Spirituality during cancer: care that is yours too

What spirituality is

Spirituality is the way each person finds meaning, purpose and strength in life. For some, it comes from religion: faith, prayer, church, temple. For others, it comes from nature, art, music, family or personal values.

That is why spirituality is not the same as religion. People without a religion, including atheists and agnostics, also have their own spirituality. And it deserves the same care.

Why it matters during treatment

Spirituality is linked to less anxiety and depression, more hope and a better quality of life during and after cancer. It also helps people make difficult decisions in line with what matters to them.

Even so, the subject is often left out of consultations. In a survey carried out in Brazil:

In another study, a conversation of just five minutes with the oncologist about the subject helped reduce sadness and improved quality of life. Most patients found the conversation helpful.

Signs that this side of you needs attention

• Feeling that the illness is a punishment or your own fault.
• Hurt, anger or resentment that won't go away.
• A feeling that life has lost its meaning.
• Intense fear of the future or of death.
• Withdrawing from people and from the things that used to give you strength.
• Difficulty finding peace, even when your body is doing well.

All of this is human and common. And there is help for it.

How to talk to your care team

You can bring up the subject at any time, and you can also choose not to talk about it. Both choices are respected. A few questions can help you start:

• What gives me strength and hope right now?
• Are faith or my beliefs important to me? In what way?
• Do I have a community or people who support me?
• Do I want the team to take this into account in decisions about my treatment?

Your team should respect your beliefs, whatever they are, without judging and without trying to impose their own. Many hospitals also have chaplaincy services: professionals who support patients and families of any religion, or none.

What can help

• Keeping up your practices: prayer, reading, your religious community.
• Meditation and mindfulness.
• Gentle yoga, which helped with sleep, fatigue and emotional distress in several studies.
• Music, art and time in nature.
• Pets and the company of friends and family.
• Therapy with a psychologist, which helps you find meaning again and ease distress.

Faith and treatment go hand in hand

Spirituality adds strength to treatment, but it does not replace it. Be wary of promises of a cure from expensive, unproven "alternative" therapies. If a belief weighs on a decision about your treatment, talk openly with your team. The goal is to find a path that respects who you are.

For families

Those who care for others need care too. Family members feel fear and exhaustion, and often ask the same questions about meaning and hope. Seeking support, including spiritual support, is every caregiver's right.

For information only. It does not replace follow-up with your healthcare team.