In addition to the eminently bureaucratic aspects of visitation, the book Spiritist Hospital Chaplaincy seeks to present the medical, psychological and Spiritist view of illness, providing a better understanding of the phenomena of health, disease and healing.

Written in a direct and uncomplicated language by 35 employees from various Brazilian cities, it contains practical experiences to optimize the work of the Spiritist Hospital Chaplaincy. It also focuses on particular situations, such as those that involve distressed people, people with special needs or suicidal ideation, among others, besides addressing aspects of mourning.

Inspired by the teachings of Master Jesus, it was structured according to the Spiritist literature. The work, edited by the Medical-Spiritist Association of the State of Espirito Santo, was born from the desire to unite mind, heart and hands at the service of the sick, spreading the Medical-Spiritist paradigm of love in action. Filling a gap in the Brazilian literature, it contemplates those who wish to start in this task, as well as it also recycles those who already dedicate themselves to this mission.

Following is a brief conversation with Dr. Paulo Batistuta Novaes (photo), gynecologist and member of the Medical-Spiritist Association of the State of Espirito Santo, organizer of the book in focus. 

How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing a book on Spiritist Hospital Chaplaincy?

Since we began the work of chaplaincy at the Medical-Spiritist Association of the State of Espirito Santo in 2013, we taught in a 6-hour preparatory course for workers. We have already offered this course to about 500 people. As a pedagogical support material, the coordinators organized an apostille with what was taught in the classes. This booklet was based on the professional experiences of each instructor and on Spiritist texts. It turns out that when we looked for texts in the Spiritist literature regarding this subject, we saw that there was a shortage of texts and that the existing articles were, in general, quite old. In addition to the texts of the Kardecian Codification, there are some texts by Andre Luiz and Emmanuel, from the 1950s to 1970s.

We found nothing specific about contemporary hospitals, and nothing regarding the experience of health professionals. This gap in the Spiritist literature is what motivated us to write a book, given the great incentive that AME Brasil has been devoting to chaplaincy. So we approved the project of the book in AMEEES, we enlarged our booklet of AMEEES, invited the authors of the book and other colleagues from Brazil and the book was born. 

What are the main points addressed in the work?

We divide the book into four parts. Part I discusses doctrinal and theoretical aspects of Spiritism, as well as the Charity issue in the perspective of Jesus and the method He uses to approach the sick. It also explores characteristics of the worker who proposes to accomplish this task, as well as a profile of the assisted patient. Part II presents practical aspects of visitation. Its purpose is to demonstrate the modus operandi of this work, step-by-step from the design of a project to the supervision and evaluation meetings. Thus, it addresses the preparation of the worker for the visit, access to the patient, the visit itself, the work with the relatives and hospital staff, supervision of the work and biosafety issues. It also discusses volunteering in general, its rules and the relevant legislation in force in Brazil. Part III presents the experience developed in the Metropolitan Region of Vitoria (ES) by the Medical-Spiritist Association of the State of Espirito Santo - AMEEES. Thus, its project is elaborated, detailing how the access to the hospitals was obtained and how the training of the workers was accomplished. In addition, some interesting cases are reported. This part is still enriched with reports of experiences developed in other states, in the municipalities of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba and Cascavel. Finally, in Part IV we present specific studies, including particularities of major categories of diseases or human types in different life situations, highlighting some diseases with their respective physical, emotional and spiritual changes and their impact on the behavior of the patients, on their relatives and the environment in which they find themselves. In this part of the book it is intended to clarify to the visitors more specific aspects about termination and palliative care; ICU admission and isolation; the hospitalized child; people with cancer; the hospitalized distressed patient; the elderly; the subject with suicidal ideation or initiative; patients with heart, neurological, psychiatric and special needs diseases. Besides these matters, death also deserved a chapter, since it is a frequent occurrence in hospitals and may surprise the fraternal visitor. An eminently Spiritist subject ends this part: the mediumistic manifestation during the visit. 

Does the vision in the book also take into account the support to the patients' family members and the health care team that serves them?

Yes, these matters are covered in specific chapters. In addition, the team of visitors deserves to be taken care of and for this there is also a chapter focused on actions to strengthen and support the group of volunteers. 

Is it possible to map the performance of this service in hospitals? Who is interested in introducing chaplaincy in a hospital, how should it proceed?

Our goal was to present a practical manual that guides all the steps to carry out the work of Spiritist Chaplaincy, from the organization of a group to the understanding of special situations. We emphasize that the objective of the work is to lead volunteers, who are usually lay in health sciences, to provide the best care possible. We do not intend to present a medical treaty or even a summary of the diseases, but rather objective information to guide beginners and even to recycle already experienced workers in this field. Therefore, we stand for a clear, straightforward text and devoid of a difficult medical terminology, which is inaccessible to the layman. On the other hand, we are concerned with presenting up-to-date technical information on the best status of medical art. We also consider that the volunteer needs, as a premise for this mission, to love, simply to love. In that sense a book on the subject might sound as excessive.

But we also understand that the knowledge of some medical and doctrinal contents will make it easier for the volunteer to insert himself into this work in our time, contextualizing his practice, allowing him to advance in some situations and this is the justification for this compendium. We do not intend to exhaust the subject, but only to sensitize comrades to this task and cause a discussion that has much to grow. 

Author's Note:

The book Capelania Hospitalar Espirita (Spiritist Hospital Chaplaincy), can be purchased at the AME Brasil virtual store at  http://lojaamasil.commercesuite.com.br/capelania-hospitalar-espirita-teoria-e-pratica-pr-112-377783.htm