ABSTRACT
A longer attempt calls it “that vast realm of human potential dealing with ultimate purposes, with higher entities, with God, with love, with compassion, with purpose”; a third effort names it as “an overarching construct that involves personal beliefs or values that provide a sense of meaning and unity with self, people, nature and universe”. A spiritual orientation in primary mental health care is holistic and all-encompassing, stretching between the poles of science and religion. Spirituality and religion differ, though they overlap. “Spiritual beliefs” arise from the inevitable human search for meaning, and “spirituality” refers to any inclination that seeks an ultimate good or a basic set of beliefs that give meaning to our existence. The simple fact that many patients speak the language of religion and spirituality and are invested in finding higher ground in their own lives has been one enormous reason that doctors have reawakened to the legitimacy of spirituality as a component of holistic care.
