The Spiritual Brain Essay

Abstract

Modern medical laws permit physicians to engage in only secular practices, assessments, and conversations. However, when illness invades the body, patients look beyond themselves, finding comfort in their spirituality. They view health through the lens of their beliefs and want physicians to understand their values. The lack of spiritual acknowledgement and care causes a disconnect in the patient-physician relationship. How should medical associations incorporate effective spiritual care into modern medicine? The book entitled The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientists Case for the Existence of the Soul proves that science and spirituality can coexist. Additional academic journal articles, scientific research, and a personal interview

To effectively address the spiritual realm, society must change its perspective on spirituality, provide physicians with specific education and training, and incorporate spiritual care into the routine protocol. Physicians' oaths oblige them to address all suffering; this includes spiritual and existential distress. To ignore spiritual care is to condone half-hearted, incomplete healthcare.

Keywords: Spirituality, Dr. Christina Puchalski, Healthcare, Medical Legal Code of Ethics

The Science of Spirituality

When the physical body fails, humanity stretches out its fingers, trying to touch the intangible. Almost all people turn to their spirituality to handle stress and illness (Puchalski, Post, & Sloan, 2009, p. 1). It provides a source of comfort, well-being, and social support (p. 1). For these reasons, spirituality historically connects to medical treatment (Sager, 2020, p. 2). However, current healthcare laws have practically eliminated religious conversations, assessments, and protocols from physician-patient relationships (Riddick, 2003, p. 5). The modern movement requires naturalistic science, a philosophy that takes an entirely secular point of view on medical treatment, to govern all healthcare-related endeavors (Beauregard, M. & O’Leary, 2007, p. 13). Contemporary physicians’ routines

These obstacles include a delegation of responsibility, lack of time, improper training, and an unclear definition of spirituality. A poll by Lopez-Tarrida, de Diego-Cordero, & Lima-Rodrigues (2021), found that “clinicians consider spiritual care a good practice, although… 90% chose to refer to expert providers such as chaplains, counsellors, or pastoral agents” (p. 8) This study demonstrates that most modern physicians handle spiritual care by delegating the responsibility to someone they feel is more qualified. Patients invite their physicians into a spiritual conversation, only to be turned away or shut down. Delegation causes a disconnect or even distrust in the relationship (Sager, 2020, p. 7). Patients need to feel heard because they want their physicians to understand their values when providing medical advice (Lopez-Tarrida, de Diego-Cordero, & Lima-Rodrigues, 2021, p. 1). Additionally, delegation causes a “lack of shared charting that prevents information uncovered during conversations from being incorporated into medical treatment” (Sager, 2020, p. 7). Disregarding spiritual conversations or delegating the responsibility to others is not in the best interest of the patient or the physician. However, more issues arise when physicians try to bridge this disconnect. In a 2021 study, “insufficient time and a lack of