“Spiritual suffering is one that we go through”

Tanguy Châtel, sociologist, is the author of Alive until death. Accompanying spiritual suffering at the end of lifeAlbin Michel, 248 pages, €19.

The Cross: “What’s the point”, “Might as well end it”… These words express, according to you, a spiritual suffering. What do you mean ?

Tanguy Chatel: Spiritual suffering is an accepted concept within the general framework of palliative care. If we start from the etymology, “spiritual” comes from “breath”. Moreover, the word “religion” comes from slight which means “to read again”, but also from religare, ” relate “. Spiritual suffering revolves around these two notions of continuing to feel breath and connection. At the hour of the last breath, what gives breath to life? How do I feel connected with myself, with others, with God possibly?

How to respond to this suffering?

CT: Spiritual suffering is not one that we put an end to, but one that we go through, accompanied. The first condition is to relieve the physical pain of the person because, when it hurts, the pain takes all the space. Then, spiritual suffering is much easier to deal with than we think. It elicits a quality of presence that will allow us to still savor something very deep in existence. The end of life is not a dead time. The person may still want in extremis to give meaning to one’s life, not simply at the philosophical level, but by experiencing one’s senses and affects, touch, smell, tenderness… Sometimes people testify that these last moments have, for them, the more valuable because they have experienced reconciliation or made incredible discoveries there.

How to further reduce this suffering today?

CT: The main point is to properly develop palliative care. Today, half of the people who should receive palliative care do not receive it. As a result, people are poorly supported and the abominable end-of-life image that this maintains leads to calls for the legalization of euthanasia.

Such legalization would block the surprise of the next day. The experience of palliative care shows that many people, having requested euthanasia, as soon as their suffering is relieved, find great reasons to live the next day, and the day after, with very simple things like rejoicing in a blue sky or a visit from a grandchild.

Some think that once euthanasia has been planned, the steps that precede it could give an additional spiritual dimension to the end of life. I rather disagree with this vision because I find it very programmed. When we program his death, we have the idea that his life will no longer be interesting, that it can no longer be a source of surprise. However, if we come back to the experience of the breath, the spiritual dimension is, by nature, the one that will surprise us. The breath cannot be mastered, it is welcomed.

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“Spiritual suffering is one that we go through”