 11/3/2004
Vol. 1, No. 19
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Professional
Practice |
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Chaplain
William G.
Kalaidjian
on the power
of singing
Is
This
All There
Is?
In
January of
2004, I was
assigned
wards IE
and ID, the
Spinal Cord
Units of
the Bronx
Veteran Administration
Medical Center
on Kingsbridge
Road in Bronx
County, New
York City.
The
two wards
have a population
of approximately
55 patients.
The majority
of the patients
are confined
to their
beds. While
visiting
the patients,
one of them
asked me,
as their
new Spinal
Cord Chaplain, “Hey,
Chaplain,
we’re
here in bed,
we get a
shower or
go for a
brief swim,
and it’s
back to bed.
Is this all
there is?”The
question
really tormented
me and when
I went to
bed that
night I asked
myself, what
if I were
a spinal
cord patient?
How would
I meet such
a challenge?
It dawned
on me: the
patients
could sing.
I took a
survey —the
memo stated, “You
do not have
to be a Bing
Crosby or
a Frank Sinatra
to join in
the forming
of a Wheelchair
Chorus. Come
meet your
chaplain
next Monday
at 3pm in
the IE Ward
Recreation
Room. Volunteer
David Thomas
will play
the piano
or keyboard.
Your Chaplain,
a Navy veteran,
will bring
the songs
in booklet
form, with
easy-to-turn
pages, and
songs easy
to sing."
To
my delight,
16 veteran
patients
showed up
for the first
rehearsal.
I mentioned
that I had
a dream that
we could
one day perform
for the Bronx
Rotary Club
at a luncheon
meeting.
May 18th
we did it.
A bus provided
by E.P.V.A.,
four cars,
and a police
escort left
the Bronx
VA for the
Harbor Restaurant
on City Island.
Memorial
Day we sang
at our chapel’s
Memorial
Day ceremony.
June 14th,
Flag Day
U.S.A., we
sang a patriotic
concert that
was well
received.
The
Spinal Cord
doctors say
the cloud
of depression
has lifted
from the
two wards.
The chorus
members have
told me they
feel they
breathe better
since they
have been
in the chorus.
The full-time
chaplains
tell me there
are more
wheelchairs
coming to
Chapel on
Sundays.
I write this
message in
answer to
the question
asked of
me, “Is
this all
there is?”With
a wheelchair
chorus, there
is more.
More joy,
more fellowship,
more purpose
in living,
and more
circumstances
to live for,
prepare for,
and experience.
The
Rev. William
G. Kalaidjian
is a graduate
of Nyack Public
Schools, a
veteran, US
Navy, WWII,
Aerologist
3/c on staff
of Admiral
Rosenthal,
Lakehurst,
NJ. He graduated
from Adelphi
College in
1950 with a
BA in Sociology
and from Union
Theological
Seminary in
May 1953 with
a B.D. and
M.Div., majoring
in church and
community.
He was ordained
a Congregational
Minister (now
UCC) in May
1953 and installed
as pastor of
The Bedford
Park Congregational
Church, where
he served for
43 years. He
was sworn in
as a Protestant
Police Chaplain
in April of
1957 and served
the police
department
for 41 years.
Bill became
an intermittent
chaplain at
the Bronx VA
Medical Center
in July of
1976 and part-time
staff one year
later. He is
presently in
his 30th year
of service
to the U.S.
Government.
Bill is the
chaplain for
two wards of
spiral cord
patients as
well as being
the organizer
and founder
of the Bronx
VAMC Wheelchair
Chorus.
Do you have
thoughts about
professional
practice you’d
like to share
with your colleagues?
Send an e-mail info@PlainViews.org.
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Advocacy |
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Jamal Ghani on the importance of
having a place to pray
Clinical
Care With Prayers
Editor’s
Note: In the last issue of PlainViews,
Dr. Frederick Smith wrote about
the benefit to a hospital in "increased
appreciation from patients, families
and community, and in improved
morale for clinicians whom trained
chaplains have helped to fill in
that too-often-missing wedge in
the circle of healing." In
this issue, an employee of North
Shore writes about how he has been
helped by the presence of a Pastoral
Care Department.
