The HealingJourney: Incorporating Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions into the Care of Cancer Patients

Abstract

Research on the factors that promote healing of the body through mind and spirit is at a very early stage. Reliance on experimental designs seems premature; we need much more exploratory research to identify relevant variables and useful therapeutic approaches before applying to them the same methods used to evaluate drugs. The Healing Journey is a program that has been in operation since 1982 at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. Observational data collection, followed by qualitative analysis has demonstrated benefits for many cancer patients.