29 January 2026

It is almost thirty years since I read ‘The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly’ by Jean-Dominique Bauby. He had a massive stroke in his early forties and could only move his left eyelid. Nevertheless, he wrote this book of reflections and demonstrated something very important.

No matter what happens to the body, the  inner live may still thrive and sustain a person with a spirit of hope. Health and wholeness may not be restored, illness and disease may not be dispelled but there may still be hope, meaning and purpose in life.

Bauby wasn’t a Christian but he inspired me and enabled me to see the power of the inner life whether shaped by Christianity or not. It is a constituent part of everyone’s life and the medical world is waking up to this too. GPs and primary care-givers are being encouraged to consider this inner life.

Dr. Ishbel Orla Whitehead, a GP, has been researching spiritual health and is pioneering a training programme for primary health givers. It is called SHARP, Spiritual Health Awareness and Recommendations in Primary Care. Her course draws on the HOPE framework from Brown University.

It ‘encourages gentle questions about hope, organised religion, personal spirituality and the effects these have on care.’ writes Dr. Whitehead. ‘It is not a checklist, but an invitation to notice what gives people strength, comfort and meaning.’

She ties this into the social prescribing where patients are encouraged to join a walking group, attend art classes, do some volunteering etc. And to the questions patients ask about loss, guilt, gratitude or purpose. This is the holistic ministry of Jesus who attended to the spiritual need and then, ‘Take up your bed and walk!’

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