Background: Previous research has shown that the understanding and knowledge about the spiritual needs is not given high priority among nursing staff. During the latest years the body and its functions has controlled the healthcare and the spiritual needs has been placed in the background. All humans have spiritual needs that must be satisfied irrespective of religious background. Aim: The aim of this study was to in a caring perspective illustrate patients? spiritual and existential needs in palliative care.

Background:Existential and spiritual thoughts are a big part of pallative care. The terms existential and spiritual can be understood in many different ways. It may mean thoughts about faith or thoughts concerning life and death. The nurse in palliative care need to have good communication skills, be responsible and be present and supportive in meeting with the patient.Aim:To describe the nurse's experiences of meeting patients' existential and spiritual thoughts in palliative care.Methods:A literature review based on 10 scientific studies have been done. The studies have been downloaded from the following scientific databases; Academic Search preimer, CINAHL Plus with   Full Text, and PubMed.

Background:Existential and spiritual thoughts are a big part of pallative care. The terms existential and spiritual can be understood in many different ways. It may mean thoughts about faith or thoughts concerning life and death. The nurse in palliative care need to have good communication skills, be responsible and be present and supportive in meeting with the patient.Aim:To describe the nurse's experiences of meeting patients' existential and spiritual thoughts in palliative care.Methods:A literature review based on 10 scientific studies have been done. The studies have been downloaded from the following scientific databases; Academic Search preimer, CINAHL Plus with   Full Text, and PubMed.

Through the lenses of religion?s role in society, the purpose of this thesis is to examine, the role of the Church of Sweden in providing support to people at the end of life. Questions asked are:  "What types of spiritual support is offered by the Church of Sweden during terminal care provided in patients' homes and how is this support expressed in church orders, assembly instructions, plans of operations and congregation letters?" and " How can the work of the Church of Sweden be understood, based on theories of religion's role in society? The method used is a content analysis of the Church Order, assembly instructions, plans of operations and congregation letters in 17 different congregations within the diocese of Lund. I then engage in a discussion with theories on differentiation and the privatization of religion as a means to interpret my results.

One third of all Swedish people will suffer in cancer. Pain is a common symptom in cancer patients. The pain is subjective and includes several dimensions. The dimensions of pain are the physical, psychological, social and spiritual. This is a literature review and the aim with this study was to identify the pain experience in patients with cancer receiving palliative care.

To receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can lead to a tremendous change in a person?s life. Thoughts regarding death may cause a personal crisis which can have negative influences on the patient?s social, mental and spiritual state. Most people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in a late stage of the disease.

Elderly patients experiences of palliative care ? a rewireThe purpose of this paper was to study elderly patient?s experience of palliative care with present knowledge as starting point. The questions were; what criteria do the elderly, dying person think is most important to fulfill in palliative care? and how satisfied is the elderly, dying person with the palliative care that are giving to him/her? The information were collected by a data based search trough science magazines and technical literature. Four relevant studies were found; Costello (2001), Heyland (2005), Wilson (1999) and Formiga (2004).

Elderly patients experiences of palliative care ? a rewireThe purpose of this paper was to study elderly patient?s experience of palliative care with present knowledge as starting point. The questions were; what criteria do the elderly, dying person think is most important to fulfill in palliative care? and how satisfied is the elderly, dying person with the palliative care that are giving to him/her? The information were collected by a data based search trough science magazines and technical literature. Four relevant studies were found; Costello (2001), Heyland (2005), Wilson (1999) and Formiga (2004).

Aim: The purpose of this study was to highlight in what forms and manifestations spirituality emerges in medical patients whether they consider themselves believers or not. The other aim was to analyse spiritual ideas of nursing scientists ? authors of the patients? oriented studies to come to the better understanding of the situation with spirituality in caring. Method: Descriptive meta-synthesis was chosen, in which 12 nursing studies were analyzed and compiled in a new integrity. Results: The analysis shows that caregivers must be ready to meet and confirm the spiritual dimension consisting of Faith, Meaning, Relationship and Questions without answers in the various forms and expressions they emerge in patient?s experience.

