SPIRITUAL SUPPORT SPIRITUAL SUPPORT In this section, you will learn about: Spiritual care When spiritual support can be helpful Who provides spiritual support Soul Medicine support groups The sanctuary How to contact a spiritual care specialist 103
What is spiritual care? Spiritual care is a type of counselling that offers spiritual and emotional support. Spiritual support can help you find value, meaning, hope, and strength during difficult times. You and your family can connect with spiritual support during diagnosis, treatment, after treatment, or at end-of-life. Any registered patient at LRCP can access spiritual care services. How much is spiritual and how much is religious? You do not have to be religious to benefit from spiritual care. It can help you find your inner wisdom and strength for living with cancer and help you cope with physical, emotional and spiritual challenges. When can spiritual support be helpful? Facing cancer can make you feel disconnected and alone. Some common experiences of spiritual distress are: Feeling hopeless, losing your sense of meaning and purpose in life Your spiritual beliefs are no longer meaningful Fears about death, dying, or suffering Needing something more out of life but you are not sure what that is Fears for your children or grandchildren You cannot pray, meditate, or go to your spiritual community s events You realize that the life you lived before cancer is not the life you want to go back to after treatment Spiritual support can offer guidance to explore these experiences. It can help you find your inner compass and help you feel hopeful. For some people, spiritual support is helpful when the medical treatments of cancer are finished. Spiritual support is available for up to 6 months after treatment has ended. 104
Do I have to be in spiritual distress to benefit from spiritual support? No, there are many other reasons why spiritual care can be helpful. You can learn ways to lower stress levels through mindfulness practices, creative exercise, and different types of journaling. These activities may help you find peace while living with cancer. The spiritual care specialist can also help you find spiritual supports in your community. Who provides spiritual support? LRCP has a spiritual care specialist who is trained in cancer care. The spiritual care specialist works closely with other members of your health care team and are clinically trained to provide spiritual support in a hospital setting. They can provide support to people one-on-one or in a group setting. How do I contact a spiritual care specialist? The spiritual care specialist is available to every person registered at LRCP. Spiritual Care Specialist You can contact the spiritual care specialist by: Calling the Spiritual Care office to book an appointment Asking any of your health care providers to make a referral 519-685-8622 Supportive Care Office on Level 1 105
Soul Medicine for Living with Cancer Soul Medicine is a support group that is facilitated by the spiritual care specialist. Soul Medicine provides medicine for the heart and mind while living with the impact of cancer. It teaches coping skills such as mindfulness, and meditation. The groups focus on learning ways to find your wisdom, and listen to your inner compass. Soul Medicine groups run for 6 weeks with no more than 8 people in each group. The group meets once a week for 1.5 hours. There is a women s group and a men s group. Soul Medicine for Living with Cancer Topics include: Dissolving fear and finding inner balance Basic mindfulness practices Practicing self-compassion Living with uncertainty Listening to your inner compass Remembering your wholeness For information on Soul Medicine or to sign up for the next group, call Helen Butlin 519-685-8500 ext. 54037 Patient experience: Much more is involved in my experience of cancer than the medical story can tell. There is that loss of a life map, the grief that emerges, the fears that haunt me, and new half-formed images of myself as a cancer survivor. In the group, I knew that I was being heard by others who have experienced and are experiencing similar feelings. It is in the addressing of the fear and grieving the loss I feel that I am able to move on with more confidence and even joy. I would call this healing. - Pauline 106
Sanctuary The sanctuary offers a space to pray, meditate, think, reflect, or escape the noise from the hospital. The multi-faith sanctuary space is located in Zone C on the 3rd floor of the hospital. It is open 24 hours a day and can be used by anyone who wants a space to meditate or for some quiet time alone. This room can be used for ceremonial functions for patients who are admitted to the hospital. Prayer mats for Muslim staff, patients, or visitors are available. A Muslim prayer service is offered once a week. Roman Catholic mass takes place 3 times a week. If you are aboriginal and need a space for smudging, please contact spiritual care at 519-685-8622. For a schedule of sanctuary events or for more information on spiritual care services at LHSC, visit the LHSC website (www.lhsc.on.ca) and click on Patients, Families & Visitors, then click Your Stay at LHSC and either Spiritual Care or Sanctuary Events. The Healing Garden is located on level 1, down the hallway from Tim Hortons and the Supportive Care office. It can offer you a quiet space to yourself. 107
Recommended resources Wellspring London & Region www.wellspring.ca Telephone: 519-438-7379 In the Patient & Family Resource Centre Books: Just Stay: A Couple s Last Journey Together by Jennifer Fazakerley, Helen Butlin-Battler and Grace Bradish Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Remen The Healing Circle: Integrating science, wisdom and compassion in reclaiming wholeness on the cancer journey by Dr. Rob Rutledge and Dr. Timothy Walker 108