Every time a patient is admitted
to a hospital, a loved-one prays
for the welfare of that patient and
pray for the patient’s speedy
recovery. Hospitals across the nation
admit patients regardless of race,
color or religion. It becomes more
challenging for loved ones of the
patient admitted to find a place
of comfort where they can pray in
privacy and, at the same time, be
able to find the appropriate prayer
books to help them with the praying
process. Many times, a patient and
the loved ones by their bedside feel
helpless and in need of spiritual
help. No matter how good the doctor
or nursing staff, one always prays
for the quick recovery of a loved
one.
Psychologically as well, praying
brings peace to the patient, as well
as to the family members. At North
Shore University Hospital, Pastoral
Care Services are busy on a daily
basis fulfilling the requests of
patients and their-love ones. One
of the ways of fulfilling this commitment
is by maintaining a “meditation
room”within the hospital premises
for prayer. Regardless of one’s
religious beliefs, a family member
can spend some peaceful time meditating
or simply praying for the recovery
of their love ones. Aside from maintaining
the praying room, the chaplains make
regular visits to the patients and
family members.
The department has been an advocate
for the community constituencies
that the hospital serves. One example
was in identifying the need for a
Sabbath Elevator.* The chaplains
also participated in a work group
with nursing staff that developed
a learning module to address specific
religious and spiritual needs of
maternity patients. Specific foods,
separation of the genders, modesty
and other cultural needs were also
addressed. The chaplains made the
case to Administration for a Sabbath
Elevator. The response from the community
has been overwhelmingly positive.
There is a teaching opportunity
when the chaplains orient new staff
and describe their role as removing
obstacles that may prevent patients
and family members (even staff) from
accessing their spiritual resources
and practices when entering the hospital.
Additionally, in a very innovative
way, North Shore’s Pastoral
Care Services reach out to link employees
within the hospital as well. In a
very proactive way, they recognized
the needs for the staff during the
month of Ramadan (when Muslims fast
from sunrise to sunset). Pastoral
Care together with Nutritional Services
arranged for basic beverages to ensure
that the Muslim medical residents,
doctors, visitors as well as other
staff members were able to open their
fast on time and have a place to
pray in a group.
Pastoral Care Services at North
Shore has extended their hands proactively
to support not only patients and
their family but also hospital employees
regardless of race, color or religious
affiliation. A moment of peace in
a prayer just itself can heal numerous
wounds. North Shore’s Pastoral
Care Services is making sure they
are part of this healing process!
* A Sabbath elevator automatically
stops at every patient floor. This
permits Jews who do not travel or
operate machinery on the Sabbath
to visit with loved ones or to perform
the act of visiting the sick.
Jamal Ghani currently serves as
an Administrative Director of Supply
Chain Management/Materials Management
at North Shore University Hospital
in Manhasset, New York. Before coming
to North Shore, Mr. Ghani was CEO of
Xplica, Inc., a technology company.
Prior to Xplica, Mr. Ghani was the
founding member of OnlineCare.com,
which merged with Xplica. Before his
for-profit ventures, Mr. Ghani served
as a Director of New Business Development
and Venture Investments at Catholic
Healthcare West in San Francisco. Mr.
Ghani holds an undergraduate degree
in Computer Information Systems, Master
of Business Administration with emphasis
in Financial Management, and Master
of Healthcare Administration from University
of Minnesota.
Do you have thoughts about advocacy
you’d like to share with your colleagues?
Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.
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Education & Research |
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The Rev. John Lentz
on hypnotic CDs for assisting
in ministry
Forgiveness
Through Hypnotic
CDs
As a prison chaplain,
I saw many people who
had a difficult time
feeling forgiven. Most
clergy know how hard
it is to convey the idea
of forgiveness. Simply
saying, “You are
forgiven,”doesn’t
necessarily give someone
the real feeling, even
though they may have
the thought in mind.
I
also saw many people
in my private counseling
practice that were not
able to feel forgiven,
no matter what they knew
in their heads. Desperately
wanting to find ways
that would help give
people relief, I searched
for answers. Some of
those came through experience
and some came from the
work of Milton Erickson
M.D. His style of experiential
clinical approaches came
from a perspective that
saw even dysfunctional
behaviors as attempts
to solve real problems,
even if they didn’t
do so effectively.
