Honoring Spiritual Caregivers

“ The Spiritual Caregivers serve their communities sometimes at the expense of their own self care. “

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I have had the honor this summer of working with a group of dedicated and faithful Chaplains and Spiritual Care givers, and they are some of the people on the front line in this world. Working with those very ill, dying, young, old, and the sometimes dysfunctional family dynamics on a daily basis is a very tall order. Maintaining a non-anxious presence, staying calm as the floodgates of people’s lives open in drama and trauma can be an excruciating and draining work.

I stand in awe that these generous and steadfast servant-hearted people stay open and respectful of almost all the spiritual facets and ideas they encounter, holding their own ideas in abeyance in order to leave room for those they serve. This is a selfless act in a world that pushes the balance between individual rights and community rights towards “every person for themselves”. Their quiet humility fosters curiosity and assent to Einstein’s notion of a “Benevolent Universe”, and their mission is to facilitate discovery and care processes as they support individuals.
Aristotle spoke of each of us having rights and responsibilities as individuals, and as members of society. The ethics rub emerges when those two realities come into conflict with one another, and an individual or community must decide in a complex context. The Spiritual Caregivers serve their communities sometimes at the expense of their own self care.

I am cheering Chaplains on as they continuously serve, and hopefully are seeking their own support and resources to stand fast in the face of so much transition and trauma. They are constantly doing the hard work of balancing spiritual concepts with practical actions to best serve those in their care.

In order to be able to manage all this, these caregivers need several kinds of support;

• Various kinds of tools and techniques that are so well practiced that they can be available no matter what crises have arisen.
• Willingness and ability to be open to a wide variety of spiritual approaches, while holding confidence in the Benevolent Universe.
• A place for them to process what they have been dealing with–the “secondary trauma”--having group supervision, a personal counselor or spiritual director, and having opportunities for their own spiritual development and exploration.
• Opportunities for developing and implementing new healing offerings.

It could be said that Chaplains, Clergy and Spiritual Care givers function as a sort of holistic healers, combining spiritual guidance with therapeutic techniques. They need a broad skill set and robust support system to effectively carry out this mission of nurturing souls and facilitating personal growth and healing, and I invite them to explore the unique and powerful approach of Gestalt Soul Care.

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