Embodied soul. The focus for nursing praxis

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Mind
• Nursing Theory
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The body/soul debate has a long history, from ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary neuroscience and physics.
• Philosophical perspectives, including Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, inform the understanding of embodiment.
• Existing nursing theories offer frameworks for exploring subjectivity and interconnectedness.

Observation:

• The embodied soul is a phenomenon relevant to nursing practice.
• Berry's patterns of differentiation, subjectivity, and communion are observed across all levels, from cellular to cosmic.
• The embodied soul is the medium through which engagement with these universal patterns occurs.

Findings:

• Nursing should embrace the concept of the embodied soul.
• The embodied soul is integral to understanding universal patterns of differentiation, subjectivity, and communion.
• Both clients and nurses can be understood as embodied souls within the nursing context.

Implications:

• This framework offers a more holistic approach to client care.
• It enhances the understanding of the nurse's own embodied experience.
• It provides a philosophical and scientific basis for integrating mind-body-spirit in nursing.