I
worked with many people
who did not want to dredge
up the past; they wanted
to believe they had left
behind feelings about
an abortion, promiscuity,
the time they were raped
or molested, etc.,
even though their current
behaviors said otherwise.
Throughout
Judeo-Christian scriptures,
I found examples of how
forgiveness was powerfully
healing in restoring
a person to making good
choices for their life. I
decided to create a CD
that would help people
to experience the healing
aspects of forgiveness.
I made a hypnotic tape
for a man with much sexual
shame. I found that the
tape really helped him
when his regular psychotherapy
didn’t.
Using
a hypnotic approach made
this task more achievable.
I used reframing, guided
imagery, implied meanings,
symbolic suggestions,
associational meanings
and symbolic imagery
as well as intellectual
arguments that are scripturally-consistent
and accurate, whether
the person is in a trance
while listening or not.
However, I used an induced
trance state to magnify
the results of the linguistic
tools.
The
result has been very
powerful and effective
with my clients. The
best proof is in their
changed behaviors. The
self-destructive behaviors
of people struggling
with not feeling forgiven
stopped showing up, and
in their place were life-enhancing
decisions, decisions
that have brought about
more of a sense of self-worth
and dignity.
At
about the same time that
I began implementing
my homemade CDs with
my clients, I met a man
who could edit and create
professional CDs. He
wanted to assist in a
ministry, and so we teamed
up to produce a series
of CDs for a variety
of issues. The Feeling
Forgiveness CD was
our first and has had
much success.
Creating
a company http://www.healingwordspress.org/ to
publish and distribute
the products, we put
all the money we make
back into producing more
materials, so that more
people can be helped.
Designed to assist the
work of clergy and therapists
helping people overcome
personal difficulties,
we have created CDs for
dealing with migraine
headaches, anger, financial
difficulties, criticism,
loneliness, management
of chronic pain, as well
as one for chronic illnesses
that are worsened by
stress.
I
have found this therapy
very helpful for my clients
and welcome the opportunity
to discuss it with anyone
who has an interest in
this type of pastoral
work. It does make a
difference.
Dr.
John D. Lentz served as
the Chaplain Chief for
KCIW for over 22 years
and for 18 of those also
served as an adjunct professor
at the Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary. He
is a fellow in AAPC, an
approved supervisor in
AAMFT (American Association
of Marriage and Family
Therapy) and approved consultant
with ASCH (American Society
of Clinical Hypnosis).
He is the author of Effective
Handling of Manipulative
Behavior, How
the Word Heals, and
Therapeutic Meditations.
He has presented at national
and international conferences
on a variety of professional
topics. Currently he is
the director of The Ericksonian
Institute of Jeffersonville,
IN, where he practices
and teaches Hypnosis along
with marriage and family
therapy. In December of
2004 he will be presenting
a new technique he developed
for treating Anxiety Disorders
at the 9th Ericksonian
Congress in Phoenix AZ.
Do you have thoughts
about education & research
you’d like to share with
your colleagues? Send
an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.
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Spiritual
Development |
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The Rev.
Phil Pinckard on organ
donation —a
miracle out of a tragedy
Everlasting
Hope
I‘ll
always remember the 20th
of the month. On May
20, 2002, at 2:13 pm,
my pager vibrated. When
I called the high school
principal’s office,
my wife, Jodie, answered.
She told me that our
son, Mark, had been involved
in an accident and was
being transported by
ambulance to the medical
center where I work.
I hurried down to the
emergency room to meet
her. We stood near the
driveway as the city
ambulance pulled up.
Students, teachers, friends,
co-workers and ministerial
friends were gathering
to support and pray for
us. The 3/4 ton GMC Suburban
that our son Mark was
driving had been struck
by an 18-wheel tractor-trailer
rig hauling a load of
lumber. The driver was
unable to avoid hitting
Mark's vehicle.
