ABOUT K
ACADEMICS
ADMISSION
ALUMNI RELATIONS
GIVING TO K
NEWS & EVENTS
STUDENT LIFE
HORNET HIVE
ATHLETICS
SITEMAP
WEBMAIL
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   DSpace Home
    • Academic Departments, Programs, and SIPs
    • Religion
    • Religion Senior Individualized Projects
    • View Item
    •   DSpace Home
    • Academic Departments, Programs, and SIPs
    • Religion
    • Religion Senior Individualized Projects
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Spirituality in Medicine: A Study on Writing the Autobiography to Promote Emotional Healing for Cancer Patients

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Thesis (2.828Mb)
    Date
    2007
    Author
    Fowler, Kelsey
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Modern day methods of medical practice and patient care show an incredible advance in technology and success since even one hundred years ago. With the coming of the Age of Enlightenment and an increasing amount of followers in scientific thought, answers to questions of science are unveiled through new machines, research and experiments. Although society has progressed greatly in the care and treatment of illnesses, along the way, "unscientific" patient care has received less and less attention. With such an emphasis on surgery, medicine, and other treatments, some medical personnel have begun to consider their patients not as individual souls, but as mechanical bodies that need to be "fixed". The aspects of human life, including religion and spirituality, that used to be considered central to healing have been set aside as unreliable in the context of medicine. Unlike the scientific method's ability to physically prove some of life's mysteries, blind faith has no such tactic for verifying a God or spiritual phenomena. Nevertheless, spirituality is still an important part of human life; the modern concepts of medicine need to reintegrate spiritual and emotional healing. One of the ways in which society can bring spiritual and emotional healing into the curriculum of medicine is by creating therapy groups focused on writing the autobiography. Through storytelling, discussion, and a deep analysis of what life experiences really teach them, patients can address the missing aspects of medicine. What medicine does not tell us are the answers to all of the questions we ask about life when we are faced with an illness. One way we can try to answer those questions for ourselves is by going back into our individual histories to discover what we really find important in life that gives it meaning. Medicine may be able to repair our bodies, but it is our souls that need more thought and attention through other methods of therapy. Taking medicine definitely helps patients, but it is a very passive form of healing. By introducing programs centered on creative expression, patients will initiate self-led emotionally curative methods that can sustain with or without the help of a doctor. In an internship with the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, I put this theory to test by creating a writing curriculum for a pilot group of women who either have cancer or are cancer survivors. In a few sessions, we were able to write and identify common life themes that give life a great importance. These themes exhibit the morals, values, and beliefs that are contained in the experiences of life and can be referred to as common mythologies. I call them mythologies because, although each individual's story may differ in plot, setting or character, they universally speak to a collective group of people about life beliefs that span the generations. What we value in life affects who we are, how we deal with our ups and downs, and also how we come to terms with illness and the possibility of death. This project is a collective analysis of modern medicine and why spiritual healing is important in the realm of medicine. I will begin by providing a research overview on the topics of the Age of Enlightenment and modern medical curricula in America. Second, I will describe my internship and the processes by which the writing sessions were organized and carried out. Third, I will evaluate how some of the journal entries provided by the patients reveal common mythologies on the notable aspects of life.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10920/9682
    Collections
    • Kalamazoo College Guilds: Heath SIPs [8]
    • Religion Senior Individualized Projects [160]

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2013  Duraspace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
     

     

    Browse

    All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitles

    My Account

    Login

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2013  Duraspace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
     

     

    K logo
    Kalamazoo College
    1200 Academy Street
    Kalamazoo Michigan 49006-3295
    USA
    Info 269-337-7000
    Admission 1-800-253-3602
    ABOUT K
    ACADEMICS
    ADMISSION
    ALUMNI RELATIONS
    GIVING TO K
    NEWS & EVENTS
    STUDENT LIFE

    Sitemap
    Map and Directions
    Contacts
    Directories
    Nondiscrimination Policy
    Consumer Information
    Official Disclaimer
    Search this site





    Academic Calendars
    Apply
    Bookstore
    Crisis Response
    Employment
    Library
    Registrar