“It is the act of caring that makes us human and fully human when we provide holistic care.”
(G. Bormolini)
Studies show that early and simultaneous attention to all dimensions of the individual (physical, psychological and spiritual) brings about a significant improvement in the quality of life of people facing a serious illness. In particular, aspects that are otherwise overlooked, such as spiritual support, can prove to be a genuine therapeutic resource. But what specifically belongs to the spiritual dimension? The answer is complex; it is a dimension that we can mostly define, but not describe. However, the fact that it cannot be described does not make it unknowable; it simply places it in another realm where the means of understanding is quite different: it places it in the realm of mystery. If we ourselves, the other and the Higher Power are a mystery, we enter boundless realms where everything is wonder, everything is new and needs not to be defined, but demands to be experienced. And whilst we await this, let us allow a fire of love and care to blaze within us – a sun from which to drink, so that we may give drink to those thirsting for life.
Guidalberto Bormolini
An anthropologist and thanatologist, he is a consecrated member and priest in a Christian meditation community: the ‘Ricostruttori nella preghiera al Borgo’. A graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University, he holds a Licentiate in Theological Anthropology and is a PhD candidate in Spiritual Theology at the University of St Anselm. He specialises in the spiritual accompaniment of the dying and lectures on the ‘Death Studies & the End of Life’ Master’s programme at the University of Padua and on the ‘Kindness in the Care Relationship’ Master’s programme at the Meyer University Hospital in Florence.
