwise so many useful pieces of information will remain hidden, especially for those readers who tend to peruse books, which the author himself encourages.

The book consists of two main parts, followed by two appendices: The initial three chapters of the first section, “The Context,” offer a framework and considerable background materials on the subject of spirituality and spiritual care from a clinical perspective – a truly whole-person oriented clinical perspective. I particularly enjoyed the section on ‘Patient and Clinician Perspectives on Spiritual Care,’ in which F. Craigie identifies three themes as core elements of spiritual care (p.87): 1. “Being present” (intentionality in attention to emotional, social and spiritual needs; 2. “Opening eyes” (patient and caregiver recognizing the human dimension in one another); and 3. “Co-creating” (collaboration in developing holistic care plans that would maintain the humanity and dignity of patients in the face of death). The author develops much of the practically oriented second part of his book out of these three elements.

The fourth chapter explores the ‘three interlocking pieces,’ or ‘arenas of health care’ and their mutual influences and interdependence, which are the personal, clinical and organizational arenas.

The bulk of the book on Positive Spirituality in Health Care outlines F. Craigie’s nine practical approaches to bringing positive spirituality into health and wellness care. In this section, the author devotes three chapters to each of the three interlocking arenas of health care. Throughout these nine chapters, the reader finds specific strategies (total of 24) outlined for practical use. I appreciate the Index of Strategies at the beginning of the book as convenient access to the specific tips the author has developed.

In the personal arena, F. Craigie emphasizes the clinicians’ connection with purpose, their cultivation of character qualities, as well as the importance of groundedness and fostering of intention and presence. The only time the author seems to subscribe to one particular method, as opposed to a more generic approach or a wide variety of ideas, occurs in the chapter on Positive Psychology, the language and tools of which he recommends for cultivation of character qualities. Not only does Positive Psychology suit his approach to the topic of Positive Spirituality, but it is also heavily researched and thus satisfies the thirst of evidence-based materials by more conventional clinicians and practitioners. However, he also encourages clinicians to develop their own language and style of conversation and inquiry or to resort to other resources. (p. 153-4).

The clinical arena centers on the spiritual connections that are important to the patients. How do clinicians find out what matters to their patients? Frederic. Craigie suggests that clinicians may employ a two-part inquiry here: inventories and conversations. He contends that in the realm of spirituality, inventories serve as great tools for research, and highlights a few of them, such as the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. However, it becomes clear that the author’s personal preference lies with constructing nurturing conversations.

The author has worked out a specific approach to conversation, based on three principal templates that help organize conversational spiritual inquiry. Most significantly, the success of spiritual care conversations lies in the quality of the partnerships of clinicians and patients. Dr. Craigie masterfully outlines and describes his template for collaborative spiritual care conversations in a separate chapter. A discussion of recurring themes of transcendence and valued directions from these conversations ensues in the following chapter. As specific pathways to transcendence and to pursuing ‘valued directions,’ the author has chosen to explore eight approaches, which overlap significantly, but may provide a multitude of openings and evoke varied and various resonances with individual patients. These eight themes are: Letting Go, Willingness/Acceptance, Mindfulness/Being Present, Non-Attachment, Serenity, Spiritual Surrender, Gratitude/Gratefulness and Forgiveness.

The final three chapters of this book address the ‘soul’ of health care organizations, often known by other words, such as ‘spirit,’ ‘atmosphere,’ ‘tone,’ or ‘environment.’ In the earlier part of the book, ‘The Context,’ Frederic Craigie already delved into the literature on organizational soul and data from cross-sectional studies, intervention research and transformational narratives among others. In these last few chapters, however, he outlines and explores what appears close to his heart and soul, “How the soul of organization may be nurtured as part of the overall process of spiritual care.” (p. 312) In these ways, the author offers specific approaches to developing and nurturing organizational mission and values, cultivating a spirit of community, and fostering empowering health care leadership.

The book concludes with two appendices. Appendix I lists Fred Craigie’s favorite Spirituality and Health websites, which include organizations and magazines that offer valuable information. As the author points out, this is just a sampling. Appendix II offers his favorite books on the subject of Spirituality and Health Care, whereby most of his selections dates 2003 or newer.

Frederic C. Craigie’s book Positive Spirituality in Health Care contributes significantly to the field of integrative health care that holds dear the wholeness of each person, be it clinician, patient or administrator. This stimulating and enriching resource would be most beneficial to anyone involved in the health care setting, particularly nursing students, medical students and current health care providers, to support them in building purposeful relationships within their organizations, among themselves, and between them and their patients.

Review by Martina Steiger, ThD. Martina serves as a Spiritual Life Coach, educator, writer, speaker and editor. She offers mini-retreats as an opportunity to review and renew. For more information visit http://www.martinasteiger.com/.

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