Reflection and Meditation Through Groups: Part I

There are many paths to spiritual growth through various forms of prayer and community.  Similarly, there are multiple paths to a deeper spirituality through meditation.  

Meditation and reflection on scripture (e.g., Lectio Divina) is one of the earliest forms of meditation practiced in the early church and has had a resurgence in recent years through the movement named “Centering Prayer.”  This meditation can be practiced individually or in a group.  

For example, I have used a modified form of Lectio Divina in scripture prayer groups in a nursing home, the rehabilitation unit of a hospital, and more recently, in Behavioral Medicine units of several hospitals where I practice as a chaplain. The results have been remarkable as residents and patients are able to release their emotions and share their spiritual journeys with other patients.  

Initially, I decided to form a group to satisfy a research requirement for the clinical pastoral care (CPE) training that I was undergoing at a high quality, continuous care nursing home complex.  

I began with two groups, one in the assisted living facility (essentially apartment living with on-site nursing care available) and the other in a mid-level care facility where most residents were not ambulatory and required around the clock nursing care.  

In the second group, there were fifteen people with multiple health issues that will be focused on here.  The group met weekly for twenty-one weeks.  Four persons had dementia (two of these with diagnosed Alzheimer disease), five were stroke victims, four with clinical depression, six with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, one with cancer, one with psychosis/anxiety, seven with hypertension, five with heart disease and one with neuropathy.

The need for such a group was based on my observations that residents often felt abandoned or dislocated from home, family, and friends and were isolated even though spending most of the day in common areas.  They frequently were unable to communicate or unwilling to communicate.  

A complaint often expressed by the residents was that they were being treated like children.  For example, when a resident was sick enough to be removed from their room to the hospital or died, the other residents, even the roommate, were often not told what happened.  

So, instead of receiving affirmation of their importance and relevance as human beings and given the opportunity to grieve, the remaining residents were left to look at an empty bed or room and wonder.  Although there were planned activities, the community support structure was limited and many of the residents were “stuck” emotionally and/or spiritually.