By Angela Bymaster, MD
Patients present to our clinics with their pain and suffering, insomnia and anxiety, hopes and fears. We look in their ears and listen to their heartbeats, looking for a cure. Sometimes we sense that something is out of balance with their neurotransmitters. At my clinic, Healing Grove Health Center, we examine their spiritual health as well.
Many patients enjoy talking with their physician about spiritual matters(1). This is especially true at Healing Grove, where most of my patients come from faith backgrounds where it is normal and good to discuss matters of the soul. The majority of our patients are recent immigrants from Latin America, where many Catholic practices and beliefs are baked into everyday life, including the language (gracias, adios, primeramente Dios). Many of my non-Latino patients are also people of faith, drawn to a clinic that is open to faith-based language and healing modalities. We do not push faith on patients, and patients of all faiths or no faith are welcome. Spiritual care is offered to all, but it is optional.
Those who wish to engage in spiritual care may be encouraged to forgive those who have hurt them, to join a Bible study or local congregation, to pray and meditate on the words of God regularly, to know that God loves them, to have hope for the future, to love their families, to get married to their partners, to pray for healing for themselves and others, to let go of envy and be content with what one has, to give generously to the poor, to trust God, to love their neighbors, or even to love their enemies.
These practices heal patients in different ways than our traditional Western medicine does. Forgiveness brings freedom from resentments, which can be strong drivers of addiction and depression. Being part of a faith community combats loneliness and isolation. Praying and meditation, generosity, hope, and trusting God all combat anxiety. Having a sense of God’s love and loving others gets patients outside of themselves, bringing them to a transcendent, more benevolent existence.
These spiritual treatments are actually evidence based. A growing body of medical research suggests that soul care improves physical health outcomes(2,3). Forgiveness improves many health measures(4,5,6). Going to church weekly improves mental health(7,8), physical health(9), and social health(10,11) significantly. Religious involvement improves sobriety(12,13). Giving to the poor reduces anxiety(14).
The addition of Soul Care has been extremely fruitful at my clinic. I am able to share the treatment space with talented pastoral staff, who are often able to skillfully bring patients to places of peace and wellness without a single pill.
If you are curious about how to integrate spiritual health into your patient consults, contact Dr. Angela Bymaster at angela@healinggrove.org.
Show & Tell articles express the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of CAFP.
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2 Koenig HG. Association of Religious Involvement and Suicide. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 Aug 1;73(8):775-6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1214
3 Levin J. Partnerships between the faith-based and medical sectors: Implications for preventive medicine and public health. Prev Med Rep. 2016 Jul 27;4:344-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.07.009
4 Lawler, K.A., Younger, J.W., Piferi, R.L. et al. The Unique Effects of Forgiveness on Health: An Exploration of Pathways. J Behav Med 28, 157–167 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-3665-2
5 Everett L. Worthington, Charlotte vanOyen Witvliet, Andrea J. Lerner, Michael Scherer, Forgiveness in Health Research and Medical Practice, EXPLORE, Volume 1, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 169-176, ISSN 1550-8307
6 Griffin, B.J., Worthington, E.L., Lavelock, C.R., Wade, N.G., Hoyt, W.T. (2015). Forgiveness and Mental Health. In: Toussaint, L., Worthington, E., Williams, D. (eds) Forgiveness and Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9993-5_6
7 Kennedy, G. J. (1998). Religion and depression. In H. G. Koenig (Ed.), Handbook of religion and mental health (pp. 129–145). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012417645-4/50076-6
8 Bonelli, R., Dew, R. E., Koenig, H. G., Rosmarin, D. H., & Vasegh, S. (2012). Religious and spiritual factors in depression: Review and integration of the research. Depression Research and Treatment, 2012. https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/939812
9 McCullough, Michael & Hoyt, William & Larson, David & Koenig, Harold & Thoresen, Carl. (2000). Religious Involvement and Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Health Psychology. 19. 211-222. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.19.3.211
10 N. Leigh-Hunt, D. Bagguley, K. Bash, V. Turner, S. Turnbull, N. Valtorta, W. Caan, An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness, Public Health, Volume 152, 2017, Pages 157-171, ISSN 0033-3506, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.07.035
11 Han D, Dieujuste N, Doom JR, Narayan AJ. A systematic review of positive childhood experiences and adult outcomes: Promotive and protective processes for resilience in the context of childhood adversity. Child Abuse Negl. 2023;144:106346. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10528145/
12 Koenig, HG; George, LK; Meador, KG; , Blazer, DG; and Ford, SM. Religious Practices and Alcoholism in a Southern Adult Population. Psychiatric Services. 2006 Apr 1; https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.45.3.225
13 Booth, J., & Martin, J. E. (1998). Spiritual and religious factors in substance use, dependence, and recovery. In H. G. Koenig (Ed.), Handbook of religion and mental health (pp. 175–200). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012417645-4/50079-1
14 Koenig HG, Berk LS, Daher NS, Pearce MJ, Bellinger DL, Robins CJ, Nelson B, Shaw SF, Cohen HJ, King MB. Religious involvement is associated with greater purpose, optimism, generosity and gratitude in persons with major depression and chronic medical illness. J Psychosom Res. 2014 Aug;77(2):135-43. Epub 2014 May 15. PMID:25077855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.05.002
