Page 91 - Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

Fr om carative Fa c t o r 3 t o C ar it as ProC e s s 3
Thus, this Caritas Process seeks to make explicit that our profes-
sional commitment to caring-healing and the wholeness of Being/
doing/knowing cannot be complete or mature without focusing on
this evolving aspect of our personal and professional growth.

integration oF FaCtors and ProCesses
To be human is to feel. All too often we allow ourselves to think
our thoughts but not feel our feelings. The primary way to develop sen-
sitivity and a need for spiritual practices is to pay attention to our
feelings and thoughts—painful as well as happy ones. We need to
recognize the mental images we hold in our minds and our con-
sciousness and carry with us; we need to be more mindful of internal
scripts—what do we say to our self? What is the nature of the internal
chatter?
As we adopt some spiritual practice to connect with the inner self
and inner life world, we open to that which goes beyond the outer-
worldly physical dimension. We then seek a higher/deeper source for
inner wisdom and our own truths.
Many people do not fulfill their potential. They tend to look for
solutions outside themselves. But the source of maturity, wisdom,
reflection, insight, and mindfulness for developing an evolved con-
sciousness is within. To begin is to look within, to not be afraid of the
shadow-and-light side of our humanity; what makes us more deeply
human and humane is to make contact with, honor, and offer loving-
kindness to self, even those aspects we fear or do not like. Without
attending to this aspect of caring and Caritas Consciousness there is no
growth, and we will have limited success in working with the human-
ity of others if we cannot accept and love self first.
This process of ongoing spiritual development is the foundation
for caring, compassion, and transpersonal human-to-human connec-
tions with another. This dimension and process help us to “see” who
the spirit-filled person is beyond the outer physical elements, beyond
the patient, diagnosis, and so on. One must be able to connect with,
see, and accept that all feelings and thoughts are continually rising up
and falling away. However, through this practice and process we can
experience the reality that we have feelings and thoughts, but they do

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