Self-Transcendence: A Resource for Healing at the End of Life
Doris D. Coward, Pamela G. Reed
Issues in Mental Health Nursing January 1, 1996 DOI: 10.3109/01612849609049920 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSelf-transcendence—reaching beyond personal boundaries—may serve as a resource for healing in people facing end-of-life issues from aging or life-threatening illness. It can foster a sense of well-being through an intensified awareness of wholeness and integration across all dimensions of being. This paper draws on clinical and empirical literature to propose a link between self-transcendence and healing, and suggests approaches nurses can use to facilitate self-transcendence.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 166 |
| Key finding | Self-transcendence may be a resource for healing in persons facing end-of-life issues, leading to a sense of well-being from an intensified awareness of wholeness and integration. |
Abstract
An emerging body of theoretical and empirical knowledge links the concepts of self-transcendence and healing in persons facing end-of-life issues related to aging or life-threatening illness. Self-transcendence is postulated to be a resource for healing in that reaching beyond self-boundaries may lead to a sense of well-being derived from an intensified awareness of wholeness and integration among all dimensions of one's being. This paper proposes a link between self-transcendence and healing, based on clinical and empirical literature. Suggestions for approaches nurses may use to facilitate self-transcendence are included.