Spirituality and health: Reflections upon clinical experience and the development of theory about whole person health care from a Lonergan perspective

Abstract

This article derives theory from reflection on experience of clinical situations encountered in the doctor-patient relationship. Using the cognitional theory of Bernard Lonergan, the author theorizes about the nature of paranormal and spiritual phenomena experienced by his patients. The reader is invited to attend to the data presented, note the questions which arise in their consciousness from the data, and derive possible hypotheses which might explain the data. From this activity the reader is further invited to determine whether there is enough evidence to judge that spiritual and paranormal phenomena exist in the real world. This activity begins to lay a foundation for whole person health care which is inclusive of spirituality and complementary and alternative approaches to healing.