Unveiling a fragile spirituality: Experiences of connectedness in pediatric palliative care
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30 Chapter 2<br />
ABSTRACT<br />
This is a study <strong>of</strong> parents’ spiritual experience <strong>of</strong> the loss <strong>of</strong> a child. Many parents experience<br />
cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g bonds with their deceased child as well as forms <strong>of</strong> posttraumatic<br />
growth. Twelve parents <strong>of</strong> children dy<strong>in</strong>g after severe illness were <strong>in</strong>terviewed about<br />
their experiences. The <strong>in</strong>terviews conta<strong>in</strong> stories about premonitions, the <strong>in</strong>tensity <strong>of</strong><br />
the moment <strong>of</strong> the child’s death and the child’s presence after death. Thematically the<br />
stories reflect the dialectics <strong>of</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>uity and discont<strong>in</strong>uity <strong>in</strong> the relationship with the<br />
child. This is <strong>in</strong>terpreted <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> attribut<strong>in</strong>g mean<strong>in</strong>g, significance and comprehensibility.<br />
KEYWORDS<br />
posttraumatic <strong>spirituality</strong>, grief, cont<strong>in</strong>uous bonds, (religious) cop<strong>in</strong>g
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