What does the word spirituality really mean?

Currently, most of the world‘s population is involved in some form of spiritual practice. Spirituality is frequently regarded as the missing dimension of healthcare, yet it is under-researched, frequently misinterpreted and often neglected, which can have significant moral, legal and personal consequences. One overriding issue is that there does not, as yet, appear to be a single, comprehensive definition of the term, and people’s understanding of what it means differs enormously. A greater understanding of the concept is important as it can contribute towards the clarification of what spirituality means and increase its relevance for those seeking to improve their own or others’ health and wellbeing. This presentation highlights how the use of Walker and Avant’s concept analysis model informed a fuller understanding of the concept to include faith and religion, but also many other representations such as self-transience, connectedness, holism and a sense of self. These suggest that spirituality can be defined as peoples’ personal, religious creeds or practices, but also include principles, values, modes of behaviour and ways of achieving peace of mind which have broader relevance for those seeking to deliver holistic care or improve the health and wellbeing of others. Key Words: Spirituality, connectedness, holism, self and religion.