Defining Spirituality, Religion, and Spiritual Care: Opening with Understanding

As a health professional in Australia, I’ve found that understanding spirituality is one of the most personal – and often most confusing – aspects of our work. I mean, what does spirituality even mean? And if we can’t define it, we might miss it when a client brings it up.

Our research showed that while spirituality is widely recognised as important in healthcare, the language surrounding it is inconsistent. This can make it difficult to talk about or act on. Spirituality relates to a person’s sense of meaning and purpose in life. It can surface in healthcare in many forms – through loneliness, anger, peace, or a search for hope. But without clear definitions or open professional dialogue, spirituality can feel off-limits or uncomfortable, especially in secular settings.

That’s why we need more professional resources to help clinicians feel confident and compassionate when these conversations arise. When we clarify what spirituality means in our healthcare context, we can work towards making it a meaningful and integrated part of care – not just an afterthought.

Spirituality is misunderstood in healthcare

In healthcare, few concepts are as deeply personal – and as widely misunderstood – as spirituality. For health professionals, the challenge begins well before the client walks through the door.

It begins within our professions, within our system – with how we define spirituality.
Because if we can’t define it, or don’t define it, we may not recognise it when it appears in practice.

Consider this example:
You’re seeing a client to address their needs following recent falls. You have a checklist in front of you and a limited time for the appointment. But the client keeps steering the conversation toward how lonely they feel. How disconnected and hopeless. How angry they are about how their life has turned out.

Do you stick to your to-do list? Or do you follow the client’s concerns?

Recognising the holistic and spiritual dimension of a client’s story starts with your understanding of it.

In our recent scoping review of Australian health professional literature (So et al., 2023), we uncovered a striking reality: while spirituality is increasingly recognised as a vital component of healthcare, the language surrounding it remains inconsistent, and often confusing. This lack of clarity may hinder meaningful conversations and leave both clients and clinicians unsure of how to proceed.

So, let’s start to unpack the complexity.

Spirituality: A search for meaning, purpose and connection

Across the 67 studies we reviewed, the most frequently cited definition of spirituality was the international palliative care consensus definition; “Spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose, and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred.” (Puchalski et al., 2009, p. 887) This definition includes both religious and non-religious experiences. It recognises that spirituality may be found in reflection, relationships, nature, or faith, and aligns with what many clients express when facing illness or end-of-life: a need to make sense of their life journey.

Yet despite its popularity, this definition benefits from important local context. For example, in our Australian study, all five Aboriginal health specialty articles provided unique definitions that emphasised spirituality as a community-wide experience; “the Aboriginal perspective incorporates a whole-of-life outlook which not only focuses on the social, emotional, spiritual and cultural well-being of the individual, but also of the entire community” (O’Brien et al., 2013, p. 5) Additionally, many Australian health professionals have created their own definitions, often blending elements from multiple sources or drawing from personal experience. This diversity in understanding reflects the complex challenge of defining spirituality, and the need for both international and localised resources. 

Spiritual care aims to integrate spirituality into a holistic approach to health, addressing the whole person.

Religion: A sensitive and often misunderstood concept

Religion, too, is a term fraught with complexity. In our review, 25 articles attempted to define religion, but again, no consistent definition emerged. Many authors focused on how misunderstood religion was as a concept, or how it compared to spirituality. Some authors described religion as a structured belief system shared by a community; “[Religion is] an institutionalised (i.e. systematic) pattern of values, beliefs, symbols, behaviours, and experiences that are oriented toward spiritual concerns, shared by a community, and transmitted over time in traditions” (Canda, 1999, p. 37; 2009, p. 59)

In Australia’s increasingly secular society, religion can be a sensitive topic – it comes with baggage. Health professionals may worry about offending clients or overstepping boundaries by discussing religion. Yet, for many clients, religious beliefs are a source of strength, identity, and hope – especially during times of crisis (Koenig et al., 2024). Religion remains a complex yet significant aspect of client diversity within Australian healthcare (Passmore, 2003).

Religion provides a structured way for spirituality to be shared within communities and is an important aspect of human diversity.

Why language matters

So why does all this matter?

Because language shapes practice.

