A zest for life!

A response to Dawson's critical analysis of 'spirituality as "integrative energy"'

Dawson's reply to 'spirituality as integrative energy', particularly his objection to the appropriation of energy as a conceptual descriptor, demonstrates a woefully inaccurate and grossly misleading interpretation of my work. The purpose of this response is to challenge Dawson's assertion that such reformulation effectively strips spirituality of its historical meaning and to provide evidence of its appropriateness. I briefly consider the precepts underlying holism as a moral imperative for professional nursing, the traditional role of spirituality in health and illness, the rise of medical science and its eventual disjunction from metaphysics, and the his torical evolution of nursing. I also comment on the privileged nature of the nurse-client relationship and the social and moral obligation of nurses to engage in holistic practice. Finally, I suggest that the reconceptualization of spirituality as 'integrative energy' represents its dynamic, unifying nature and reassert my contention that 'integrative energy' is an entirely appropriate and eminently suitable definition of spirituality.

A spiritual well-being model: use with older women who experience depression

Although evidence exists to suggest an integral influence of one's spirit on one's mental health, few nurse theoreticians have attempted to delineate and include the concept of spirituality in their nursing models. In making practice decisions related to spiritual matters, mental health nurses require knowledge about the interface between spirituality and mental health. Many symptoms of depression, the most common mental health problem of older adults, parallel indications of spiritual distress. The author presents a spiritual well-being model that provides a framework to discuss the antecedents, symptoms, spiritual needs, and holistic treatment of depression as it is experienced by older women.

Nursing interventions for spiritual care: preferences of the community-based elderly

This descriptive correlational study examined the relationships between the three concepts of core spiritual experience, spiritual perspective, and self-transcendence, as well as the spiritual-care nursing interventions preferred by a convenience sample of 50 community-based older adults. Results of single-session interviews indicated significant positive correlations among the three concepts. Spiritual interventions preferred by older adults were those interventions focusing on the therapeutic communication skills of the nurse and the nurse's attitude and approach toward clients. Overall, older adults who believed in a Higher Power and whose beliefs were prominent in their lifestyle rated spiritual nursing interventions as more important than did older adults who did not hold strong beliefs in a Higher Power and whose spiritual beliefs were not prominent in their lifestyle. Findings give direction for providing spiritual nursing care to older adults.

Characteristics of spirituality in the lives of women in a rural Appalachian community

The aim of this study was to add to nursing's knowledge base relative to spirituality by exploring how women in rural Appalachia experience and describe spirituality in their daily lives. Data was gathered through participant observation in a small rural community in West Virginia, including in-depth interviews of five women from the community. Characteristics of spirituality included belief in God or Greater Source, prayer/meditation, and a sense of relationship or connectedness with others, nature and oneself. The dominant theme which emerged relative to these relationships was that of self-reliance or inner strength. Spirituality for these women relates to the whole of life and is relational.

Intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation of the elderly: relationship to depression and self-esteem

Elderly individuals may be intrinsically or extrinsically orientated to religion. Religion is important to the elderly individual's sense of well-being. Elder persons with intrinsic orientations to religion live their religion. Religion, for the intrinsically motivated, is a part of all their daily activities. Extrinsically oriented elderly "use their religion" for what they can get out of it. Elderly persons who are more intrinsically oriented to religion experience less depression. Self-esteem is higher in elderly individuals with an intrinsic religious orientation.