Spirituality and Health go together like salt and pepper, or peanut butter and jelly. While the very nature of our being includes a spirit, soul, body and mind, we remain a majority still unaware of the benefits that spirituality can bring to wellness. One without the other sabotages the very essence of their nature to work together in the field of human nature. Our culture, however, prized to spend millions on advertisement, seems to permeate its attention on pharmaceutical approaches rather than to commercialize another approach- spiritual fitness as a treatment of choice. While evidence from research and a new found interest in spirituality and health is booming today, how many truly practice what they preach? How many of us put spiritual fitness in our plan for the day? Even while we may agree with the benefits, the question is: can spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, solitude and silence be pre-requisites to prevent disease and a cure for some? Perhaps, the answer is apparent.The purpose of this article is to share a recent program offered at the West Palm Beach Veteran Affairs Medical Center, designed to introduce a spiritual approach in helping Veterans find healing from life’s dusty road. Along with other treatments and groups, The Chaplain-led Life-Mapping Group was open at first to women Veterans, promising to provide a future-based, solution-oriented process designed to help change negative patterns of thought and behavior toward relational intimacy, purpose and a clear purpose for life. Based upon Dr. John Trent’s book, Life Mapping, I was able to see the positive outcomes of what a spirituality-focused group could produce.
Women from a variety of spiritual backgrounds came with the desire to grow on a personal level by gaining tools to help move away from past hurts into a future-based, solution-oriented life; to uncover and re-celebrate their God-given strengths, talents, and accomplishments; to learn the barriers in intimacy and increase their communication skills and to find new ways of creating an optimistic future. By using spiritual practices named above, particularly journaling and prayer, sacred readings, these women were able to find renewal, new focus, acceptance, and strength to face the emotional stingers from the past. As one Veteran shared, “We were able to untangle the past, sort out the present, and chart a future course based on the work accomplished.” Women who embraced various spiritual backgrounds joined in community and witnessed healing from recognizing the strengths long forgotten, and finding new ways for spiritual strength. They learned to face fears and the power of forgiveness. Through this transformational process, they created a new life for their future. Empowered by their spiritual life, they embraced the future with hope, faith and confidence and found a new community of support for the future.
