Alternative Medicine Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alternative Medicine, including details on complementary medicine, alternative therapies, homeopathy.

The spiritual encounter within a complementary therapy treatment.

Foster E

Macmillan Palliative Care Team, N.E. Lincs. Primary Care Trust, St. Andrews Hospice, Peaks Lane, Grimsby DN32 9RP, UK. liz.foster@nelpct.nhs.uk

Interest in both spirituality and complementary therapies is growing, with their inclusion in both daily life and in health care. The concept of spirituality and the delivery of a therapy have a certain synergy as they both espouse a view of the world that recognises the importance of the whole person. Increasingly, clients want their values and beliefs attended to, perhaps choosing a therapy as a pathway to nourish their sense of the spiritual. Consequently working in a holistic way the complementary therapist needs to acknowledge the spiritual dimension of the client. Integral to this is how the therapeutic encounter facilitates this engagement and how important it is that the therapist develops and explores their own spirituality and life values. This article is an exploration of how spirituality and complementary therapies can legitimately work together, creating a sacred space for both therapist and client.

Published 1 May 2006 in Complement Ther Clin Pract, 12(2): 163-9.
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