ABSTRACT
A major key to the integration of medicine and spirituality is the development of a trusting relationship. For people to share their deepest feelings, for them to be able to express spiritual issues, they must feel safe. This means that a major objective of integration should be to create an environment of empathy. The principal objectives of spiritual integration are self-awareness, amplification, reframing, the creation of options, and empathy. These objectives should be attained using a sensitive and patient-centered approach. Encouraging self-awareness is not an end in itself. Although self-awareness is, in itself, therapeutic, it is probably best seen as the beginning of a process. Reframing is exploring the problem in the context of the complement. If a person is overwhelmingly focused on death, reframing seeks to introduce the complement of life. Awareness and reframing should cause resolution, spiritual movement, and ultimately healing.
