Reflective practice of diaconia from the margins: Ecclesiological and professional implications

One of the characteristics of the practice of diaconia is working at the margins of society.However, do we fully understand the complexity of the margins in diaconal practices? Thispaper expands the notion of the margins and look at some of the ecclesiological and pro-fessional implications for deacons’ work. I argue that there exists a double marginalization,at least for deacons working in the Church of Norway. An analysis of the document “Dea-con Ministry in the Church of Norway” indicates that suffering is not placed in the centerof the ministry of the church, and neither are the deacons placed in the center. However,if we do a thought experiment and place the margins in the center, what happens then? Inthis paper, I sketch some ecclesiological and professional implications of this “upside down”experiment. Furthermore, I argue for an expansion of the Church of Norway’s definition ofdiaconiapublishedVersio

Reinscribing the lived body: A qualitative study of extraordinary religious healing experiences in norwegian contexts

Poor health often motivates people to engage in religious and spiritual approaches to healing. However, there is limited research on such experiences from a northern European perspective. This article investigates healing experiences related to Christian faith and practices in Norway by thematic analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with individuals who have experienced healing of different ailments. In so doing, healing events across diverse contexts are characterised, and the results show that such experiences not only feature practices in which other people are present in prayer, preaching, and the laying on of hands, but also spontaneous extraordinary encounters with a divine being through visions and voices. The healing events are further described as experiences of transformational, powerful touch. In light of the lived body theory, these transformational experiences can be understood as re-inscriptions of health that are manifested in the intertwined bio–psycho–social–spiritual aspects of the body.publishedVersio

Healing hands in the context of christianity: The perceived transfer of energy and insight

Open access publication licensed under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International LicenseThere has been only a limited focus on healing ministries in Protestant Christian congregations in the Nordic context. This contribution argues that the field of diaconia should learn more about healing in the congregational context. This paper empirically investigates healing-hands experiences related to sources from the Christian faith and practices in Norway. We conducted 12 semi structured interviews with both the providers and recipients of perceived healing hands. The informants came from Protestant communities. The findings indicate that healing hands are perceived as a transfer of external power, transmitting both energy and a “heightened clarity of thought providing insights.” The recipients perceive the energy as “warmth” and the providers often perceive it as “electricity.” The recipients described the warmth as relieving stressors such as acute physical pain and long-term stressful experiences. The outcomes could not be predicted or controlled. The findings indicate that the healing-hands phenomenon is not part of the formal work of churches, although treatment may occur in congregational places and private homes. The informants linked the perceived power to the Christian God, but there was no consensus among the informants on how to understand healing hands within the framework of theological language. This paper discusses healing hands and Christian communities of healing ministries in terms of tensions and possibilities.publishedVersio

Cultures shaped by elements of ideological totalism – Experiences of misuse of power in some pentecostal christian fellowships

Open access publication licensed under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International LicenseThis article presents a qualitative study about perceived demanding and hurtful experiences communicated by 16 informants from some Pentecostal fellowships in Norway. The inclusion criterion was that they had experienced what they thought could relate to the misuse of spiritual power. The study analyzes the informants’ perceptions of their interaction with the leaders in some Pentecostal fellowships. Two empirical patterns emerged in the material: 1) the dynamics of destabilization and 2) the dynamics of programming. The dynamics of destabilization created insecurity, and the informants expressed a) fear of the leaders, b) experiences of double-layered behavior, and c) difficult experiences with the leaders’ communication of “messages from God.” The dynamics of programming refers to experiences of legitimated logic in the fellowship, such as a) a dichotomy between evil and good and b) submission to the mission and loyalty to the leaders. We discuss the findings with the help of the theoretical concept of “ideological totalism”, power theory, perspectives on Pentecostal leadership and theological perspectives from the field of diaconia. We found that the two dynamics provided a base for exploitive power and the weakening of an empowered agency. A diaconal focus suggests the need for an intervening power against this perceived misuse.publishedVersio

‘Existential’ in Scandinavian healthcare journals: An analysis of the concept and implications for future research

