Written by Bri.Ramadevi (US national) on the HUMANE FACE of MEDICINE wrapped in her many years of experience in AIMS
"There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering and too much pain. Then suddenly the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer it an extraordinary way." -Mother Teresa
Practicing medicine is a healing art. It requires more than interpreting test results, analyzing reports, diagnosing illness and following a course of treatment. What is needed is a holistic, systemic approach rather than a mechanistic approach. Awakening a healing light within the patient through conscious, loving attentiveness is as important as administering medicines.
On a macrocosmic level, the truth that all living beings are interconnected is one of the salient principles underlying the call to practice healing. The same notion, brought to a microcosmic level, is the foundation of the essential concept that holistic healing involves the entire individual, not merely the body. Body, mind, intellect, emotion, memory and consciousness are inextricably interwoven into the shared fabric of existence.
Disease is engendered by dis-ease, meaning tension. One of the strongest stresses faced by people in today's busy world is a pervasive sense of disconnectedness, both internally and externally. Most of us are distracted by the constant stream of activities that govern modern life and fail to attune to the spiritual currents meant to nourish us on deeper levels and keep our lives in balance.
Many of us starve for real love.
To regenerate a sense of unconditional, loving care is vital to facilitating the healing process, and one key factor is to create a sense of reciprocity between patient and doctor. Communicating concerned caring nourishes a positive attitude and kindles confidence. More and more doctors are discovering the awareness that the attitude of a patient proves a central factor for the ultimate outcome of treatment. I know one doctor who, for this reason, will not operate on patients when they're overly anxious, but will wait until they're calm and ready.
A holistic approach recognizes the need to wed science and spirituality. Conventional medicine, based on a biomedical paradigm, is linear in its method. The typical attitude of the doctor is one of competition, to win the battle over a virus or combat the symptoms of disease. The idea of interconnection is more like a circle. The attitude of cooperation sustains the healing.
The circular aspect is a symbol for the holistic notion that mind, body and spirit are intricately connected and one must address imbalances on all levels. To this effect, Lewis Meil-Madrona, author of the book Narrative Medicine and a powerful shamanic healer from the Lakota Sioux Native American path wrote:
"The concept that disease arises from disharmony and imbalance leads us to realize that health and disease are inseparable from culture, geography, geology, and spirituality. Everyone is situated in different psycho-socio-cultural space. Human disease is context dependent."
Thus it is important for the doctor to understand the patient's context. Is he having troubles at home? Is he suffering under financial strain? Has he recently faced hardship or personal loss? Is he undergoing an internal, spiritual crisis?
More often than not, these factors prove to be the roots of disease, and addressing them with an intention to promote a resolution can accelerate the healing process, sometimes with extraordinary results. Each human organism possesses interior pranic channels which have their own inherent intelligence that facilitates rejuvenation and bring resilience to the healing process. This is often blocked by negative emotions and unresolved conflicts. When these blockages are released, the pranic life-force can work freely.
If the patient focuses conscious intent on participating in the healing process and opening internal pranic channels, this can significantly augment the efficiency and effectiveness of treatment.
The mind tends to repeat a story to itself. Often the internal dialog of a patient centers on anxiety, fear and pain, thus embellishing a sense of separation and bolstering disease. The unconscious belief that one is unloved or unworthy also fuels this sense of alienation. Encouraging the patient by listening attentively to his 'story' and helping him change his internal story can be profoundly transforming.
Teach me to listen
to each one's words as if
uttered by Your treasured voice
on waves of parting breath.
Small gestures can have a huge effect in altering the storyline. A sincere smile, encouraging words, a loving gesture, such as placing a consoling hand on the patient, communicate a sense of care and can contribute to a new internal dialog: 'The doctor cares about me and will make all possible efforts to cure my disease'.
For those who have faith in a higher power, prayer and spiritual presence are often the most effective medicine of all. Prayer expands awareness and decreases the patient's sense of limitation, bringing a higher perspective and opening the pranic channels to an increased charge of energy. Words that are fortified with spiritual conviction and focused, conscious intention can have tremendous impact on the patient, effecting spontaneous shifts in attitude and likewise reduce the state of disease. Similarly, silent prayer in attunement to the source we all share can have monumental impact, altering the patient's awareness and focus. When a patient's faith is fortified through prayer, he finds peace of mind in trusting that all is for the best and that everything's in God's hands.
