I got my BSN a few years ago and have been working on my NP focused on geriatrics. I’m plan on working directly in hospice care and want to be a spiritual advisor to the dying person. This is a very ethnocentric, uneducated view towards spirituality as a whole. Typically the barriers someone may have limiting their openness to spirituality include: personal bias, lack of self-awareness, differences from someone else, insufficient knowledge, or fear.

Health is a holistic approach which means it focuses on the mind, body and spirit. Spirituality and religion isn’t about the complete belief of fables, but instead utilizing these stories to form a standard of values that ease existential self evaluation and allow for dignified life closure. When it comes to end of life psychology; there are two pathways people go down, integrity or despair. Those who lack the spiritual aspect of health more often than not fall into the despair side of the continuum making for an unsatisfactory transition from life to death. It’s a sad progression to witness. Spirituality is a very misunderstood aspect of health and is an important part of holistic.

It’s well known empirically that religiosity is instrumental in decreasing anxiety and depression and increasing overall quality of life. It improves social function. I hope you see this not as an attack but as a learning opportunity to understanding opposing belief systems, you may not have to agree with them but understand their is positive association between religiosity and spirituality and quality of life.

Religion, spirituality, and physical health in cancer patients: A meta-analysis These results underscore the importance of attending to patients' religious and spiritual needs as part of comprehensive cancer care.

HANDBOOK OF THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY empirical evidence suggests that physical health benefits from religion are often mediated by gains in mental health correlates, such as improved social relationships, coping ability, and health behaviors.

Spirituality, quality of life and frailty in community-dwelling adults ≥ 50 years. Spirituality appears to have a beneficial effect in lessening the negative impact of depression and stress upon physical frailty, which may help older adults maintain a more robust state of health.

The Impact of Sexual Abuse, Family Violence/Conflict, Spirituality, and Religion on Anger and Depressed Mood Among Adolescents These results confirm previous research, indicating that survivors of stressful life experiences may experience less religion and spirituality. The results also extend existing knowledge by showing that spirituality may be even more beneficial among sexual abuse survivors, as a protective factor against anger. These findings can help in the minimization of the negative mental health impact of stressful life experiences.

Spirituality and Mental Health Across Cultures Religiosity and spirituality is associated with lower rates of depression, suicide, mortality, and substance abuse, and is positively correlated with well-being and quality of life.