| The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of spirituality and healing among five persons with life threatening cancer, who actively worked to develop their spiritual awareness in a group psychotherapy program. A hermeneutic phenomenological model of qualitative research was used to investigate the experience from the perspective of the participants. The objective was to capture a 'thick' description of the experience and the meaning the participants attributed to it. Each participant collaborated in the construction of a personal narrative reflecting his or her individual experience. The collective experience was described in a text based on a thematic analysis of the common and unique themes which emerged from two open ended interviews with each participant.; For the five participants, spirituality meant opening up to their inner self and connecting with something larger. Healing was experienced as a letting go and an opening up process. Letting go meant relinquishing longstanding patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that stood in the way of spiritual growth and opening up referred to the sense of expansiveness and healing that was achieved through practising forgiveness, acceptance and trust and engaging in spiritual practices. The spiritual self felt different. Participants experienced greater comfort and easiness with themselves and with others and a new sense of peacefulness. A stronger sense of meaning and purpose emerged from self exploration, new clarity about what was important in life and a sense of connection with a higher power.; Developing spiritually was described as hard work, requiring extensive personal investment and commitment to make it meaningful. Group participation offered the structure, direction and fellowship that fostered this kind of commitment. Critical to motivating and sustaining spiritual development was finding personal meaning or "feeling right" about the process. 'Making it real' referred to the way the participants lived, felt and personalized their spiritual awareness to make it meaningful and powerful for themselves. |
