Chapter 20 Personal Values Beliefs and Spirituality Christy

“In a way all sacred experience and all journeys of soul lead us to the smallest moment of the most ordinary day. ” —Sue Monk Kidd (1996) Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Develop an understanding of the meaning of spirituality as related to occupational therapy practice, including definition, related themes, and distinction from religion. 2. Recognize the relationship between spirituality, occupation, health, and well-being. 3. Identify the relationship of spirituality to occupational therapy’s history. Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Learning Objectives (Continued) 4. Understand the relevance of individual experiences of spirituality through occupation by examining important factors such as context, reflection and intention, and occupational engagement. 5. Describe strategies to integrate spirituality into occupational therapy practice. 6. Explore how personal values, beliefs, spirituality and occupation might intersect in your own life experiences. Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Introduction • Values can be understood as “principles, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile by the client who holds them” (AOTA, 2008, p. 633). • Beliefs closely relates to values and can be defined as “cognitive content held as true” (AOTA, 2008, p. 633). Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Framing Spirituality from an Occupational Therapy Perspective • Defining spirituality is complex and it has been defined in many ways • A definition relevant to occupational therapy practice is: – A deep experience of meaning brought about by engaging in occupations that involve the enacting of personal ideologies, reflection, and intention within a supportive contextual environment Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Framing Spirituality from an Occupational Therapy Perspective (Continued) • Religion is typically linked to spirituality, although spirituality often exists outside of religion • Spiritual and religious practices are linked to well-being and health – Disability may restrict individuals’ ability to engage in spiritually significant occupations Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Experiencing Spirituality Through Occupation • Spirituality is linked to occupation as people create and experience a deep sense of meaning through engagement – It is through occupational engagement that spirituality becomes more tangible • Facilitating engagement in everyday occupation has the potential for helping people meet their need for spiritual expression Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Contextual Factors • Spiritual experiences through occupation are dependent on and vulnerable to contexts including the physical and social world • Many people communicate experiences of spirituality through occupations in nature • Built spaces such as churches and houses serve to refine and make more vivid human feeling, perception, and comprehension of reality Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Context and the Centrality of Reflection and Intention • Physical and social contexts can facilitate or block spiritual experiences • Spiritual experience also relies on personal reflection and intention – Reflection involves recognition of feelings, emotions, and motivations to act – Intention involves imbuing occupational experience with meaning through connection with a value, belief, or ideology Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Occupational Engagement • Not all occupations are experienced as spiritual, but all occupations hold the potential to be spiritual • Occupations with the highest spiritual potential are: – deeply meaningful to the person; – imbued with reflection and intention; and – carried out in a supportive context • Rituals (both religious and nonreligious) are often experienced as spiritual Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Integrating Personal Beliefs, Values & Spirituality into OT Practice • OT helps clients restore meaning to their lives, a vitally important and spiritual task – Occupation based and client centered interventions may promote spiritual health and well-being • Deliberate integration of spirituality into practice is often difficult because: – Spirituality is ambiguous; and – Therapist may lack confidence Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Integrating Spirituality into Practice • Practitioners should consider their own beliefs to identify biases or beliefs that could interfere with practice • Treatment should be consistent with the client’s spiritual life, even if it differs from therapists’ • Practitioners should elicit and honor the clients’ subjective experiences of spiritual occupations and focus intervention on restoring them – This requires consideration of culture and religion Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Discussion 1. How do you personally define spirituality? What life experiences or occupations would you call spiritual? 2. Think of your favorite occupation. How do you feel when you are doing it? How would you feel if you could no longer do it? 3. Think about your favorite places. How do you feel when you are there? What makes them special to you? Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Discussion (Continued) 4. Bring one of your most special objects to class to share. Why is it special to you? How do you feel when you look at it? 5. What occupations do you engage in that address your spiritual needs? 6. What values led you to choose occupational therapy as your profession? 7. Tell your life story from a spiritual perspective. Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins