Understanding Transformational Experience

Understanding transformational experience is important to every caregiving discipline. At the end of the day, caregiving almost always involves a partnership between the caregiver and the patient or the client. There is a tacit agreement between them that they share a common goal—healing, whatever that means for each individual’s situation. Clearly, this goal needs to be patient centered. Caregivers are not rescuers with their own agenda that barge in on people’s lives irrespective of their wishes and dictate what is needed. On the contrary, caregivers practice listening skills that strengthen the caregiving partnership. However, under the best of circumstances, the goal of healing can be difficult to achieve. Sometimes this is true even when technology can deliver a cure.

A cure, when possible, is an important accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated, yet we know that of itself it does not mean the goal of healing has necessarily been achieved. For many people a significant health risk remains if underlying psychosocial and spiritual issues are left unaddressed, particularly when those issues contributed to the condition that brought the patient or client to the caregiver’s attention in the first place. In that case the health problem or a related one will almost certainly return. Caregivers are challenged by this all-too-familiar scenario in the caregiving partnership.

This year’s ETIP Conference has been specifically planned to address this challenge. Advances in understanding transformational experience have been occurring that have gone largely unrecognized by mainstream caregivers. These advances have illuminated conditions that can be seen to interfere with healing. This understanding, in turn, has contributed to development of clinical caregiving practices that empower patients to escape the determinants of health leading to chronic diseases, suffering, and early death. Researchers are exploring the role of forgiveness, for example, both of self and others on health outcomes. For some people the correlation will be surprising. Similarly, the role of gratitude, as simple as that may sound, was found to have a profound influence that began almost immediately once a particular practice of gratitude was adopted by a research cohort.

This science-backed foray into the realm of transformational experience is showing promise.  While not yet producing a generalizable theory explaining the details of personal transformational experiences, the theory may not be far behind. In that respect, ETIP participants will participate in discussions with researchers that explore how new tools used in studying epigenetics are being applied to the deeper understanding of what healing really involves. The implications support a deeper appreciation of how important the partnership is between caregivers and their patients. The practical implications for practitioners and the caregiving community will then be developed in the ETIP workgroups as they work together to develop specific strategies for implementation with patients and clients.