Palliative care professionals' experiences of unusual spiritual phenomena at the end of life

McDonald, Claire and Murray, Craig and Atkin, Heather (2014) Palliative care professionals' experiences of unusual spiritual phenomena at the end of life. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 17 (5). pp. 479-493. ISSN 1367-4676

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Abstract

Research literature has highlighted unusual phenomena occurring at the end of life. Palliative-care professionals often feel ill-prepared in managing these and in talking to patients and family members about them. This study aimed to explore the meanings and interpretations ascribed to these phenomena by palliative-care professionals. Eight participants were interviewed, and interpretative phenomenological analysis used to identify themes within their accounts. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Who are we to say what's out there?: a connection with something beyond what can be seen; (2) It opened up conversations: the experience of talking about unusual experiences; (3) It knocked me sideways: managing the emotional impact of these experiences; and (4) The fact that she was so accepting made it easier: the value of acceptance in relation to unusual experiences. These findings are discussed within the context of existing literature and implications for palliative-care professionals are discussed.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Mental Health, Religion and Culture
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200/3203
Subjects:
?? palliative carespiritual phenomena professionals end of lifeclinical psychologypsychiatry and mental health ??
ID Code:
66940
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
02 Oct 2013 07:57
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
28 Nov 2023 11:18