Beliefs about “spiritual healing” among students and medicine teachers: a qualitative study

Abstract

This research investigated the beliefs of professors and undergraduate students of a medical school in Rio de Janeiro about “spiritual healing,” seeking contradictions in academic education, in contrast with the reality of the culture experienced by patients and physicians. Thirty-one students and thirty professors were interviewed, investigating the first ideas that came into their minds when thinking about “spiritual healing,” its mechanism, positive and negative related aspects, and influential people /authorities / instances considered essential for them formulating their personal opinion on this issue. Results were examined by analyzing the corpus of research in Initial Context Units (UCI), Elementary Context Units (UCE), plus Correspondence Factor Analysis, including the statistical treatment of sociodemographic data. The study revealed the clash between culture and academic background and the objective of humanization of care, and the need for systematic scientific proof, varying according to the student’s undergraduate cycle and the professor’s training. It also revealed the ambiguities in considering science and beliefs about spiritual healing. Besides, the interviewees admitted that they lacked enough knowledge about the relationship between spirituality and health, and some considered the legitimacy of discussing the theme during medical training.