The concept of ‘existential’, used frequently in Scandinavian healthcare journals, is associated with various, often unclear, meanings, highlighting the need for a more accurate understanding of the concept. In this integrative review we analyse how the concept has been used in Scandinavian healthcare journals from 1984 to 2020, exploring the trajectory of the concept, its definitions and its applications. A secondary aim is to offer some clarity regarding how the concept may be used in future healthcare research and provide a definition of ‘existential’ based on our findings. Our findings show that while the concept is increasingly used, it is rarely defined, and there appears to be no consensus on the concept’s meaning. We categorise applications of the concept into five overarching themes: (1) Suffering and re-orientation, (2) Meaning and meaninglessness, (3) Existential philosophy in relation to health (4) Existential questions as approaches to care and (5) Usage and demarcation of existential, spiritual and religious concepts. Based on the findings, we propose a definition of the concept of ‘existential’ in the healthcare context. The study contributes to, and underscores advantages and limitations of, the use of the concept in healthcare research.publishedVersio

Maktdynamikk og sårbarhet. Fellesskap som inviterer til helbredelse

The article presents a qualitative study on open and announced healing practices in three Christian Lutheran fellowships in Norway. Using observation and interviews, we explore characteristics of such healing practices and how the practices are explained and interpreted by some of the leaders involved. Practice theory and theories about power are applied abductively to analyse the material. We indicate that different power dynamics are in play between the leaders responsible for the intercessions and the participants. The leaders negotiate between positions, believing themselves to convey power from God as well as power through their own (lack of) ability to heal and control the outcome. Dialogue between the leaders and the participants is limited (power with) and we consider how this safeguards the well-being of the vulnerable participants.publishedVersio

”Ingen skaber alene”- den medmenneskelige samtale mellem sygeplejersker og patienter i en diakonal hospitalskontekst

The importance of experiencing oneself as seeing and seen is essential to the experience of humanity. This applies not least to patients who find themselves in difficult and complicated life situations in a hospital. In this study, a Human Related Conversation (HRC) was conducted at a diaconal epilepsy hospital in Denmark. The article explores what characterizes the interaction between the parties in such a conversation. Data consists of 15 semi-structured conversations between nurses and patients, as well as the patients’ feedback on the conversations. Data is analyzed based on reflexive thematic analysis and the emerging findings perspective from the understanding of diakonia in conviviality and Hartmut Rosa’s resonance theory. It is concluded that in HRC there is a shift from hospital-rooms to everyday-spaces, which in this case means that the interaction between the participants in HRC is characterized by a respectful attitude, a human meeting and an equal reciprocity.publishedVersio

Fremmedsproglig dialog i et ikt-didaktisk design

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Ungdoms opplevelse av overgangsfasen fra foreldrestyrt til selvstyrt mestring av Diabetes Mellitus type 1

Sammendrag Bakgrunn: Ungdomstiden er for mange en tid for å gå mot selvstendighet. For ungdom med en kronisk sykdom som diabetes mellitus type 1 kan denne overgangsfasen for å bli mer selvstendig være vanskeligere å navigere enn for andre ungdommer. For å gå fra foreldrestyrt til selvstyrt mestring av Diabetes Mellitus type 1 er det mange daglige tiltak som ungdommen gradvis skal overta ansvaret for selv, dette kan være utfordrende for både ungdom og foresatte. Hensikt: Hensikten med oppgaven er å få økt kunnskap om ungdommers opplevelse av overgangsperioden fra foreldrestyrt til selvstyrt mestring av Diabetes Mellitus type 1. Metode: Vi har brukt en integrativ litteraturoversikt i denne oppgaven, basert på fire kvalitative forskningsartikler analysert etter Fribergs metode. Grunnlaget for drøftingen er dannet av analysen fra forskningsartiklene, annen relevant faglitteratur og våre egne refleksjoner. Resultater: Resultatene tyder på at det som er viktigst for ungdommer i overgangsfasen for å bli mer selvstendige i mestring av egen Diabetes mellitus type 1 er; nok informasjon, et trygt og støttende nettverk og å ha nok tro på egen mestringsevne. Funn fra forskningsartiklene tyder på at en god relasjon og åpenhet med de nærmeste var en viktig faktor i følelsen av mestring i nevnte overgangsfase. Det vanskelig å komme med en klar konklusjon da de valgte forskningsartiklene er basert på kvalitative intervjuer, og resultatene vi får vil da være basert på informantenes subjektive opplevelser. Som fremtidige sykepleiere vil det være viktig å se pasient og pårørende både som en helhet og individ i nevnte overgang for å oppnå mest mulig grad av mestring. Nøkkelord: Ungdom, Diabetes mellitus type 1, mestring, selvstendighet, empowerment, sykeplei