Spirituality in men with advanced prostate cancer: "it's a holistic thing . . . it's a package"

Spirituality is often regarded as being helpful during an unwell person's journey but definitions of the concept can be confusing, and its use synonymously with religion can be misleading. This research sought to answer the question, "What is the nature of spirituality in men with advanced prostate cancer," and to discover the role spirituality may have in these men as they face the challenges of living with their disease. A qualitative approach and narrative method was used to explore the spirituality of nine men with advanced prostate cancer who volunteered to participate and to tell the story of their cancer journey with particular focus on their spirituality. The study found that spirituality for these men, who were all Caucasians, was a "holistic thing" that involved physical, psychosocial, and spiritual matters that enabled them to transcend the everyday difficulties of their journey. Through their spirituality they obtained greater comfort and peace of mind during what was for many of them a very traumatic time. The central theme in the men's stories was that of connectedness-to themselves, to their partners, sometimes to a higher being, to other people such as their family and friends, and to other aspects of their lives.