It Is Not Religion
Spirituality is that inner quest for contact with the divine (or Unity) within oneself. It is not "religion," which primarily concerns itself with social aspects of life and may or may not support spirituality. Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before and is not the same as curing. Healing is allowing what is now to move us closer to the divine.
Modem Medicine
When we look at modem medicine today, we could conclude that "spirituality" as therapy would be considered alternative or complementary to traditional medicine. Yet, for centuries, various traditions have used spirituality as a viable therapy to complement other therapies.
Spirituality Very Important
Spirituality becomes very important when facing serious illness or chronic illness. When cure seems impossible, spirituality becomes more important. Healthcare providers are not always well equipped to deal with patients with terminal illnesses, and the more tools in their arsenal the better. Injecting spirituality into medicine is not just an academic exercise. A growing number of hospitals and clinics around the country now offer spirituality-based adjunct therapies including prayer, meditation, and massage.
Spirituality Issues
Almost two-thirds of the nation's 125 medical schools include courses on "spirituality issues. "What is it that causes spiritual healing? Spirituality as a therapy involves contacting and enlivening "energy" within the patient. This energy positively affects physical health. The new medical discipline of neurotheology is currently attempting to verify this energy as reflected in brain activity.
Relaxation Response
We can view spirituality devoid of "religious" terms and refer to the mind-body connection, Dr. Herbert Benson of the Mind Body Medical Institute has been researching and explaining what he calls the "relaxation response" -- whereby one can find healing by taking the time to relax using a technique similar to Eastern meditation. According to Benson, 60 percent of physician visits are due to stress-related illnesses that can be remedied or improved with the physiologically soothing effects of chanting and meditation, or "the relaxation response."
Mind-Body-Spiritual Healing
Research into mind-body-spiritual healing is still in infancy stages because modern science has not documented these cases. Traditional techniques to enliven this energy are prayer, ritual, and story. When one is involved in prayer or ritual, simple fears and stress of the present move aside and allow energy to provide comfort. Also, there are many stories in Scripture that provide healing and subtle spiritual nourishment for believers.
God
Spiritual healing religious traditions are filled with examples and advice of spirituality in healing. The Quakers simply say that it is the relationship with God that changes us. Judaism's advice to the surgeon who touches and alleviates the disease in the body, "if a physician cannot give a patient medicine for the body, he should find and give medicine for the patient's soul." Judaism adds the ritual of giving the patient a new name. Christianity adds the anointing with oil as a spiritual act.
Power Of Prayer
Christian Science emphasizes the power of prayer to increase healing from God; simply sincerely asking for healing: "Heal us and we shall be healed." Frank Ostaseski of the Zen Hospice Project approaches spirituality for both the caregiver and patient equally. He has learned that simple human kindness strengthens the caregiver's spirituality and benefits the patient. He teaches patients to be aware of each breath they take. As our life started with an "in" breath, we can feel gratitude for each breath.
Life Will End
We also need to remember that our life will end with an "out" breath. Being aware of that spiritual place between the in and out breaths, that short period of "no breath" allows us to be more familiar with the present moment. Rituals in Healing. Ostaseski teaches, when we care for the dying, we need to take a stance of receptivity and push nothing away. We become a companion of someone who is facing death. We establish a relationship and are also given an opportunity to discover meaning, value or purpose of our own lives.