In May of this year, my blog post titled Whole Person Health and Our Federal Government expressed my concern that a key government health agency’s model for Whole Person Health did not include a Spiritual domain. I expressed my concern that the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was remiss for not recognizing the significant impact that spirituality can have on a person’s health and wellbeing.
I also encouraged my readers to submit a comment to NCCIH to that affect.
I’m happy to announce that on August 18, 2023 the Director of NCCIH posted a message on her Director’s Page stating that “I hope to get a conversation started about how we may thoughtfully include spirituality as one of the domains of research on whole person health.” Doctor Langevin also wrote, “We’ll need to answer a core question. What are the elements of spiritual health that would be most amenable to research and would interconnect with the biological, behavioral, social, and environmental domains that we study?”
The draft diagram above was offered by Doctor Langevin as a suggestion as to how the spiritual domain might fit in their Whole Person Health model.
I commend the NCCIH staff for being open to including the Spiritual domain of health to their model. I also pray that as they explore this issue further that they make a decision to add the spiritual dimension as the research clearly shows that spirituality is an important component of mental and physical health.
I encourage you to read Doctor Langevin’s message. And, if you agree that there is a spiritual domain to health, then I also encourage you to send a comment to the NCCIH staff to that effect. Her message includes instructions on how to do this.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Dale, thank you for all the updates and the efforts put into reaching out to our Mental Health & Wellness Agencies. We must continue to fight the good fight of Mental Health & Wellness to include the vital need for Spiritual Guidance and Encouragement. We continue to share your blogs, website, and counseling efforts with our community here in Kansas City.
Keeping the Faith,
Andy Tilton, Director,
Adam’s Story – Community Outreach,
Mental Health & Wellness Resources