Unit 9 Assignment

Kyle LeFeber

Purdue University Global

HW420: Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects to Healing

Dr. Dorette Nysewander

February 15, 2022

 Spiritual and psychological wellness is important to maintain in order to have some

control over your path in life. Studies have shown that religious and spiritual beliefs can benefit

individuals in limiting stress and improve quality of life through hope and understanding their

purpose in life (Akbari & Hossaini, 2018). This is directly connected to improving mental health

in practices such as meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, prayer, and self-reflection can keep a person

aligned with their core values, morals, and purpose in life (rtor.org, 2021). Through an interview,

I asked questions that allowed me, and the client, to best understand the spectrum of spirituality

and psychological self and what recommendations can be made to the client’s life.

Interview Questions:

1) Q: What does spirituality mean to you?

A: In my opinion, spirituality is a feeling or a belief that there is a sense of purpose for life. It

goes greater and beyond life itself. It provides me with optimism and a sense of being grounded.

It can be religion, mysticism, unity, virtue, nature, meditation, etc.

2) Q: What are your beliefs within spirituality?

A: This question is a struggle for me because I used to believe that going to church, religious

traditions, and being a part of a Catholic church community were the pure definitions of

spirituality, but it's more than that. As I get older, I have come to realize that spirituality isn't a

single path or belief system. For me, it's more of a source of comfort and relief from stress.

3) Q: Has spirituality impacted your life in any way?

A: Spirituality has impacted me in a way where I have peace, hope, and meaning when going

through different situations and coping with different experiences. I have noticed an increase in

inner strength along with making sense of my experiences in life. Also, it has given me a calm

approach to work, relationships, and other aspects of my life.

4) Q: How has religion improved your outlook on life?

A: At a younger age, religion has impacted me in that I enjoy serving others and it gave me the

realization that there are people going through life not knowing what their purpose is. Currently,

I'm not a practicing Catholic, but still will apply prayer to my bedtime routine.

5) Q: Have your beliefs influenced how you take care of yourself during illness?

A: No.

6) Q: What do you hold on to or remind yourself of during difficult times?

A: I hold on to relationships with friends or remind myself that I'm surrounded by love and

people who are there to listen when I need them the most. At times, I will pull at my rosaries just

to manipulate and remind myself to breathe during the most difficult of times.

7) Q: What do you practice in order to reduce negative thoughts/energy (Meditate, prayer, self-

talk, etc...)?

A: I use a journal to write or jot down my thoughts and emotions and will use my Headspace

app to assist with meditation and deep breathing exercises.

8) Q: During what time of day is the best opportunity to add positivity to your psychological and

spiritual well-being (before bed, morning, after work, driving, etc...)?

A: During a work week, Monday through Friday, I usually find the morning time either before my

students enter into the room or while they are eating breakfast to incorporate positivity through

meditation or other sources to get all of us on the right foot for a more productive and positive

day. If I don't do it with them, then I'm doing this during my morning prep period after the kids

eat breakfast and while they are at specials. When it's the weekend, I find any given moment of

the day a good time for positivity. Doing it in the morning versus afternoon doesn't affect me

much during the weekends.

9) Q: What are your sources of hope, strength, comfort, and peace (objects, people, places,

etc...)?

A: Friends, family, pets (dogs and cats), and my rosaries

10) Q: What do you think you can do more of or introduce yourself to in order to improve your

psychological and spiritual well-being?

A: Go to therapy aside from all the other things I implement in my life on a daily basis.

The importance of defining spirituality is that the definition of spirituality is different with

each person you ask. A religiously involved individual would first think about religion and the

next person would bring up ghosts, spirits, and the paranormal. There is no right or wrong

answer to this definition, but we can all agree that it is associated with some outside force. All of

these questions have allowed me to understand what spirituality means and how it is

incorporated into someone’s life that is very close to me. In understanding this, I am able to

know how to approach certain situations, whether it is with caution or in a more direct manner.

