Healing Presence: The Essence of Nursing

An invitation for all nurses to re-engage with the passion and commitment that originally inspired them!

…represents an act of passion for the profession, a window to a personal journey, and an invitation to view the nursing profession's contribution to healing in a Jungian context….The work's value comes from its integration of scientific, creative, and spiritual philosophies as a core context for the complex nurse-patient interaction involved in the promotion of a healing environment….Recommended."–Choice
Nursing is at a crossroads, facing shortages of unparalleled proportion at a time when society is experiencing health care challenges of great magnitude. At the center of professional nursing lies the authentic presence of the nurse, the intention and commitment that brings nurses to the profession in the first place. When there is congruence between who nurses are and what they do, nurses bring their souls to work. This balance is experienced as a healing presence that encourages the patient's self-healing capacity.

Throughout this book, JoEllen Koerner explores ways–scientific, creative, and spiritual–of understanding the power and impact of this "healing presence" on both the caregiver and those receiving care.

Wisdom from the field is presented in a series of reflections from multiple areas of practice. For all nurses and nursing students, the book offers practical application strategies for integrating the nursing process with the nurse's presence and a framework for personal and professional development.