When health professionals lack a shared vocabulary for spirituality, religion, and spiritual care, they may misunderstand or avoid the topic altogether. They may feel uncomfortable following up on a client’s spiritual concerns and may not have given much thought to when a referral to a spiritual expert is appropriate. And clients – who may be longing for a space to talk about their need for connection, rituals, or their existential concerns – may be left unsupported.

In contrast, when professionals have a clearer understanding of spirituality, they are more likely to approach spiritual conversations with confidence and compassion. This understanding provides a stronger foundation for recognising client spiritual themes and offering appropriate support.

Moving toward clarity

Our review highlighted the urgent need for Australian health professions to keep developing a shared language around these non-physical aspects of care. This doesn’t mean forcing a single definition on everyone. But it does mean creating discussions and frameworks that are clear, culturally sensitive, and grounded in evidence. It can start with: 

• Acknowledging that spirituality and religion are part of the human experience: this helps us support the whole person, not just their physical health.
• Listening broadly: to clients, colleagues, and the diverse voices that shape how spirituality and religion are understood in different contexts.
• Using the term ‘spiritual care’ if helpful: for some professionals and workplaces, this concept can provide a useful framework for integrating spirituality and religion into healthcare practice.
• Defining spirituality and religion in workplace documents: training, guidelines, and policies can openly make space for discussing and defining this area of practice.

By fostering clarity in this space, we can ensure that spirituality and religion become a meaningful and integrated part of holistic healthcare – not an afterthought, but a vital thread in the fabric of compassionate healthcare practice.

Gently start the conversation with The Spirit of Care

At The Spirit of Care, my work is focused on gently inviting these hard conversations into holistic healthcare. If you’re in the midst of a healthcare journey – for yourself, a child, parent or loved one – always know that there’s space for spirituality.

My book, The Suffering of a Child, is a personal collection of reflections written during the illness and death of our youngest daughter, Emily. My hope is that it will offer solace and solidarity to parents, families, caregivers and professionals who are living through or supporting others through devastating diagnoses.

My services and research is based on equipping healthcare professionals with the tools and skills to gently include a person’s spirituality into the health equation.

Get in touch with me if you’re keen to start the conversation.

Read more blogs.

References:

Canda, E., & Furman, L. (1999). Spiritual diversity in social work practice: the heart of helping. New York: The Free Press.

Canda, E., & Furman, L. (2009). Spiritual diversity in social work practice: The heart of helping. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press, USA.

Cooper, K., & Chang, E. (2022). Implementing a Spiritual Care Subject for Holistic Nursing Practice: A Mixed Method Study. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 8980101221088081. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/08980101221088081

Koenig, H., VanderWeele, T., & Peteet, J. (2024). Handbook of religion and health (Third edition ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

NHS Education for Scotland. (2009). Spiritual Care Matters. Edinburgh, UK: NHS Education for Scotland.

O’Brien, A. P., Bloomer, M. J., McGrath, P., Clark, K., Martin, T., Lock, M., . . . O’Connor, M. (2013). Considering Aboriginal palliative care models: the challenges for mainstream services. Rural & Remote Health, 13(2), 2339. doi:https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH2339

Passmore, N. L. (2003). Religious Issues in Counselling: Are Australian Psychologists “Dragging the Chain”? Australian Psychologist, 38(3), 183-192. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00050060310001707197

Puchalski, C., Ferrell, B., Virani, R., Otis-Green, S., Baird, P., Bull, J., . . . Sulmasy, D. (2009). Improving the quality of spiritual care as a dimension of palliative care: the report of the Consensus Conference. J Palliat Med, 12(10), 885-904. doi:10.1089/jpm.2009.0142

So, H., Mackenzie, L., Chapparo, C., Ranka, J., & McColl, M. A. (2023). Spirituality in Australian Health Professional Practice: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Synthesis of Findings. Journal of Religion and Health, 62(4), 2297-2322. doi:10.1007/s10943-023-01840-5

Spiritual Care Australia. (2013). Spiritual Care Australia Standards of Practice. Retrieved from https://www.spiritualcareaustralia.org.au/about-us/standards-and-policies/