Defining spirituality : from meaning-making to connection

The discussion in this chapter provides an overview of an Australian research program on spirituality that has overcome the definitional, epistemological and funding obstacles to researching the topic. In essence, the findings from the research program challenge the notion of spirituality as ‘meaning-making’ and posit instead the notion of ‘connection’. The findings point to the strong need for a language for nonreligious spirituality to facilitate shared communication on a topic that has central importance for those facing the challenges of serious illness. The research program has initiated steps toward developing such a language through research by documenting conceptual commonalities from the insights on spirituality of those dealing with the trajectory of diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the findings have documented an understanding of communication, support and education issues on the topic that can be used to inform health policy and service delivery.