In the world of healthcare, nurses have to consider the spiritual and psychological well-being of

their patients. These assessments can reduce patient suffering, faster healing, and personal

growth because their spiritual needs bring satisfaction through communication with God and

being hopeful (Yousefi & Abedi, 2011). This is especially effective in cancer patients. I asked my

client what beliefs she had within spirituality because there are many belief systems associated

with this topic. It also allowed me to understand why my client does not practice religion any

more than when she did when she was younger. I also asked how spirituality has impacted my

client’s life because I wanted to see how deeply it has affected her purpose in life and how she

has grown on a personal and professional level.

During the interview, I asked what my client holds on to or what she reminds herself of

during difficult times. I asked this because there are people that have objects that help calm

them down, breathe, and realign themselves with their true core values. In some other cases,

objects can hold sentimental value to the person and remind them of the person that made them

feel at peace when they were alive. One of the more important questions was asking what my

client practices in order to reduce any negative thoughts or energy. The importance of this

question allows me to know what the client is already doing to help themselves on a
psychological and spiritual level. People that hold negative energy and constant negative

thoughts can trigger an anger and hateful mindset (Livingstone, n.d.). Personally, I asked a

question about what time of day is beneficial to practicing spirituality because some people

perform better at night, morning, or even outside in the sun. Everyone has a preference, but

when it came to my client, each day differed depending on certain circumstances. Asking about

any sources of hope and strength is important because everyone tends to house something or

people that make their life better in some way and provides them the motivation and ability to

keep living life to its fullest. With my client, she views spirituality as a way to serve others so

people and pets in her life provide this fulfillment in her life. Lastly, I asked what my client thinks

she can do to improve her spirituality. Asking this question allows the client to think about what

other available options there are in order to increase her spiritual and psychological well-being.

Allowing the client to think about the opportunities provides hope and optimism that there are

answers to the problem, it just takes time from trying things out to see if they work.

The findings from this interview can be incorporated within the mind-body-spirit health in

the future. In order to make the necessary changes to my client’s lifestyle, it is important to

make small, manageable changes that do not stress the client out. This can start out with not

putting in the energy and time into people that do not reciprocate your intentions and hanging

out with happier people or setting a specific time that allows the client to reflect on the day and

how to make tomorrow a better day through gratitude (Shriver, n.d.). Listening to your heart is

another step to take to ensure a more positive and fulfilled psychological and spiritual lifestyle.

Spiritual and psychological practices do not have to happen every day, but it is important to

know when the right time is to step away and gather yourself in order to build on personal

growth. When difficult and trying times arrive, I would recommend the client to practice gratitude

in order to build up the positive energy. There are also many different types of therapists if the

client feels it is necessary to visit one if they think something is not working to their standards. It
seems like the client has her thoughts and emotions under control during stressful times through

work and knowing how to prepare for a long day as a teacher.

Some subtractions I would make from my inventory would be the question associated

with the connection with the belief system and illness. This was not necessary for this

considering conventional methods of healing was the way she goes about treatment. I would

add a question about the rosaries and if there's any sentimental attachment to pulling at them

and what they are made out of. Maybe they are made with an herb that helps induce the client

into a calming state.

 References

Akbari, M., & Hossaini, S. M. (2018). The Relationship of Spiritual Health with Quality of Life,

Mental Health, and Burnout: The Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation. Iranian journal of

psychiatry, 13(1), 22–31. 

Livingstone, B. (n.d.). How Negative Energy Effects Adults, Teenagers, and Children: What We

Can Do to Change It. MentalHelp.net. https://www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/how-negative-energy-

effects-adults-teenagers-and-children-what-we-can-do-to-change-it/

Rtor.org. (2021). How Spirituality Benefits Mental Health. https://www.rtor.org/2021/03/26/how-

spirituality-benefits-mental-health/

Shriver, M. (n.d.). How to integrate Mind-Body-Spirit to Create the Life You Want to Live.

https://mariashriver.com/how-to-integrate-mind-body-spirit-to-create-the-life-you-want-to-live/.

Yousefi, H., & Abedi, H. A. (2011). Spiritual care in hospitalized patients. Iranian journal of

nursing and midwifery research, 16(1), 125–132.