With self-hypnosis as a method, I work with levels of consciousness in relation to practice. Focus lies in the relation between a language of materials and an inner experience. How do material expressions function as mediums of a spiritual matter between a beholder and me? The trance functions as a space for a spiritual contact/communication. Abstract images of crystalline glaze on ceramic tiles are direct results of these acts.

This paper aims to describe and elaborate on a recent discursive change within the new-age movement. Since the seventies and the publishing of speculative popular science books like The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and The self-aware universe by Amit Goswami, the idea that quantum physics resonates with spirituality has become the topic of hundreds of books and movies.The quantum-spiritual discourse has three distinct ways to approach quantum physics in its discussion on spirituality: The parallelistic approach which emphasizes the similarities between eastern philosophies and modern physics, the monistic-idealistic approach which tells us that mind is the foundation of matter and the scientific spiritual approach which tries to explain spiritual claims scientifically. In the quantum-spiritual discourse, quantum physical phenomena (e.g. non-locality and entanglement) are being called upon to validate metaphysical statements. The primary assumption of the discourse is that the shift of paradigm due to the establishment of modern physics also is a shift of paradigm of spirituality.With the object to examine the common claims made in the discourse, cross-references between spiritual arguments and facts of quantum physics are being made.

Inom palliativ vård är existentiella frågeställningar och andlighet viktiga delar för att uppnå en holistisk vård. Det har dock visat sig att sjuksköterskor har bristandekunskap om och svårigheter att bemöta patienters andliga behov. Eriksson och Watsonär två omvårdnadsteoretiker som belyser den andliga dimensionen av omvårdnaden.Eriksson har en mer kristen syn på andlighet medan Watsons perspektiv ärexistentialistiskt med inflytande av österländskt filosofi. Båda uttrycker dock attetablering av tro och hopp är centrala kännetecken för andlig omvårdnad. Syftet meduppsatsen var att klargöra vilka andliga behov palliativa patienter kan ha och hur dekan komma till uttryck samt hur andliga behov kan uppfyllas.

This paper aims to describe and elaborate on a recent discursive change within the new-age movement. Since the seventies and the publishing of speculative popular science books like The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and The self-aware Universe by Amit Goswami, the idea that quantum physics resonates with spirituality has become the topic of hundreds of books and movies.The quantum-spiritual discourse has three distinct ways to approach quantum physics in its discussion on spirituality: The parallelistic approach which emphasizes the similarities between eastern philosophies and modern physics, the monistic-idealistic approach which tells us that mind is the foundation of matter and the scientific spiritual approach which tries to explain spiritual claims scientifically. In the quantum-spiritual discourse, quantum physical phenomena (e.g. non-locality and entanglement) are being called upon to validate metaphysical statements. The primary assumption of the discourse is that the shift of paradigm due to the establishment of modern physics also is a shift of paradigm of spirituality.With the object to examine the common claims made in the discourse, cross-references between spiritual arguments and facts of quantum physics are being made.

Background The aim of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and her next of kin during the patient?s end of life. Palliative care rests on the four cornerstones managing symptoms, communication and relationship, teamwork and relative support. The nurses? task is to assess the patients? physical, mental and spiritual needs according to these four cornerstones.Aim To assess nurses? experiences of treating patients at the end of life.Method Eleven academic journals that respond to the aim has been analyzed and synthesized in a literature review in order to summarize current research on the subject.

In the palliative care there are many close encounters between the care-taker and the care-giver. To be touched is foundational to every human being and the care-giver shows his presence to the care-taker, when he touch the care-taker. Touch is an important tool for the care-giver in the care for the care-taker. It becomes a natural way of communicating. The aim of this literature study was to describe which factors that are important, for the care-taker in the palliative care, to receive touch in the purpose of feeling well-being.