John Swinton

Effects of a spirituality training program on the spiritual and psychosocial well-being of hospital middle manager nurses in Korea.

BACKGROUND This study examined the effect of a spirituality training program on the spiritual well-being, spiritual integrity, leadership practice, job satisfaction, and burnout of hospital middle manager nurses in Korea. METHODS In an experimental study with a two-group (experimental vs. control) design, participants were enrolled for 5 weeks, with 24 nurses in the spirituality program and 27 in the control group. RESULTS After the spirituality training program, spiritual well-being, spiritual integrity, and leadership practice improved and burnout was reduced significantly in the experimental group compared with the control group. CONCLUSION The program was effective in improving psychosocial and spiritual well-being of middle manager nurses. Thus, this program could be a resource for continuing education and staff development offerings to enhance the well-being of nurses and the spiritual care of patients.

Moving inwards, moving outwards, moving upwards: the role of spirituality during the early stages of breast cancer

SWINTON J., BAIN V., INGRAM S. & HEYS S.D. (2011) European Journal of Cancer Care20, 640–652 Moving inwards, moving outwards, moving upwards: the role of spirituality during the early stages of breast cancer The paper reflects on a study which explored the role of spirituality in the lives of women during the first year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The study utilised a qualitative method (hermeneutic phenomenology) designed to provide rich and thick understanding of womens experiences of breast cancer and to explore possible ways in which spirituality may, or may not, be beneficial in enabling coping and enhancing quality of life. The paper draws on the thinking of David Hay and Viktor Frankl to develop a model of spirituality that includes, but is not defined by, religion and that has the possibility to facilitate effective empirical enquiry. It outlines a threefold movement – inwards, outwards and upwards – that emerged from in-depth interviews with women who have breast cancer. This framework captures something of the spiritual movement that women went through on their cancer journeys and offers some pointers and possibilities for better and more person-centred caring approaches that include recognition of the spiritual dimension of womens experiences for the management of those with breast cancer.The paper reflects on a study which explored the role of spirituality in the lives of women during the first year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. The study utilised a qualitative method (hermeneutic phenomenology) designed to provide rich and thick understanding of womens experiences of breast cancer and to explore possible ways in which spirituality may, or may not, be beneficial in enabling coping and enhancing quality of life. The paper draws on the thinking of David Hay and Viktor Frankl to develop a model of spirituality that includes, but is not defined by, religion and that has the possibility to facilitate effective empirical enquiry. It outlines a threefold movement - inwards, outwards and upwards - that emerged from in-depth interviews with women who have breast cancer. This framework captures something of the spiritual movement that women went through on their cancer journeys and offers some pointers and possibilities for better and more person-centred caring approaches that include recognition of the spiritual dimension of womens experiences for the management of those with breast cancer.

Spirituality and the Lives of People with Learning Disabilities

The spirituality of people with learning disabilities is under‐researched and frequently misunderstood. Despite evidence to suggest that a focus on the spiritual aspect of the lives of people with learning disabilities can be health‐bringing and life‐enhancing, this dimension of peoples lives is often overlooked or considered irrelevant. This paper seeks to explore some significant aspects of the ‘forgotten dimension’ of spirituality and to show that both the available research evidence and the experiences of people with learning disabilities suggest that it is an aspect of life which should be taken seriously. Neglect of this dimension has significant moral, legal and interpersonal consequences, which service providers are often unaware of but which are central to genuinely person‐centred and holistic support. The paper offers some insights and pointers that will enable service providers to begin to understand and incorporate spirituality into the lives of people with learning disabilities.

From Inclusion to Belonging: A Practical Theology of Community, Disability and Humanness

This article develops a perspective on a practical theology of belonging. It argues that the political rhetoric of inclusion, while possibly necessary, is deeply inadequate to help us understand what disability is and what it really means to be with people who have received this label. We need to shift our thinking from inclusion to belonging and to reframe our practices from politics to love. The article seeks to do three things. Firstly, it highlights that the term disability is a vague and complex concept that, while it might be necessary, requires to be treated with both caution and suspicion. Secondly, the article argues that the idea of including people with disabilities does not go far enough in overcoming the alienation, stigmatization, and exclusion of those whom we choose to name “disabled.” We need to move from ideas of inclusion to the practices of belonging. Finally, the article engages with the theologies of Jean Vanier and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and suggests that the key to such transformation is not in politics but in Jesus. It is only as we learn how to love one another in and through Jesus and to create communities that embody such Christ-like love that we can begin to understand what it means truly to belong.

