Accounting for the Unaccountable

Making Sense of Extra-Ordinary Experiences in Hospitals

Authors

  • Chris Swift Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Stephen Sayers Leeds Metropolitan University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v2i1.99

Keywords:

Chaplaincy, extra-ordinary experience, narrative, nursing, spirituality

Abstract

Chaplains are familiar with patient narratives which recount “extra-ordinary” experiences. These may include a vision or awareness of a deceased person. It may take other forms of description which do not fit into day-to-day discourse. There is also a significant multi-faith and multi-cultural diversity to the nature and expression of such events. This paper outlines a narrative structure which could be used authentically by health care staff to enable and value the patient’s experience of extra-ordinary episodes. This is seen as a significant way to support a patient’s dignity and enable them to integrate experiences in an effective way.

Author Biographies

  • Chris Swift, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

    Chris Swift is Head of Chaplaincy Services at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Visiting Lecturer at Leeds Becket University and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leeds.

  • Stephen Sayers, Leeds Metropolitan University

    Stephen Sayers is Former Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts & Society, Leeds Metropolitan University and Reader in Social Psychology.

References

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Published

2014-12-16

How to Cite

Swift, C., & Sayers, S. (2014). Accounting for the Unaccountable: Making Sense of Extra-Ordinary Experiences in Hospitals. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 2(1), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.v2i1.99

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