Malaysian Spiritual Conference 2025 - Reflection by Dr. Aishah Sabina

What if healing was not just about medicine? What if true comfort came from a song, a brushstroke, a scent, or even a whispered prayer? Last Wednesday at the Spiritual Care Conference in UiTM, I was reminded that care is not confined to prescriptions, but it is about touching the soul.

The sessions introduced us to music therapy, art therapy, aromatherapy, counseling, breathing skills, and faith-based psychotherapy. Each intervention carried a powerful reminder: patients need more than medicine. Music can soothe anxiety, art can express unspoken feelings, a familiar scent can spark calm, while counseling and breathing skills teach presence and grounding. And for many, faith remains an anchor of resilience that no medicine can replace.

As a healthcare worker, this sparked reflection: how often do we overlook these softer, yet deeply human, dimensions of healing? True care is holistic as it nurtures the body, mind, and spirit.

Research in Malaysia has already begun to explore this. For instance, a study among Malaysian nurses found that over 70% agreed spiritual care is essential, but more than 60% felt they lacked the training to provide it. Another study with nursing students showed that while many valued spiritual care, they struggled to integrate it into practice due to limited confidence and institutional support. Even patients with advanced cancer in Malaysian hospitals reported that spiritual needs were among their top concerns, yet these needs were often under-addressed in routine care.

These studies tell us something important: people recognize the value of spiritual care, but there are still clear gaps. For me, the question now is not only about perception but also about expectation, barriers, and readiness. What do patients and families truly expect when they hear the words “spiritual care”? What are the barriers that stop healthcare workers from offering it: time, training, stigma, or fear of saying the wrong thing? And perhaps most crucially, how ready are our communities, clinics, and health systems to integrate spiritual care into daily practice?

This conference was not just a reminder of what care looks like, yet it was an invitation to rethink how shall we deliver spiritual care in Malaysia.

Aishah