I remember a particularly poignant case that exemplifies this aspect. An 18 year old boy named Raoul, from Borundi, Africa, had remained in a coma after surgery and the doctors informed his mother there was only a 3 % chance of him ever reviving. One of the doctors suggested his mother visit Amma and ask for her blessing. So she did. And Amma whispered into her ear, “Don’t worry. He will be okay.” Raoul’s mother later told me if anyone else had said this to her she might have punched them! But because Amma said this from a place of spiritual awareness, she felt an instant certainty it would come to pass. She sensed all the weight of worry and anguish release from her during Amma's spiritual embrace.
Two days later, Raoul regained consciousness and to this day is able to talk and walk (with help). He is gifted with a strong sense of faith and a beautiful, innocent heart. When he thinks about his cancer, he has no fear of dying or of suffering because of his deep conviction that God is looking after him. His faith gives him peace, even though his cancer is not fully cured. I can attest to the astonishing truth that Raoul is one of the most cheerful people I've ever met - and I've met many!
Raoul and his mother are Christians, yet they felt no gap between their deep devotional faith and their belief that Amma was instrumental in sending them divine help. It is my experience that healing presence transcends religious differences because it stems from the common ground of all religions, which I believe is the fundamental, spiritual root of unconditional love. In over a decade of working with patients from all religious backgrounds, I've found that barriers of belief break down in the pure light of healing-consciousness.
Amma says that all religions are petals of one flower. The fragrance is the same. It is the same divine reality manifesting in the heart of those who pray no matter where they are - in a temple, church, mosque, synagogue, the cathedral of nature or one's own inner heart.
Likewise, it is my consistent experience, as a westerner working in India, that a holistic approach with patients transcends socio-economic, racial and cultural boundaries.
Helping the patient to smile is a valuable tool to facilitate healing.
The proverb "Laughter is the best medicine" has a recently discovered scientific basis. As soon as a person smiles, an automatic message flows to the brain with the information that the person is relaxed and happy. So a smile has medicinal properties that bring relaxation, relieve stress and help to cure disease and lighten the weight of emotional suffering. I often suggest an easy 'smiling meditation' technique to patients going through chemotherapy and have noticed marked acceleration in improvement for those who practice it sincerely. Medical science now recognizes known cases where cancer that had been declared incurable was overcome through the power of prayer or "mind-over-body" positive thinking.
While curing disease is the primary aim of any doctor, we should be aware that when disease is incurable, healing is still possible, and a positive attitude essential. I believe it is the duty of the doctor to help the patient come to terms with his mortality, to release fears based on separation and focus his attention on spiritual unity and wholeness. At the final stages, acceptance of the disease and awareness that it is not a punishment, but a gift, is crucial for the patient's peace of mind. Raoul’s story is a testament to this philosophy.
In such a case, the disease is no longer perceived as a burden but as a vehicle towards expansion into light.
In my ongoing service consoling and counseling cancer and critically ill patients at AIMS, I've noticed that those whose condition is debilitated and incurable tend to be more receptive to the power of prayer. I imagine this is due to increased intensity of their need for grace, but I suspect it is also strongly induced by the wearing down of ego through the avenues of suffering and surrender forced upon them. In such cases, the disease is not perceived as an enemy but as a spiritual gift and harbinger of grace, aligning the soul with a sense of unity that transcends ordinary body-consciousness.
The Art of Dying
I hold the dying by the hands
and watch as consciousness expands
into a realm of radiance
where wisdom stands.
In awe, I sense their spirit fold
inside to where a truth untold
can spin and weave a tapestry
of soul's pure gold.
The art of liberation's law
is one that paints, without a flaw,
the truth that we are made of light
no hand can draw.
As we approach that sharpest edge,
which cuts and prunes away the hedge
that blocks our view - to God we now
must give our pledge.
Let's cease grasping this life we've fussed
about - observe how loudly rust
and mold announce the truth that all
will turn to dust.
The body fades, like summer breeze,
but soul's not bound by land or seas,
and dying is a divine grace-
not a disease.
Whether helping a patient to embrace a positive attitude that they can be cured, or to accept with welcome the concept of the dying process as a journey into light as opposed to entering darkness, a conscious connection to the healing light of awareness through deep compassion is indispensable.
Compassion is the ultimate calling: for nurses, for doctors, for all of us.
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