Spiritual Health—Te Taha Wairua

Abstract

The significance of spiritual health in the Māori model of health. Author notes resistance in secular society to the term ‘spiritual’ and broadens the term to encompass our search for meaning: why we are here, why we exist. Maslow and our esteem needs, notably an acknowledgement of our capacities, achievements, and adequacy, by others and ourselves, to gain a sense of ‘being useful in the world’. The definition of spirituality from the Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare as ‘the way people engage with the purpose and meaning of human existence’. Using the framework from acceptance and commitment therapy, the author’s personal experience of defining his personal values. His reflection on his own personal beliefs and his personal journey to self-discovery. The concept of inner child work and its role in existential health and healing. A client’s own experience of finding his inner child. The concept of ‘best me’. Maslow’s theory of motivation. The concept of flourishing and the author’s personal self-assessment. The US psychiatrist Dr M. Scott Peck’s book The Road Less Travelled, and his insight that it takes courage to make tough life decisions. The power of the stories we tell ourselves.