Ecospirituality: the experience of environmental meditation in patients with cardiovascular disease

Ecospirituality provides a framework for exploring the spiritual dimension of person and environment and the dynamic interplay between this sacred dyad and human health. The aim of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experience of environmental meditation by using a new, spirituality-based meditation intervention that focused on ecospirituality with patients with cardiovascular disease. A convenience sample of 6 women and 2 men with ages ranging from 42 to 64 years and a mean age of 57 years (SD = 8.33 years) participated in the study. From the 8 journals and the researchers' field notebooks, 85 significant phrases or sentences were extracted, transposed into formulated meanings, and later collapsed into 4 theme clusters: Entering a New Time Zone, Environmental Reawakening, Finding a New Rhythm, and Becoming a Healing Environment. The findings of this study provide beginning support for holistic nurses and other healthcare professionals to integrate the use of ecospirituality meditation into their care of patients with cardiovascular disease and the groundwork for further exploration of the spiritual dimension of person and environment.