The hospital in Williams Lake now has a spiritual care practitioner to help patients and staff navigate challenges reaching beyond the physical body.
Thandazani Mhlanga will be working full-time at the hospital as its first ever spiritual health practitioner. Patients admitted to the hospital will be able to access Mhlanga’s services for help grappling any change and difficult questions they may be experiencing throughout their stay.
“During those turning points in life, people ask questions like ‘why me?’,” Mhlanga said in an interview with Black Press Media. “A spiritual care practitioner creates space for individuals to then explore that identity and find meaning.”
Mhlanga defines spirituality as an individual’s way of seeing themselves and the world around them. As an example, he said spiritual people might find themselves lost in thought and ask questions like ‘am I a good partner,’ or ‘why did they say that?’ People find different ways of responding to these questions and feelings, whether through a deep connection with nature, religion or a pet.
“We all have those things that seem to ground us, and our life seems to make sense with them,” Mhlanga said. Sometimes however, “you may feel like you’re lost in the forest...I can walk with you” he said. Mhlanga may not have all the answers, but his job is to help you find what works for you.
“My goal is to make spirituality accessible to more people,” Mhlanga said. While he enjoys running his private practice, Magnify Simplify Clarify Project, working for the hospital means he will interact with more people who otherwise wouldn't have access to spiritual care. He also highlights the importance of breaking the taboo around spirituality, especially in a heavily science-based space that generally focuses solely on our physical health.
‘We’re not just blood and bones,” Mhlanga said. “Spirituality is not the whole answer, but it’s part of the answer to catering to our whole being.”
Spirituality has always been a part of Mhlanga’s life, having been born and raised in a spiritually conscious family in Zimbabwe. His educational career was spent bringing various disciplines together to understand the history of spirituality and ancient approaches to connecting with the world.
Mhlanga said that spiritual care is a team effort and hopes to connect with other practitioners and folks looking for guidance. Mhlanga encourages people to reach out and help him start the conversation around spiritual hygiene and what that looks like. He can be reached by email at Thandazani.mhlanga@interiorhealth.ca or by phone 250-305-8792.
