Healing and Wholeness in the Face of Suffering

Abstract This chapter examines suffering from the perspective of integrative health and healing, focusing not only on relief of the underlying causes of suffering but also strategies that support and facilitate a wholeness and flourishing. Consistent with the position that suffering is a condition of the embodied whole and reflective of the being’s potential for fulfillment, suffering is identified as a condition possible in all living sentient beings as illustrated in three case studies that include an individual expression of suffering within a patient, planetary suffering that is currently witnessed globally, and professional suffering that emerged in the face of the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The principles of integrative nursing frame a description of practical ways nurses can reduce suffering and support healing across all levels of the experience, whether caring for patients and families or facilitating healing through political action and advocacy.