Engaging with Spirituality

Abstract

As the AIDS epidemic continues, there are increased numbers of people who have cared about someone who has died. This research was designed to explore spiritual experiences in the context of AIDS grief. Fifteen bereaved individuals were interviewed in 5 Canadian cities. The theme that emerged overall was one of engagement. The bereaved individuals engaged with HIV disease, with their own mortality, with their sense of self, with the world, and with the deceased person or people as well as with spirituality itself. The participants reconstructed meaning in their lives after their losses.