The Spiritual Dimension is Added to NCCIH’s Model of Whole Person Health

I have some good news!

During the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Advisory Council Meeting on September 19, 2025, the Director announced that they have decided to add a Spiritual domain to their whole person health model!

Discussion about the decision to add the spiritual domain to their model can be viewed at the 26:05 mark in the video cast at the following link – NCCIH Adds a Spiritual Domain to Their Whole Persona Health Model.

This National Institute of Health (NIH) agency has been deliberating this issue for almost three years! This is an important milestone because one would expect that more research monies will now be made available to study the relationship between spirituality and health. Also, as NCCIH creates its next 5 year strategic plan, studying the spiritual component of health will be part of that plan. As well, other NIH agencies who are inclined to address whole person health will adopt the NCCIH model that now includes a spiritual domain. Resources that are made available to the public will eventually address the significance of spirituality as it impacts a person’s health and wellbeing.

My prayer is that, in the coming years, as the spiritual dimension of wellbeing receives more attention from our federal health agencies, this will positively impact on all aspects of the personal wellbeing of our citizens, as well as the public health of our nation and its related plaguing social issues such as poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment, crime, violence, and suicide.

The following scripture in the Bible, our Creator’s directions for living a full life, speaks to the significance of how one’s spiritual activities contributes to their wellbeing.

“Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it.” 1 Timothy 4:7-9 (New Living Translation – First Edition).

I encourage NCCIH and other NIH staff members, and all researchers in the field of faith and health, to consider what Biblical truths – “spiritual exercises” – contribute to personal health and wellbeing in their research efforts as they study the connection between spirituality and health.