A person with no religious affiliation and illness: non-religious spirituality of patient in palliative care

Research relating health and spirituality is fundamentally important in order to integrate care with the spiritual dimension in an ethical and coherent way. This article seeks to highlight, through a case study, the experience of non-religious spirituality of a patient in palliative care. To do this...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Franco, Fabiana Faria
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Repository:Ciencias Sociales y Religión (Online)
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br:article/8678987
Online Access:https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/csr/article/view/8678987
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Desinstitucionalização
Sem religião
Sem religião com crença
Espiritualidade não religiosa
Saúde
Cuidados paliativos
Deinstitutionalization
No religion
No religion with belief
Non-religious spirituality
Health
Palliative care
Desinstitucionalización
Sin religión
Sin religión con creencias
Espiritualidad no religiosa
Salud
Description
Summary:Research relating health and spirituality is fundamentally important in order to integrate care with the spiritual dimension in an ethical and coherent way. This article seeks to highlight, through a case study, the experience of non-religious spirituality of a patient in palliative care. To do this, we used a qualitative approach, combining bibliographical research and individual interviews, to identify the extent to which the daily life and experience of a single person aligns with previously established theories on deinstitutionalization, people without religion and non-religious spirituality. In addition to exploring how the cultivation of human quality and deep human quality in Marià Corbí’s terms can collaborate positively in dealing with patients who declare themselves to have no religion, we observed that, even without belonging to an institution, the patient experiences a non-religious spirituality, manifesting beliefs that belonged to her institution of origin, from which she deinstitutionalized. This characterizes her as having no religion with belief. Her life story highlights the importance of considering the spiritual dimension in an individualized way, respecting her trajectory, regardless of whether or not she belongs to a religious denomination. This makes it clear that professionals need to be prepared to offer and promote more humane and respectful care.