In this seventh installment I share an excerpt from Interfaith Spiritual Care: Understandings and Practices, edited by Daniel S. Schipani and Leah Dawn Bueckert. The focus of this excerpt is on spiritual caregivers as “soul companions.”
(NOTE: To start at the beginning of this series, click here.)
Faith is stepping into mystery. As Parker Palmer says, “Faith is a venture into the unknown, into the realms of mystery, away from the safe and comfortable and secure” (The Company of Strangers, p.64). Mystery is who God is. Becoming acquainted with God is departing from those areas of our lives that are comfortable and secure. Relating to God is a “stretch.” When we [open ourselves to] God we make ourselves vulnerable to the challenges God has for us. When chaplains step into a hospital room to visit a patient, they are entering the realm of Mystery. Patients in a hospital are often in physical, emotional, and spiritual crisis. They look to the chaplain to guide them through confusing feelings they may have about their relationship with God. Chaplains can do little to prepare for the visit. They need to become spontaneous and go with the “flow” of what the patient wants to deal with. The authority in the room becomes the patient and his or her spiritual agenda.
As spiritual caregivers we are also soul companions with and for others. Jean Stairs defines soul as “the spiritual essence of one’s existence expressed through body, mind, or any other facet of our being” (Listening for the Soul, p.10). In Genesis 2:7, soul could be understood as the breath of life God gave to Adam. Soul, in the Hebrew language means, “neck.” The neck contains the jugular vein, nerves that are connected to the brain and spine that connects the rest of the body to the head. Soul then gives us a vital connection to God as the life force, a sense of wholeness, but also a sense of interior presence about ourselves. When someone touches our soul, they reach the center of who we are.
Soul companionship is significant for [interfaith] chaplains because [through their interfaith ministry] the concern is placed on the spiritual needs of the person rather than on the religious differences. Soul companioning helps chaplains listen for the spiritual misery patients may be experiencing, and how they can help without changing or compromising their own or the patient’s faith convictions.
The goal of a soul companion is, first and foremost, to listen for the soul and the presence of God who is active in their lives. Chaplains need to establish a rapport with the patient, listen for feelings, reflect feelings, express empathy, and identify spiritual issues that the care-receiver is concerned about. Chaplains do not need to take responsibility for the patient’s religious (or non-religious) faith as such. Patients can take responsibility for their own beliefs.
Secondly, soul companioning affirms the commonality of our human experience. Soul companioning can provide a way of coming together that rises above differences. In spiritual matters we can be present to one another in ways that bring clarity of meaning and new understanding that comes out of empathy. Soul companioning opens up the opportunity to make meaning out of one’s spiritual crisis in a way that can be recognized, validated, and affirmed as a human experience elevated to a level of faith. If the patient is comfortable with his/her faith, he/she can validate the new spiritual meaning that develops out of the chaplain-patient relationship.
Thirdly, soul companioning, in the words of Jean Stairs, “expands our spiritual vision and helps us cross boundaries” (Listening for the Soul, p.143). Soul companioning challenges the chaplain to become more inclusive in a way that respects differences. Chaplains are on a learning curve all the time. We are not experts, we are learners about how God interacts with us during crisis. Soul companioning provides an opportunity to learn truths beyond our awareness and to discover new meaning “outside of the box,” if you will. It is a way to be aware of the truth that is beyond us, and that sometimes comes to us in a way we did not expect.
– Daniel S. Schipani and Leah Dawn Bueckert
Excerpted from Interfaith Spiritual Care:
Understandings and Practices
Excerpted from Interfaith Spiritual Care:
Understandings and Practices
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• From the Palliative/Spiritual Care Bookshelf – Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI
• Arthur Kleinman on the “Soul of Care”
• Chaplaincy: A Ministry of Welcome
• Interfaith Chaplaincy: Meeting People Where They're At
• Spirituality and the Healthcare Setting
• World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
• Resilience and Hope
• The Calm Before the Storm
• George Yancy on the “Unspoken Reality of Death”
• “Call Upon Those You Love”
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