By Mary Gannon Kaufmann, MS, RDN, MA, BCC
Spiritual intelligence is a unifying and integrating capacity that can be developed over time. It allows a person to use their spirituality to enhance their daily interactions and problem-solving capacity. Spiritually intelligent people have developed their own value systems and spiritual practices, which allow them to put their spirituality into practice. They are able to practice what they preach. Intelligences are developmental and grow over time when obstacles are surmounted. Although not contained by religion, having a religious affiliation is associated with higher SI.
The recent worldwide pandemic made most of us aware of deeper existential issues and concerns, highlighting the importance of spirituality in lifestyle medicine and healthcare. Suffering challenges most of us to go deeper into how we live and engage life and other people, including those we care for as healthcare professionals.
I think about my Grandma Gannon, Helen Schmitz Gannon, when I think about spiritually intelligent people. She raised eight kids during the Great Depression. Her youngest daughter died from cancer in her early 20s, and she was married to a man who was directly opposite to her in personality. She had many challenges, along with a devoted religious faith. She learned to let her spirituality impact her ordinary decisions and way of relating to other people. You felt accepted, safe, and appreciated when you were in her company. Her typical reaction to people different from her was to say, “That’s not how I would do it or explain it, but that’s how they do. That is fine.”
Think about the people you know. Who inspires you and comes to mind when you want to do what’s right and kind? These are people who go beyond just being able to read and interpret emotionally charged situations and moods to be able to take action toward easing suffering without being overwhelmed by it.
Healthcare providers, including dietitians, need to develop this capacity. We want to be able to apply our craft and understanding of evidence-based information on nutrition and health to specific, unique clients while all the same having them feel the warmth of human caring and are not burned out in the process.
We must be willing to cultivate a personal spirituality and put it into practice as we serve others as professionals. Everything does not depend on us, our knowledge, our skills alone. How do we know who we stack up for spiritual intelligence? We can learn much from noticing and assessing ourselves for resiliency, mental and spiritual health, and communication skills. These are clues for how SI we are.
A simple instrument called The Spiritual Intelligence Self Report Inventory (SISRI-24) can help us. This is the most widely used SI measuring tool. Download this simple 24-point inventory and make a plan to develop your spirituality so you can put it into practice to help others. To be truly transformational with clients, they need to feel comfortable and known, be someone who matters to others, and understand your healthcare or nutrition message. Click on: https://www.thestateofus.net/sisri-24.pdf
What did you learn about yourself, and how will you let this new knowledge impact the care of patients, your friends, and your family? Are you surprised to learn about spiritual intelligence?