This article examines the reception of the early modern hospital among the indigenous people of the Andes under Spanish colonial rule. During the period covered by this study (sixteenth to mid-eighteenth centuries), the hospital was conceived primarily as a manifestation of the sovereign’s paternalistic concern for his subjects’ spiritual well being. Hospitals in the Spanish American colonies w...

In this first part of a longitudinal study, women were asked to reflect on the meaning of spirituality in the first year following diagnosis of breast cancer. Twenty-two women were interviewed at approximately one year post-diagnosis. This paper reports on a thematic analysis of these interviews. Participants' responses reflected three higher-order themes: relationship with a higher power, a de...

BACKGROUND As professional spiritual care (chaplaincy) is introduced to new cultures worldwide, it bears examining which elements of screening and care are universal and, for those elements showing cultural difference, to study them in each culture. No quantitative spiritual care patient study had previously been done in Israel. Our objectives were twofold: 1) to examine who wants spiritual car...

Since it was first presented, James Fowler’s Faith Development Theory has proven influential in pastoral care/counselling, pastoral/practical theology, spiritual direction and Christian education. However, it has also been subject to substantial critical evaluation. This article reviews the major themes within psychological critiques and considers the agenda provided by these critiques for the ...

Previous work has underscored the robust links between sanctification of marriage and marital outcomes, and recent developments in the literature suggest that compassionate love, which is important for intimate relationships, may act as a mediator of that relationship. Accordingly, the current study used actor-partner interdependence models to examine the relationship between a spiritual cognit...

In recently published letters to her children, Susanna Wesley (16691742) claims a vocation as a spiritual guide. She grounds this claim in her maternal love and responsibility; indeed, her vocation is forged in the practice of maternal love. The mother of J oho and Charles Wesley emerges as a compassionate but tough spiritual director and a fiercely loving parent. Her writings reveal her strugg...

Introduction. Diabetes is a major public health problem. Little is known about the spiritual well-being and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) in Iranian Muslim patients with diabetes. This study investigated the spiritual well-being and QOL of Iranian adults with type 2 diabetes and the association between spiritual well-being, QOL, and depression. Methods. A cross-sectional study was...

It is pointed out (in the framework of the author's biophysical relativistic model of altered states of consciousness) that transitional states of consciousness represent an excellent framework for understanding and mental control of transpersonal mystical states of consciousness described in various religious and esoteric traditions of East and West during the history of civilization, implying...

BACKGROUND Mental health literacy on the part of medical practitioners is an important component of mental healthcare. General practitioners (GPs) are typically the first doctors consulted by a person who is ill. Exploration of their perceptions regarding mental illness, aetiological issues and treatment is important. OBJECTIVE To investigate perceptions of mental illness in a sample of ten S...

abstract background: chronic renal disease and hemodialysis cause numerous psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual challenges for both patients and their families. overcoming these challenges is possible only through providing holistic support for the patients. today, despite the support provided by family and professional caregivers for the patients, patients still express dissatisfacti...