Journal of Holistic Nursing

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore whether co-meditation, shared or cross-breathing, could reduce anxiety and enhance relaxation in a nursing school setting. The specific outcomes to be assessed in the quantitative component were blood pressure, pulse, respirations, and anxiety, both state and trait. A qualitative component explored participants’ experiences with co-meditation following 1 month of practice. Rogers’s Science of Unitary Human Beings formed the theoretical basis for this study. The study employed a pretest/posttest design with participants as their own controls. Quantitative data were collected from a convenience sample of 26 students, faculty, and staff aged 19 to 51 years, male and female. Fourteen participants returned for the qualitative component. Findings suggest that co-meditation may be useful in reducing anxiety, as measured by vital signs and the anxiety inventory forms. Participants reported feeling calmer and more relaxed, balanced, and centered following 1 month of practice. Findings suggest that co-meditation has potential to help transform a nursing educational environment from one that is potentially anxiety provoking to a calmer, more caring one.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type among African American women. African American women often use spirituality to overcome the physical, psychological, and emotional burdens that accompany a breast cancer diagnosis. Spirituality has been used over the years by African American women to bring hope when dealing with hardships. This integrative review seeks to explore the importance of spirituality to African American women throughout the breast cancer experience. Thirteen qualitative and quantitative studies that discussed how spirituality was used to cope with breast cancer from initial diagnosis to survivorship were reviewed. Spirituality was found to be the main coping mechanism used during all phases of the cancer experience. To provide holistic nursing care, nurses must understand that spirituality is an important coping strategy used by most African American women with breast cancer. The implications for nursing that were identified include the incorporation of spiritual interventions and the utilization of culturally appropriate assessment tools.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) experience symptoms such as irregular menses, hirsutism, and acne, and are at heightened risk for developing obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, infertility, and some cancers. Data also indicate an inverse correlation between PCOS and health-related quality-of-life indicators and self-image. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of women with PCOS in the management of their disorder and the meaning of that experience for them. Design: This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach based on the guidelines of Van Manen. Method: Individual, semistructured interviews were completed with 10 participants who were diagnosed with PCOS and managed by a health care practitioner(s) within the past 5 years. Data were analyzed using the process of hermeneutic phenomenological reflection. Findings: The four major themes that described women’s lived experience of managing PCOS were frustration, confusion, searching, and gaining control. Conclusions: Women with PCOS face many challenges in managing their disorder and desire to gain control, balance, and well-being through a comprehensive treatment plan. The findings have implications for health care providers in addressing quality of life issues and overall health outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 10 weekly treatments of Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ), as practiced by a qualified practitioner, for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Design: A pretest, posttest exploratory evaluation project design was used. Twenty-nine women provided complete data. Method: Adaptation, social support, activities of daily living, helpfulness of JSJ, and project participation goals were measured by an investigator-developed questionnaire prior to and at the end of the 10 JSJ sessions. Findings: Nonparametric statistical analyses revealed that at the end of the JSJ sessions, women had higher levels of adaptation and performance of activities of daily living but no difference in satisfaction with social support than at the beginning of project participation. Descriptive analyses indicated that women reported that JSJ was helpful and that their goals had been met. Content analysis of goals revealed that the women wanted to feel better physically and emotionally and to live a fuller life and were seeking balance in life. Conclusions: JSJ may be an effective intervention for women with breast cancer. Although the sample size was small and a single practitioner provided treatment, the results indicate that a large-scale evaluation with multiple practitioners is warranted.

Purpose: Fatigue is one of the most common complaints experienced among the general population. Because fatigue is recognized as a biobehavioral occurrence, a biobehavioral intervention such as guided imagery may be effective in reducing self-reported fatigue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the research literature related to the use of guided imagery as a nonpharmacological mind-body intervention for the symptom of fatigue. Method: The electronic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 1980 to June 2010. Findings: Of 24 articles retrieved, eight met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic literature review. Findings were inconsistent regarding the effectiveness of guided imagery on fatigue. Studies varied in study length, duration of the applied guided imagery intervention, dosage, and whether the images were targeted to the purpose of the intervention. Implications: Guided imagery is a simple, economic intervention with the potential to effectively treat fatigue, thus further research is warranted using systematic, well-designed methodologies Standardizing guided imagery interventions according to total duration of exposure and targeted imagery in a variety of different populations adequately powered to detect changes will contribute to and strengthen nursing’s symptom-management armamentarium.

In this article, the authors consider how professional nurses can strive to advance death and dying to the next level in our evolution of compassionate end-of-life practices. The authors focus on describing the development of a place for dying that allows for a peaceful, profound experience that honors and respects human dignity and elevates the human family. Actual places called the Golden Room or Golden Room Centers are proposed to accommodate dying persons and their loved ones at end of life as they make the transition from physical life. The authors detail and propose a return to the sacredness of death and dying through access to a place for the physical transition.

This article presents an emerging model of healing transformations to guide nurses in caring for those living with a chronic illness. A review of the literature on chronic illness and its relationship to lifestyle behavior change and transformative nursing practice is included. Derived from qualitative narratives, this work reports the clusters of phenomena within each phase of the model. The model emerged from data gathered during 36 in-depth interviews with 18 men and women living with chronic skin wounds. During two interviews, each participant shared important life stories and meaningful reflections on living with a chronic skin wound. Using the theory of health as expanding consciousness, analysis of each participant’s life story revealed individual life patterns and patterns across participants. These patterns were validated and reflected on with participants during the second interview. Synthesizing participants’ patterns of responses, the model of healing transformations emerged. Developed from clients’ experiences, the model of healing transformations provides rich insight into the nature of healing and the central role of the nurse practicing from a holistic perspective in this process. Nurses make a positive difference in the healing trajectory of those living with chronic illnesses such as chronic skin wounds.