We waited anxiously
for news of Mark’s
condition. Initially,
his injuries included
a broken left arm and
collarbone, a fractured
jaw and a bruised left
lung. Routine diagnostic
tests were clear, but
as he was being settled
into the ICU for observation,
something changed. His
pupils became uneven
and unresponsive. During
a second 'stat' CT, Mark’s
heart stopped once and
had to be shocked back
into proper rhythm. This
second CT showed that
an artery had ruptured
between the skull and
the brain, filling the
area with blood that
quickly flooded the brain
stem. Mark was gone.
When Jodie and I received
this news from his neurosurgeon,
we agreed without hesitation
to donate Mark's vital
organs, bone, soft tissue
and corneas, anything
that could be used to
help someone else. About
two hours after giving
consent, we learned that
Mark’s French II
class had discussed organ/tissue
donation about two weeks
before graduation. Opinions
were mixed; even Mark’s
teacher didn’t
know whether she could
donate her organs. Mark
spoke up saying: "If
anything were to happen
to me, I'd want them
to take anything and
everything they could
use, because where I'm
going, I won't need them." God
confirmed to us through
Mark's own voice that
we were honoring his
final wishes.
One Wednesday, about
two months after Mark’s
death, my family met
a miracle. A blonde,
blue-eyed, active four-year
old named Caitlin, who,
on May 21, received Mark’s
right kidney. When her
parents walked into the
room, we exchanged hugs.
We talked, shared pictures
of our families and got
acquainted. What a blessing
to know that someone’s
life has been changed
forever through organ
donation. I have firm
assurance, more now than
ever, in the words of
the Apostle’s Creed: “I
believe in the resurrection
of the body.”Resurrection
of the body is a future
hope for Mark; a present
reality for this little
girl, who was recently
the flower girl for our
daughter’s wedding.
Throughout this journey,
I’ve felt the deepest
sense of sorrow mingled
with firm assurance,
inexpressible gratitude
and everlasting hope.
I know the Lord has given
me this scripture: “Do
not fear, for I have
redeemed you; I have
called you by name; You
are mine! When you pass
through the rivers, they
will not overflow you.
When you walk through
the fire, you will not
be scorched, Nor will
the flame burn you. For
I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
your Savior …”[Isaiah
43:1-3, NAS] Knowing
that someone had received
life and sight through
Mark has comforted and
sustained us in our sorrow.
In Robert Fulghum’s
book, It Was On Fire
When I Lay Down on It,
I read this creed:
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge—
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts—
That hope always triumphs over experience—
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.
In the depths of my spirit, God has confirmed everlasting hope. I say with
Paul that “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing –nothing
living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable
or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s
love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”[Romans
8:39-39, The Message]
A new book has been
published about Mark
and Caitlin. It is entitled, Now
Caitlin Can: a donated
organ helps a child by
Ramona Wood. It was written
from the viewpoint of
Caitlin’s brother,
Freddie, who was six
when Caitlin received
Mark's kidney. You can
order it from www.justbookz.com.
Since January 1997,
Rev. Phil Pinckard has
served as Chaplaincy Director
for the SHARE Foundation.
Ordained as a minister
in the Church of The Nazarene,
Phil holds a BA from Olivet
Nazarene University, Kankakee,
IL and earned his M.Div.
from the Nazarene Theological
Seminary, Kansas City,
MO. Before becoming a healthcare
chaplain, Phil served Nazarene
congregations as pastor
and/or associate pastor
in five states from 1980
to 1996. He received clinical
training at Baptist Memorial
Hospital, Kansas City and
the University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
Medical Center in Little
Rock. He is endorsed by
his denomination as a healthcare
chaplain. He is also a
member of the Association
of Professional Chaplains.
Do you have
thoughts about spiritual
development you’d like
to share with your colleagues?
Send an e-mail of any
length to info@PlainViews.org. |
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|
EthicsWalk |
EthicsWalk addresses
spiritual
care
as
an
ethical
enterprise.
It
explores
why
relationships
between
spiritual
care
providers
and
those
they
serve
need
protection,
and
examines
what
that
protection
entails. PlainViews invites
our
readers
to
share
their
responses
to
each EthicsWalk column,
which
will
be
published
in
the
following
issue.
If
you’d
like
to
respond
to EthicsWalk,
please
send
a
comment
of
no
more
than
100
words.
