Description
Book SynopsisMany spiritual caregivers, including chaplains, spiritual directors and clergy, are unaware of how they can support people with chronic health conditions. This book combines insights on chronic illness with spiritual care skills and suggestions to enhance well-being for people living with long-term illness.
Using a narrative approach, the author reflects on the stories of two women - Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, who travels from Kansas (a state of health) to Oz (an illness experience), alongside the author's personal experiences of managing an incurable autoimmune disease. Chapters will include guidelines and exercises that help equip caregivers to facilitate healing with people who live with long-term health conditions.
Trade ReviewThis eminently practical book draws upon an extraordinary breadth of research to describe with elegant simplicity how to spiritually care for chronic illness. With wisdom, compassion, and deep respect for spiritual differences, Arora creatively describes and illustrates the role of spiritual practices, meanings, and spiritual care relationships in journeys of healing through the twists and turns of living with chronic illness. -- Carrie Doehring, PhD Professor of Pastoral Care, Iliff School of Theology, author of The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach
A
must-read guide for spiritual care providers and
all healthcare professionals. Arora tells her personal story, concisely covers a lot of information, and takes readers on a journey using the
Wizard of Oz as a metaphor for coping with chronic illness.
Read this book and learn how to help
people
live well when faced with life-changing illness experiences. -- Regina M. Fink, PhD, APRN, Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The Calm Before The Storm: Wellness In The Foreground; 2. The Wicked Witch Of The West: Illness And Meaning Making; 3. The Yellow Brick Road: Losses And Grief On The Illness Journey; 4. Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion In The Haunted Forest: Spiritual Struggles And Spiritual Coping; 5. The Wizard Of Oz: Healers And Hope; 6. Return To Kansas: Spiritual Growth And A New Normal; Glossary