All people have a spiritual dimension, but spirituality is not a concept that’s easily defined. Moberg and brusk (1978) first put forward the concept that spirituality has two dimensions – vertical and horizontal.

The vertical dimension RELATES to the way a person reaches out to a personal god; Universe or something greater than self whereas the horizontal REFERS to the way a person reaches out to and connect with. Bringing a sense of purpose and satisfaction in life that is not entwined with religious meaning.

Either way, to be spiritually healthy, life needs to be invested with purpose and meaning. Seeking purpose and meaning may be a continuous process, sometimes lifelong.

It may be a niggling sense of being unfulfilled that motivates the search. It is not uncommon during times of crisis, such a when facing serious loss or life-threatening illness, that a person’s need to identify purpose and meaning becomes much stronger.

There is no simple answer to the question ‘what is spirituality’? because a person’s spiritualness is intangible- a mysterious thing that cannot be isolated.