You
can
use
the
e-form
below
(click
on "hearing
from
you," link)
or
submit
your
commentary
to
the
editors
in
the
body
of
an
e-mail
(or
as
a
Microsoft
Word
attachment)
sent
to Info@PlainViews.org.
Please
put
the
phrase
“EthicsWalk”
in
your
subject
line.
We look forward to hearing
from you.
Professional
Power: Claim It, Own It!
Ethics
codes
and
work
place
polices
encourage
recognition
and
responsible
use
of
professional
power.
Religious
professionals
especially
must
be
ever
mindful
of power
imbalances created
by
the
expectations
and
realities
of
ministerial
relationships. Fiduciary
duty
requires
ministers
act
solely
in
the
best
interest
of
persons
in
their
care.
Fiduciary
duty
applies
to
the
treatment
of
another’s
financial
concerns,
private
information,
employment
issues,
emotional
needs,
psychological
state,
sexual
desires,
or
religious
quest. Professionals
who
transgress
their
duty
in
one
area
often
transgress
other
areas.
Their
problem
is
handling
power
responsibly.
Power
does
not
exist
in
a
vacuum.
Power
is
relational,
and
in
itself,
is
neither
good
nor
evil,
but
morally
neutral.
Most
adults
possess
some
degree
of
personal
power,
with
varying
manifestations,
in
most
relationships.
Among
adults
in
family
and
friendships,
there
is
mutuality
of
power.
Each
person’s
power,
although
different,
balances
that
of
the
other.
While
people
defer
to
the
knowledge,
expertise,
or
skills
of
friends
or
family
in
some
aspects
of
life,
those
same
relatives
or
friends
defer
to
them
in
other
aspects.
There
is
mutuality
of
need
and
reciprocity
of
response.
Power
differentials
shift
within
situations
but
remain
overall
in
balance.
In
professional
relationships,
the
balance
is
upset. There
is,
hopefully, “mutuality”of
consent
to
the
relationship.
But
there
is
not
mutuality
of
access
to
information
about
each
other:
the
physician
does
not
bear
her
chest
for
the
patient
to
examine;
the
lawyer
does
not
open
his
financial
records
for
the
client
to
review.
The
professional
has
the “power”of
expertise
and
the “power”of
knowing
the
other
person
in
ways
which
are
not
reciprocal.
In
addition
to
real
power
differential,
most
people ascribe power
to
the
professional
whether
or
not
the
professional
has
actual
power
in
a
given
encounter.
This
is
particularly
true
for
clergy
and
other
ministers
of
all
faith
traditions. Numinosity is
the
kind
of “transcendent,”“connected-to-the-Divine”power
ascribed
by
laity
of
all
faith
traditions
to
their
ministers
or
religious
teachers
and
leaders.
“I
don’t
feel all powerful.”“I’m
an over burdened, multi-tasked
employee of a giant health care
provider, and anyway, I regard
everyone as my equal.”
Ethicist
Marie
Fortune
says
the
legacy
of
liberalism
is
the
denial
of
power
and
power
differentials
by
those
who
have
it.
The
person
with
power
earnestly
proclaims, “this
relationship
is
based
on
mutuality,
equality.”But
who
sought
whom
for
guidance?
If
money
is
exchanged
for
services,
who
is
paying
and
who
is
being
paid?
The
chaplain
is
paid
for
contact
with
the
patient;
not
the
reverse.
Acknowledging
power
differences
inherent
in
chaplaincy
relationships,
allows
people
safely
to
form
and
sustain “spiritual
bonds,”while
being
mindful
of
the
here-and-now
realities
of
power
imbalance.
Two
ethical
questions
emerge:
-
How
does one recognize, own, value
and use wisely one’s
power while remaining fully human
and non arrogant in a professional
relationship? and,
-
How
does one use one’s
own needs and abilities to benefit
and compliment the needs and
abilities of the other?
These
questions
introduce
the
issue
of “boundaries,”to
be
discussed
in
the
next EthicsWalk.
Anne
Underwood
has
an
undergraduate
degree
in
religious
studies,
a
master’s
degree
in
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