I did not think of the importance of religion or spirituality in my early years of practice. Moving to Alabama and working with religious-minded patients made me realize that faith and spirituality are essential in healing. The word religion is from the Latin Religare, which means “to bind together.” Spirituality is from the Latin Spiritualitas, which means “breath.” Features of spirituality include a quest for meaning and purpose, transcendence (i.e., the sense that being human is more than simple material existence), connectedness (e.g., with others, nature, or the divine), and values (e.g., love, compassion, and justice).
65.2% of physicians report that they believe in God; 51.2% report themselves as religious, and 24.8% as spiritual. Eight out of ten patients want physicians to ask about their spiritual beliefs in at least some circumstances, and it begs the question as to why spiritual health is not treated as an essential component of a person’s whole health. A 2021 study found that medical students who consider themselves active participants of their religion — regardless of the faith they practice — may be at a lower risk of developing burnout. Some studies show a better outcome in morbidity and mortality for religious people. Why? It’s not that they share good genes, better health-promoting behaviors, or have better social support. Religious and spiritual practices engender positive emotions such as hope, love, contentment, and forgiveness and limit negative emotions such as hostility. Positive emotions, in turn, can lead to decreased activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and the HPA (and reduced release of stress hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol). This response has psychological effects (e.g., less anxiety) and physiological effects (e.g., decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen consumption) that may lead to better health. However, like any factor that may affect health (e.g., lifestyle choices), religious involvement and spirituality may adversely affect an individual. For example, encouraging avoidance or discontinuance of traditional treatments, avoiding vaccines, and going through religious abuse in certain religions. A religious person may have high expectations and hope that can underestimate the prognosis. In psychiatric patients, unhealthy belief systems (e.g., religious fanaticism and cults) can adversely affect health.
While 80% of US medical schools offer training in spiritual care, most students don’t receive it because it’s an elective. There is an increased focus on the biopsychosocial–spiritual model when assessing a patient’s needs, but the intersection of faith and the practice of medicine is largely overlooked.
What are your thoughts, and how have you connected your religion and spirituality in your practice? You can think and may or may not reply to me as it’s a personal preference.