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ENCOUNTERING GOD: A GROUNDED THEORY OF PRAYER IN ILLNESS By HEATHER SPRING J. A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2002 Copyright 2002 by HeatherJ. Spring This Dissertation is Dedicated to My Father ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported in part by a grant from Alpha Theta Chapter of SigmaTheta Tau International nursing honor society and a grant from the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health. I would like to thank the members ofthe Center for Spirituality and Health, not only for financial support but also for their continued personal support throughout my doctoral experience. I particularly want to thank Dr. Rob Hatch and Dr. Monika Ardelt for theirencouragement and for invaluable research experience working as an assistant on their projects. I also had the opportunity to work as a research assistant with Dr. Jennifer Elder from the College ofNursing. All ofthese researchers brought a passion to theirrespective studies, a respect for collaborators, and a sense ofintegrity for the research process that made working with them both inspirational and incredibly enjoyable. I am deeply indebted to all ofthe participants in this research, who shared their stories, their hopes, and their strong desires for others to know ofthe possibilities for healing and transformation. Their lives were changed by divine encounters and my life was changed by their willingness to share their experiences. Getting through a doctoral program can at times be stressful, and there are a number ofpeople who propped me up and provided inspiration to continue. Dr. Sandra Seymour was my first advisor, and I thank her for nursing not only my swollen ankle but also my wavering resolve through the first couple semesters ofthe program. Dr. Sunny Yoon made me feel at home in the research office and engaged me in hours ofwarm IV conversation as we made countless research posters together. I thank her for being a friend. Dr. Carolyn Yucha ushered me through my first (and second) grueling research proposal even though qualitative research “wasn’t her thing.” I am most appreciative of her good humor and pragmatic outlook. I also want to thank Carol Woodall and Eunice Johnson for their prayers and for their unfailing beliefin the worth ofthis endeavor. In addition to Dr. Seymour, I would like to thank the other members ofmy committee. Dr. Lois Malasanos and Dr. Gene Thursby, for stimulating my intellectual curiosity, for suggesting and loaning to mejust the right books, and for making my qualifying exam and dissertation defense intellectually challenging and emotionally satisfying experiences. When it comes to thanking Dr. Sally Hutchinson, I am almost at a loss for words. I cannot imagine a chairperson more skilled in methodology, more sensitive to the research process, more willing to invest her own time, or more supportive and encouraging than she. This dissertation would not have happened without her. In academics, it is all too easy to focus upon “doing” and forget about “being,” to let one’s mental pursuits override thejoys of a balanced existence. Four groups ofpeople helped keep me sane in this regard. I had the very good fortune of going through the first two years ofmy program with a cohort of women who were bright, courageous, congenial, supportive ofeach other, and willing to share the realities oftheir lives and doctoral experiences. I will always treasure Lynette, Peishan, Liz, Eileen, and Carol. I also have been blessed to share many quiet moments and prophetic prayer times with a group ofpeople who have enriched my life beyond measure. I thank Johnathon, Carol, David, Albert, Mary, Diana B., and Diana N. for their steadfast presence and their yearning hearts. Family is everything to me and I cannot thank mine enough for standing V by me overthe years. My mother has been a North Star, a woman who completed graduate school with a full timejob and four children to care for. She has been a constant source of advice and encouragement. My sisters, Sara and Sue, my brother, Vem, and my in-laws, David and Arlene have also contributed immeasurably to my sense ofsanity and have provided respites offun and relaxation in an otherwise frenetic few years. Finally, I want to thank a group offriends whom we humorously call the “book club.” Nancy and Deeta have not only been friends, but as skilled massage therapists and acupuncturists, have ministered to a body that sat far too long in front ofa computer. They, together with Jordan and Kimetha, have given me hope that I will again have time for the treasure that is friendship. As I come to the end ofthese acknowledgements, I chuckle. When telling my husband I was on the third page, he said, “Three pages. Isn’t that a bit much? If you have anything else to say,journal it.” Parsimony has not been my strong suit, and for a long time now Johnathon has wished I wouldjust stop writing and get this thing done. We are all a bit weary; and yet he still fixes dinner and brings me lunch at my desk. And he makes me laugh. I thank him and our daughters, Jenny and Jackie, for hanging in there, for understanding, for hugs, for love, and for faith in their wife and mother. I love them dearly. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACBCNOWLEDGMENTS iv ABSTRACT xi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1 1 Problem I Purpose 4 Theoretical Perspective 5 Sensitizing Concepts 5 Symbolic Interactionism 10 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 16 Categories ofPrayer 18 Effects ofPrayer 18 Disease 19 Alcoholism 21 Psychological Status 21 Experiences ofPrayer 22 Prayer Experiences in Classical and Popular Literature 22 PrayerExperiences in Research 23 Analysis ofthe State ofTheory Development Informing Prayer Studies 24 METHODOLOGY 3 27 Rationale forMethodology 27 Study Sample 27 Sample Characteristics 27 Sample Recruitment 29 Consent Issues 30 Data Collection andTranscription 32 Data Analysis 34 The Constant Comparative Method 34 Level One, Open Coding 35 Vll Level Two, Coding for Categories 35 Level Three, Coding for the Basic Social Psychological Process 36 Theoretical Sampling 38 Theoretical Saturation 39 Memoing 40 Organization ofInformation 44 Additional Procedures 45 Secondary Literature Review 46 47 Scientific Integrity Grab, Fit, and Theories that Work 47 49 Reflexivity Study Limitations 52 What the Study is Not 52 Religious Preferences ofParticipants 53 Ethnic and Racial Backgrounds ofParticipants 53 Impact ofWellness Encounters and Encounters OverTime 54 The Use of Secondary Data for a Portion ofthe Analysis 55 Breadth over Depth in Exploring Concepts 56 4 ENCOUNTERING GOD 58 Basic Social Psychological Process: Encountering God 59 Divine Communication 61 Multifaceted Nature ofDivine Encounters 63 Manifestations ofGod 65 Voices 66 Visions 72 Unusual Physical Sensations 79 Presence 84 Life Events 86 INVITING A DIVINE ENCOUNTER 90 5 Mindsets: Internal Contexts 91 Expecting 92 Focusing 95 97 Spiritual listening Letting go 99 Trusting 101 Settings: External Social Contexts 103 A Caring Community ofOthers 103 Sacred Space 108 HI Seeking Strategies HI Seeking Guidance Seeking Healing 114 Seeking Presence 118 Vlll 6 INTUITING, DISCERNING, AND CONFIRMING 121 Intuiting 123 The Profound Nature ofthe Encounters 126 PriorExperience with Divine Encounters 128 The Connection Between the Individual and God 129 The Affective Nature ofEncounters 130 Discerning 133 Sensing 134 Reasoning 135 Discriminating God from Self 143 Confirming 149 Seeking Confirmation 150 Unsolicited Confirmations 152 7 RESPONDING TO DIVINE ENCOUNTERS 155 Constructing an Illness Narrative that Includes God 156 Narratives ofProtection and Care 157 Narratives ofTransformation 165 Narratives ofAbandonment 175 Following God 180 The Reality ofGod 182 The Beneficence ofGod 183 The Likelihood that it was God 184 The Willingness to Defer to God 185 Altering Life Directions 188 Experiencing Healing 189 Physical Healing 190 Pain Relief 195 Emotional Healing 198 8 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 202 Summary 202 Recommendations 205 Recommendations for Research 205 Recommendations for Practice 207 APPENDIX A INFORMED CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH 210 B DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE 223 C INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 224 IX D REQUESTS FOR RESEARCH PARTCIPANTS 227 LIST OF REFERENCES 230 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 239 X