Hearing Caregivers with Dr. Smink

All Home Care Matters welcomes Dr. Smink for the second part of his three part mini-series on The Soul of Caregiving.

In part 2 we explore the importance of caregivers being heard and the importance of being able to share and tell their story.

In part 1 of the mini-series, Dr. Smink explored the tension that most caregivers experience between service to others and self-care which he calls Soul-Care. Being heard implies an understanding of one’s story and the trust needed to communicate it. Navigating through the three cultural taboos challenges the caregiver to explore their interior strengths and values that is the ground or base of one’s being. Smink calls this Soul, the center of one’s being where body and the spirit meet. It is here that we are most human. Like a gem radiating different hues, Soul is multifaceted with unique characteristics and meanings.

here are archetypal underpinnings to soul that Dr. Smink calls the principle of life. Caregivers struggle to listen so as to hear those they serve. These same skills of listening can be applied to being open and welcoming to hearing what is stirring within one’s Soul. There is a logos, or rational aspect to caregiving and also a creative aspect called mythos to caregiving. Just as Soul-Care is the antidote to compassion fatigue, Smink argues, so too is the ability to reflect on one’s experience the key to healing and transformation. Developing attitudes of hospitality and understanding oneself as a wounded healer assist in this process.

Connect with Dr. Smink:

Official Website: https://www.soulofcaregiving.com