“They say everything happens for a reason…”
“Why is this happening to me? I’m a good person!”
“I can’t lose faith. Everybody knows positive attitude is everything!”
“This just isn’t fair!”

Religious and spiritual values have been reported by many patients as important cancer coping tools. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) “the terms spirituality and religion are often used in place of each other, but for many people they have different meanings.”

Religion is defined as a set of beliefs and practices within an organized group.

Spirituality may be defined as a person’s sense of purpose, connection to others, thoughts about the meaning and purpose of life and sense of peace.

In addition, many individuals don’t identify with religion or spirituality. They identify as nonspiritual.

While some may tap into spirituality through practicing religion, others may find meaning and peace in another form that enriches or brings meaning to life.

What does spirituality have to do with cancer?

Spiritual Distress

A colorectal cancer diagnosis can shake up inner peace – igniting a “spiritual crisis” or “spiritual distress.” Studies have defined this as feelings of aloneness, hopelessness, hostility and anxiety.

Particularly if a patient is at the end of life, issues surrounding death and life’s purpose could result in distress – whether or not an individual identifies as spiritual or religious.

Patients experiencing spiritual crises may feel they are being “punished” by a higher force, or may have doubts or anger towards faith in general.

Fear of death and fear of the unknown are commonly reported concerns of cancer patients, and interestingly enough, these are topics addressed by many of the world’s religions and spiritual ideologies. This overlap may be a key cause of spiritual distress.

Regardless of personal beliefs, spiritual distress can be addressed to achieve efficient overall care. This can be done through counseling or talking with a spiritual or religious leader.

Spiritual Coping

The opposite of spiritual distress can be referred to as religious or spiritual coping. Many patients, and even caregivers, report relying on spirituality or religion to cope with a cancer diagnosis. According to the NCI, spiritual and religious well-being may help improve health and quality of life in the following ways:

• Decrease anxiety, depression, anger and discomfort.
• Decrease the sense of isolation (feeling alone) and the risk of suicide.
• Decrease alcohol and drug abuse.
• Lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.
• Help the patient adjust to the effects of cancer and its treatment.
• Increase the ability to enjoy life during cancer treatment.
• Give a feeling of personal growth as a result of living with cancer.
• Increase positive feelings, including:
  • Hope and optimism.
  • Freedom from regret.
  • Satisfaction with life.
  • A sense of inner peace.

Making time for the things that bring joy and meaning to life.

Integrating your spiritual beliefs could be beneficial in your cancer and survivorship care; a means to achieve spiritual coping. Take time to do things that give your life purpose, whether it’s spending time in nature, prayer, playing the piano, reading, talking to members in a support or faith-based group, or writing in your journal.

Spirituality takes many forms – find what brings joy and meaning to you and try to incorporate it as often as possible.

Talk with your medical team about any concerns you have in regards to spirituality – they will be able to refer you to someone to talk with to address those needs.

Looking for more information?

• Listen in to the Taboo-ty Podcast “Spiritually Speaking” with Chaplain Michael Eselun, BCC from the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology
• Call our toll-free resource line for live counseling.

For more information, visit:

• NCI Spirituality in Cancer Care 
• NIH Your Faith and Spirituality 
• Spirituality in Cancer Care
• MichaelEselun.com 

Additional References:

• Jim HS, et al. Religion, spirituality, and physical health in cancer patients: A meta-analysis. Cancer. 2015 Nov 1;121(21):3760-8. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29353. Epub Aug 10, 2015.
• King DE, Bushwick B: Beliefs and attitudes of hospital inpatients about faith healing and prayer. J Fam Pract 39 (4): 349-52, 1994
• Whitford HS, Olver IN, Peterson MJ: Spirituality as a core domain in the assessment of quality of life in oncology. Psychooncology 17 (11): 1121-8, 2008