| This qualitative study explored qualities of a spiritual coping process, surrender, as it was experienced by 12 women diagnosed with breast cancer within 10 years who participated in an 8-week transpersonal psychotherapeutic intervention addressing both psychological and spiritual issues, Psychospiritual Integration and Transformation (PSIT). Surrender is the culminating experience of PSIT, in which participants define their own psychospiritual aspirations and use mindfulness and passage meditation. The 12 participants answered an open-ended questionnaire regarding their surrender experience in PSIT in the 6th and 7th weeks of the 8-week intervention. Data were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis revealing 12 themes, including: physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, will and spiritual experiences of surrender, facilitation and inhibition of surrender, ease and completeness of surrender, previous surrender experience, previous thoughts and feelings of surrender, differences after the second surrender experience. Subthemes included: surrendering to something greater than self, a sense of expansiveness, freedom, connection with divinity, peace/calm, acceptance, happiness, difficulty letting go of control. Qualities facilitating surrender were reported: willingness, group support, refocusing, witness state, relationship to what helps and hinders aspiration, reliance on higher power. Qualities inhibiting surrender included busy mind, focus on negative, lack of understanding of surrender, focus on personality needs. Ease of difficulty and completeness of surrender were indicated on a Likert scale. Reliance upon spirituality appeared to be an important process for the participants in regard to surrender. The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge that addresses the spiritual needs of women with breast cancer, specifically providing a rich description of the experience of surrender in the context of PSIT. The findings provide insight into the usefulness of the transpersonal psychotherapy of PSIT for women with breast cancer and may serve as a basis for development of a scale on surrender for spirituality and health research. |
