This week I attended the 4th International conference on spirituality in Trinity college, Dublin, Ireland. The theme was ‘Spirituality at a crossroads’, interesting timing of the title in relation to the current debates being discussed in Ireland at this time. The conference was organised by the Spirituality research and innovation group in the school of Nursing and Midwifery  http://nursing-midwifery.tcd.ie/SRIG

I presented my research around nurses and midwives stories abut guilt and forgiveness and the need for education. The conference is an annual event and attracts researchers and educators from across the world. This year keynotes were provided by Dr Lindsay Carey from La Trobe University , discussing his work with the military in Australia around spiritual needs after trauma, and Professor Susan Crowther from Aberdeen, talking about the importance of spirituality at birth and the start of life. She was able to put in a reasonable plug for our edited book, Spirituality and Childbirth: meaning and care at the start of life! https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/flie/2017/09/16/new-book-by-cels-dr-jenny-hall/  

As always the opportunities for networking and spending time with other like-minded educators and researchers was beneficial. If you have never submitted an abstract to a conference I encourage you to do so. There were some there presenting at their first international conference, as well as seasoned attendees. It is a place where you can learn from others, away from your usual environment, and can useful feedback. If you would like help with submissions or presentations members of CEL can provide assistance.