Medical Mysticism: An Investigation into the Factors: Religion, Spirituality and Health That Need to Be Considered

Abstract

Till end of 1990s, spirituality was being discussed at higher education conferences. By end of decade topic was being explored in scholarly literature as well, including professional journals, books, doctoral dissertations, and master's theses. Asking how spirituality was being defined in this emerging discussion was starting point for this study. Because in qualitative research it researcher who serves as instrument of analysis it appropriate to reveal personal interest and perspective of researcher (Merriam, 2008; Locke, Silverman, & Spirduso, 2009). Spirituality not a new word. The idea has long been understood as a dimension of religious experience, especially in Christian and Buddhist traditions (O'Brien, 1999; McBrien, 1999; Harris, 2011; Wakefield, 2009). It also has been used in a way that separated it from these religious roots; however, it was unclear to me how this new understanding of spirituality was being defined. The present paper worked specifically on these questions, What do we mean when we say spirituality and why it important?SpiritualityIt personal function which relates life's meaning to transpersonal reality. Spirituality an element of a person's individuality, and not necessarily defined by association with a certain tradition or by oiganizational affiliation. It multidimensional, and operates (to varying degrees) in acknowledgment of unconscious self, of needs of others, and of realm of sacred. Such awareness varies among individuals and throughout a person's lifetime. Waldfogel has summarized elements of spirituality as they relate to medical practice. Transpersonal reality here refers to those levels of world beyond ordinary bounds of ego-consciousness. It includes level of transcendence as used by Waldfogel and Cassel.Religion: set of beliefs and practices shared by a community in reaching toward transpersonal reality. This also a broad term, but describes a more collective element. Each religion has its own historical tradition with a rich and complex symbolic language by which to interpret its central symbol of deepest level of transpersonal reality. Such language may easily be misunderstood by people outside tradition.While studying spirituality, religion & health term spiritual medicine, emerged which came in as being parallel to such provisions like physical medicine, internal medicine, and behavioral medicine. Further research in topic lead to understanding spirituality in more general term, i.e., medical spirituality, which was better to reflect broad and complex interconnectivity of many disciplines within this domain. Thus medical spirituality was defined as that area of spirituality studies generally which relates to health effects. It spirituality seen from a medical point of view. It space defined by overlapping spheres of action, as healthcare and spiritual care seek together to relieve all levels of suffering. Cassel (1992). The new literature on spirituality redefined spirituality separate from a religious context. In doing so, it was reinterpreting very experience of spirituality. Spirituality defined as Spiritual Development: One of definitions that equate spirituality and spiritual They are represented by definitions found in work of Love and Talbot (2009) and Tisdell (2011). Love and Talbof s definition first, and most quoted, definition of spirituality. Their definition based upon three assumptions. The first assumption that the quest for spiritual development an innate aspect of human development; the second is spiritual development and spirituality are interchangeable concepts and third openness a prerequisite to spiritual development. Based upon these assumptions Love and Talbot (2009) offer five propositions that form their definition:* Spiritual development involves an internal process of seeking personal authenticity, genuineness, and wholeness as an aspect of identity …