Pessoa sem afiliação religiosa e adoecimento

Research relating health and spirituality is fundamentally important in order to integrate care with the spiritual dimension in an ethical and coherent way. This article seeks to highlight, through a case study, the experience of non-religious spirituality of a patient in palliative care. To do this, we used a qualitative approach, combining bibliographical research and individual interviews, to identify the extent to which the daily life and experience of a single person aligns with previously established theories on deinstitutionalization, people without religion and non-religious spirituality. In addition to exploring how the cultivation of human quality and deep human quality in Marià Corbí’s terms can collaborate positively in dealing with patients who declare themselves to have no religion, we observed that, even without belonging to an institution, the patient experiences a non-religious spirituality, manifesting beliefs that belonged to her institution of origin, from which she deinstitutionalized. This characterizes her as having no religion with belief. Her life story highlights the importance of considering the spiritual dimension in an individualized way, respecting her trajectory, regardless of whether or not she belongs to a religious denomination. This makes it clear that professionals need to be prepared to offer and promote more humane and respectful care.