We need to learn a great deal more about the best healing practices that assist people in knowing that they can regain a sense of wholeness. We need to find the best ways to assist people to achieve that sense of personal integrity. When we heal, we do not go back to our prior state. Even with a paper cut, there is a tiny often imperceptible scar. Part of healing is the reestablishment of a sense of intactness, a belief that our lives can go on, have meaning, and move beyond a temporary disruption.
Nurses work to make that possible for patients.
We need a great deal of nursing research to find the best possible ways to help people heal. Because healing encompasses all aspects of health, however, we have many aspects of healing that we have not yet studied. These kind of questions have had minimal exploration to date. We often know what to do about a physical injury. We are often less prepared to help patients heal from shame at a disability, family pity of the patient, societal intolerance of a physical limitation, and a community's acceptance of the violence that caused the injury.