Introduction: End of life is the last phase of a person's existential journey. It is a very delicate moment, in which one's own life is reviewed by oneself, with the intention of integrating both successes and failures, in order to find a satisfactory life meaning and leave this world in peace. The need for forgiveness can become an essential task for this transition, however, there is little knowledge about the psychology of forgiveness and its importance in the end-of-life context, as well as how a terminal patient's request for forgiveness should be addressed by professionals. Hypothesis: This project is based on the hypothesis that forgiveness is a relevant process for people who are at the end of life, so that higher levels of forgiveness, less suffering and higher quality of life could be achieved. Objectives: One of the objectives of this project is to explore the management and perspective of spiritual counselors when assisting requests for forgiveness from people with advanced illness. Material and methods: Qualitative study using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of forgiveness in a sample of Dutch spiritual counselors of people with advanced and terminal illness. Preliminary results: Spiritual counselors do not frequently treat forgiveness in their conversations with patients but think that, although forgiveness is very complex and difficult to talk about it with patients, it is relevant and that can positively impact patient’s physical and psychological well-being.
Hypothesis: This project starts from the hypothesis that forgiveness is an important process for people in the final phase of life, which, if it is made part of the treatment of patients in the terminal phase, can lead to less (mental) suffering and a higher quality of life.
Objective: The central objective of this project is to investigate the experiences of spiritual counselors in guiding patients in dealing with forgiveness.
Method: For this project, 9 spiritual counselors, working in various Dutch hospitals, were interviewed based on a semi-structured interview list. Subsequently, an interpretive and phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze how they have guided patients in their search for forgiveness during their (often extensive) career.
Interim results: Spiritual counselors indicate that they have not often guided the theme or process of forgiveness in their career. They indicate that it is a complex and difficult topic to discuss, but see the relevance of the theme in improving the physical and mental well-being of patients; and provide guidance, among other things, for improving training for spiritual counselors and for applying forgiveness rituals within clinical practice.
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