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Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care pp 697–713Cite as

Spiritual Dimensions of Pain and Suffering

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Abstract

Pain is a multi-dimensional, complex experience. It is a struggle to adequately identify and meet the needs of patients experiencing pain in a bio-psycho-social–spiritual context. In this chapter we explore the relationship between the spiritual dimensions of suffering and the experience of physical pain. By intertwining research with clinical case studies, the chapter reviews definitions, the relationship between spiritual anguish and physical pain, and finally interdisciplinary and evidence-based approaches to alleviating suffering.

Keywords

  • Palliative Care
  • Religious Coping
  • Spiritual Practice
  • Palliative Care Team
  • Palliative Care Patient

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMass Memorial Medical Center, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, MA, 01545, USA

    Amy Wachholtz PhD, MDIV & Suzana Makowski MD, MMM, FACP

Authors
  1. Amy Wachholtz PhD, MDIV
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  2. Suzana Makowski MD, MMM, FACP
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy Wachholtz PhD, MDIV .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD, USA

    Rhonda J. Moore

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Wachholtz, A., Makowski, S. (2013). Spiritual Dimensions of Pain and Suffering. In: Moore, R.J. (eds) Handbook of Pain and Palliative Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1651-8_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1651-8_36

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