Restoring the Image: Spirituality, Faith, and Cognitive Disability

There is a great deal of theological confusion within the church as to the level of participation people with profound cognitive disabilities should be allowed within the orders of the church. For some, sacramental participation without intellectual comprehension is dishonoring to God, while for others, lack of cognitive ability precludes any kind of meaningful spiritual life. This paper sets out some of the various positions and argues that faith and spirituality are not intellectual concepts, but relational realities. It is only in and through our relationships that any of us can learn anything about the divine. A relational understanding of faith and spirituality as outlined here offers the church the freedom to avoid evaluating a persons spiritual life according to intellectual criteria and to begin to find new ways of preaching the Word to those who have no words.

What the Body Remembers: Theological Reflections on Dementia

The article explores the experience of spirituality and advanced dementia from the perspective of Christian theology. It examines the significance of Christian education and spiritual practices for understanding the significance of spirituality for people living with advanced dementia. The article explores the nature of memory and the importance of the body in remembering. When our recall memory fades, our bodily memory remains. The real question is whether people can recognise the importance of body memory and enable deeper understanding through such recognition. The article indicates ways in which bodily memory can be reclaimed as significant for dementia care and what that might look like.

Whose Story Am I? Redescribing Profound Intellectual Disability in the Kingdom of God

This article reflects theologically on the spiritual lives of people with profound intellectual disabilities. It offers a fresh way of exploring the theological contribution that such life experiences have for an understanding of God, human being, and what it means to be a church. By meditating on the storied nature of human beings, this discussion offers a narrative mode of resistance that seeks to develop powerful counternarratives that stand as a challenge to the “normal” stories told about people with profound intellectual disabilities. The discussion examines key questions around what it means to know God even when, intellectually, one might not know anything about God.

Theodicy and End-of-Life Care

This article examines theodicy—the vindication of Gods goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We focus on the thought processes that chaplains, social workers, and other professionals may use in their care interventions to address issues of theodicy for patients. Theodical issues may cause anxiety and distress for believers, but they can also potentially be a source of relief and release. Palliative care patients with a religious worldview often struggle with whether God cares about, or has sent, their pain. How social workers and other clinicians respond to such questions will have a great impact on how patients express themselves and use their religious beliefs to cope with their situations. For patients holding religious/spiritual perspectives, discussion of theodicy may facilitate closer relationships between patients and their caregivers and result in more compassionate and empathic care.

Religion and Autism: Initiating an Interdisciplinary Conversation

“Imagine what it’s like. A person smiles at you—you’re confused because you don’t understand a smile. You can’t get your usual breakfast cereal—your whole day is in disarray because you can’t cope with your routine being upset. And someone tells you to pull your socks up. But you know you’re not wearing socks, and it’s very bewildering” (Jenkins, 2007). If the experience of autism is a bit like that for many people, then the problems with bringing together autism and religion become apparent. Imagine what it is like. Someone begins to tell you stories about a man dying and being resurrected and living inside of you. Where exactly does he live? Heart? Lungs? Kidneys? What a disturbing thought! Then they tell you that God is here but you cannot see him, although he is in control of your life nevertheless! And such truths for Christians come before anyone suggests that they gouge their eyes out if tempted by lust! With a little bit of empathy, it is not hard to see how complicated and potentially problematic the relationship between religion and the experiences of people with autism spectrum conditions (including high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome) might be. Indeed it would be very easy just to leave the conversation there or even to suggest that religion is clearly detrimental and potentially dangerous. ‘Surely we should not encourage people who have such neurological challenges as part of their lives to engage in such practices?!’ And yet, the fact remains that many people with autism clearly want to engage with religion, sometimes at quite a deep level. Furthermore, if we are to believe that spirituality is a basic human need (Swinton, 2001) and indeed a basic human right (Office of Public Sector Information [OPSI], 1998, Human Rights Act 1998, Article 9), then the option of discouraging or failing to accommodate those with autism is really not available.

Spirituality-in-Healthcare: Just Because it May Be ‘Made Up’ Does Not Mean That it is Not Real and Does Not Matter (Keynote 5)

Abstract This paper explores the current and extraordinarily diverse concept of spirituality, particularly as it relates to healthcare practices. It suggests that there is no such ‘thing’ (singular) as spirituality. Rather it is a ‘made up’ concept that helps us to understand certain things about human beings and human living. It is in this sense that there is no such ‘thing’ (singular) as spirituality. However, once we ‘make up’ spirituality(s) and create ‘spiritual people’ who require ‘spiritual care’, and then enshrine that in our policies and values, the concept of spirituality becomes extremely important and practically significant. This paper argues that the ongoing discussions around whether or not spirituality is ‘real’ or otherwise miss the practical point that spirituality may be necessary even if it is not ‘real’. This article was first delivered as a keynote speech at the Third International Conference of the British Association for the Study of Spirituality, Spirituality in a Challenging World.