Holy touch.
Rev. Marshall, whose blog Episcopal Chaplain at the Bedside I've already recommended, published a beautiful and informative post about the process of becoming a diocesan healthcare chaplain. Please read it here.
I also had some lovely correspondence from a wonderful person from my home parish, Chaplain Kate Stygall O'Sullivan. I asked her to let me know what sorts of articles or information would be helpful for her, and along with the standbys that I hear from chaplains on the phone and via e-mail (local parish support systems and/or the lack thereof, self-care, case loads, the lay/ordained debate), she mentioned a few things that were new and wonderful to my ears:
1. The name "chaplain." Kate expressed a concern that "chaplain" indicates a special kind of service, particularly a Christian person and a person who works with people who are just about to die. She serves in an interfaith capacity and is committed to many kinds of healing. What do you think? Have you encountered misunderstandings around the definition of "chaplain"?
2. In her words: "The integration of healing modalities such as light touch therapy (healing touch, Reiki, laying on of hands, etc.), guided imagery, aromatherapy, music, etc. into the work of the chaplain. (We so often hear about ministries of presence, but sometimes I believe we need to offer some modalities that support comfort, connection with the sacred and feelings of well-being. I also believe that God can work through our hands as well as our voices and hearts.)
I wholeheartedly agree. I have yet to do my first unit of CPE (it starts June 4 of this year), but I was considering being a midwife for a few years, and did an internship with a naturopath in Bellingham, WA. What impressed me most was that she honestly took an hour or more with each of her clients, listening carefully to their illnesses and complaints, asking detailed questions about their spiritual health, their exercise life, their stress level. Often she would "prescribe" walking. She would often recommend people to masseuses or the cranial-sacral therapist in the building. She understood the value of being heard and being touched in gentle, present ways. I know people who have been healed through the use of healing touch, both in charismatic Christian contexts and in interactions with Reiki healers. Kate has tapped into something deep here. Can we forget our Messiah spitting into some dirt and smearing on the eyes of a man born blind? What do you think? What would help you? Could this office advocate for parishes to support alternative-healing training for their chaplain members - perhaps a class or two a year? Let me know.
4 comments:
Actually, this is not a new thought. In a number of institutions music ministries (in some formal music therapy, in other availability of music for patients) fall under the purview of the chaplain. The upcoming Annual Conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains will include Preconference Workshops on the use of mandalas and on Interplay, a variety of body work; and workshops during the Conference on music, laughter, and therapeutic touch. A workshop on pet therapy is being offered by Kay Miller, an endorsed and Board Certified Episcopal chaplain who has offered this ministry for some years (and whom I know Bishop Packard will remember from several meetings).
In many places chaplains have been in the forefront of complementary therapies.
Thanks for your thoughts, Marshall. I meant that those ideas were new to me as a non-chaplain. And apparently Kate is not feeling supported in her desire to explore alternative therapies. What would you recommend for a chaplain interested in such things who may not be able to afford or attend the APC conference?
I'd like to know how receptive the medical community is to the chaplain bringing, say, a session of healing touch into a protocol. Right now I bet it's tolerated. Would it get testy if time and resources have to be shared, or, lab tests or an "official" procedure had to delayed or postponed?
I like very much that we are beginning to unlock the interactive riches to be shared in our chaplain community. Thank you, Shelly. Thank you, Marshall
I think the real first step for a chaplain is to "take the temperature of the institution" regarding "complementary therapies." That's the current, more politically acceptable, phrase for "alternative therapies." See what physicians are reading or talking about. See what they think is worth thinking about, and what they simply laugh at.
Second, see what is being studied. There are some studies supported by NIH. There are some on more established programs, such as music therapy or child life therapy. Check out nursing journals; they're more open to complementary therapies. That reflects different philosophical underpinnings between allopathic medicine and professional nursing.
Finally, see what you want to study. Healing Touch or Massage or Reiki have their practitioners among chaplains. Massage, especially, has some acceptance in health care for patient satisfaction and pain management.
Those are my thoughts for considering this.
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