The Role of Spirit in Healing

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The Role of Spirit in Healing
by Len Saputo, MD

Traditionally, spirit has been revered as a vital and sacred element of the healing process in indigenous and historical cultures worldwide. Spiritual teachers have passed their secrets of healing from generation to generation for thousands of years. Over the millennia, spiritual practice has been found to ease suffering and promote healing. Yet, relieving symptoms is only the first step in real healing.

Ancient healers believed that there is purpose for everything in the universe and that there is purpose for illness as well. By understanding this purpose they found that it is possible to realize deeper meaning in the lives of individuals and even entire communities. Disease is regarded as more than physical disability and psychological challenge – it is an opportunity to learn more about who we are, and serves as a tool to move us forward on our spiritual path. Today, we are "going back to the future." Many Americans are encouraging their healthcare practitioners to include spiritual practice as part of their treatment.

There are several reasons why this is happening: Despite the remarkable achievements of modern technology, we still live in an era that is plagued by an epidemic of chronic diseases. Two thirds of Americans have at least one chronic disease, and things are getting worse, not better. We're at a point where we're willing to do what it takes to find solutions to this dilemma. Humanity has depended upon spiritual help for millennia and continues to have great faith that there is tremendous value in spiritual healing. There is abundant research in major peer reviewed medical journals that documents the fact that people who have a strong faith, religious belief, or spiritual practice enjoy better physical, mental, and emotional health. In our effort to heal, we want to explore every aspect of what we are, hoping to do whatever we can to be healthy.

The holistic nature of body, mind, emotion, and spirit are aspects of our fundamental nature that cannot be separated. Americans are reclaiming their responsibility to take care of their own health. We are asking with greater frequency that healthcare practitioners consider the whole person. We want to collaborate with our healthcare professionals and actively participate in our own healing and in choosing the therapies we use.

• Returning to Spirituality

There is a growing appreciation by our medical profession of the awareness of human connection at all levels. In ancient times, healthcare and spiritual guidance were felt to be so intimately interrelated that a single practitioner, the priest, midwife, or shaman, usually provided both of these aspects of healing. However, as medicine has become based more in science and less in what we have always intuitively known, physicians have focused on science and released spirituality to religion. Modern medicine is now reawakening to the importance of both science and spirit, and is searching for ways to merge these inseparable perspectives in healing.

• Connecting with Spirit

There are many definitions of spirituality. In this book, spirituality is intended to refer to the universal consciousness through which we are all connected. The soul is the spark of spirit instilled in each of us that is the essence of who we are, and that which connects us to universal consciousness. The mind, or intellect, on the other hand, is a human quality that is composed of both intellectual and emotional faculties. It is what fuels our creativity. The mind is not the primary focus in indigenous cultures; it is just one component of humanity. In today's culture we deify the mind, placing it on a pinnacle. In the process we may compromise the opportunity for spiritual balance.

Coming into spiritual balance is not a mental process; it does not involve the mind. In fact, the mind is most often an obstacle in this process since the experience of pure consciousness occurs in a state of silence that is devoid of thought. One of our biggest challenges as human beings is to move out of our minds and go inwardly beyond, so that we can hear our spiritual voice. This is not easy because the ego wants to stay in control. When we release the illusion of being in control, we surrender to a place of humility. When the mind quiets, we become more open to connect with spirit.

The openness to receive new possibilities germinates from the humility of being willing to exist in a place of "not knowing." It is in this setting that we don't have to do anything – the wisdom passes into us from outside. We become a vessel that holds information that is transferred to us. Lao Tsu once wrote: "Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature."

There are many tools that can help us connect with spirit. The range is nearly as infinite as there are people – we're all different, and we all make that connection in our own special way. Yet, our needs are much the same; we're looking for connection with others and with the universal life force. The approach you choose depends on what appeals to you. You may also discover new approaches that you didn't imagine could be of interest. There is a timeless place within each of us that can put us in touch with the peace of a quiet mind and in connection with spirit. In the tradition of the shaman, our purpose in life is to restore our wholeness within the context of all aspects of our entire existence. This healing process is revered as our sacred journey within. Some popular examples of healing techniques that can quiet the mind and connect us with spirit include:

• Prayer

• Meditation

• Religious worship and ritual

• Nature

• Guided imagery

• Music and sound

• Art

• Dance and movement therapies

• Meditative exercise (Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga)

• Breathing exercises

• Chanting

• Sweat lodges and vision quests

• Connecting with spirit through touch and laughter

• Healing as a Sacred Journey

Traditionally, the very process of healing is regarded as a sacred journey within. Illness may bring us back to the fundamental values of life, the importance of the people in our lives, and the spiritual aspects of life. When we are challenged by illness, we tend to become more oriented toward fundamentals. We are reminded of the significance of our relationships. We realize the temporary nature of the material side. In essence, illness can play an important role by awakening us to our spiritual purpose. Illness can be seen as an opportunity for spiritual transformation, rather than physical disability and psychological challenge.

This is not always easy. We may feel disinclined to engage in this dimension of our life. We may become totally consumed with fixing the illness, and have little energy left to search for spiritual transformation. Most of us consider it asking a lot to make spiritual transformations even when we are well! Nonetheless, chronic illness can become an opportunity for growth and change. When we're ill, our most immediate concern is to be "cured" of our illness. We want to operate with a perfect body and feel good again. We seek out healthcare practitioners who promise to deliver these services and highly value their work. Clearly this is an intelligent approach.

However, it is also possible to look at the meaning of illness in the context of who we are as unique individuals, determine what it represents in our whole life story, and prosper from the journey through it. This can place great demands on our patience, especially when we are suffering. Yet illness can be valued as a transformative opportunity that presents the possibility of evolving further on our spiritual path. Connection with spirit can make the deepest context of healing a reality...and there are many different approaches one can take. Even though curing the body and healing the soul are not the same, they can occur simultaneously. They are not mutually exclusive. We deserve nothing less. (more)