Hellena Moon’s chapter provides two connected clinical vignettes she encountered as a chaplain that highlight the connections between miracles, medicine, and patient care. While the concept of “miracle” tends to be used to discuss the supernatural and divine, its original meaning referred to wonder and astonishment. In her chapter, she explores how this original, humanist meaning of the word should have a more prominent place in healthcare settings. Her chapter underscores the importance of relationship-centered care and what philosopher Emmanuel Levinas described as a deep grounded respect and awe for the Other that allows for our true humanity to be recognized in our care work. The first vignette shares the wonder and awe in seeing the connections between spiritual care practices and neurological outcomes for a patient, highlighting the positive impact when spiritual practices inform medical care. The second vignette describes the same patient and her end-of-life care that could have been improved with better communication and compassion by the attending physician. The “miracle” for this patient would have been to die peacefully at her home and create loving memories for her family where she would have been surrounded by loved ones.

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Misunderstanding “Miracles”: A Chaplain’s Perspective

  • Hellena Moon

摘要

Hellena Moon’s chapter provides two connected clinical vignettes she encountered as a chaplain that highlight the connections between miracles, medicine, and patient care. While the concept of “miracle” tends to be used to discuss the supernatural and divine, its original meaning referred to wonder and astonishment. In her chapter, she explores how this original, humanist meaning of the word should have a more prominent place in healthcare settings. Her chapter underscores the importance of relationship-centered care and what philosopher Emmanuel Levinas described as a deep grounded respect and awe for the Other that allows for our true humanity to be recognized in our care work. The first vignette shares the wonder and awe in seeing the connections between spiritual care practices and neurological outcomes for a patient, highlighting the positive impact when spiritual practices inform medical care. The second vignette describes the same patient and her end-of-life care that could have been improved with better communication and compassion by the attending physician. The “miracle” for this patient would have been to die peacefully at her home and create loving memories for her family where she would have been surrounded by loved ones.