Healing
Dr. Bruno’s Original Post: I think this article has a message for us. As the Buddhists say,
"Pain is inevitable; Suffering is optional."
"The study found that people on healing journeys created connections with a wide range of helpers, including not only family, friends, and health professionals, but also non-human sources of support, such as pets, spirituality, and personal interests. These relationships proved instrumental in helping participants develop...the ability to reframe suffering in a positive light, the choice to adopt an optimistic attitude, and the capacity to take responsibility for one’s recovery."
Study Provides New Insight Into Patients’ Healing Journeys
Researchers developed model of how people transcend suffering to find healing
“Substantial research has established the importance of doctor-patient relationships in facilitating the healing process. But few studies have explored patients’ broader experience of healing and how it can be fostered outside the medical system. Now, a new study, published online this week in BMJ Open, sheds light on the complex progression from illness to healing, which the authors call the “healing journey.” “
Image Source: Sara Warber
“The study is one of few to examine healing from the patient perspective. “The findings are helpful because they show, from the lived experience of people who are suffering, how the winding path of healing happens,” said co-author Kurt C. Stange, MD, PhD, a Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University and a Scholar of the Institute for Integrative Health, which helped fund the study.”
“The study found that people on healing journeys created connections with a wide range of support, such as pets, spirituality, and personal interests. Crucial to forming connections were a feeling of safety and a sense of trust that connections would be conducive to healing. These relationships proved instrumental in helping participants develop skills and resources through observation and practice, including the ability to reframe suffering in a positive light, the choice to adopt an optimistic attitude, and the capacity to take responsibility for one’s recovery from illness.”
“The authors note that the healing journey was recursive in nature, not step-wise. Mustering persistence and battling despair, people continually formed connections and gained new resources. As a result, they gradually found relief from suffering and began to exhibit emergent characteristics: a sense of hope, self-acceptance, and a desire to help others—the immediate precursors to healing.”
The authors are hopeful the study will influence a shift in the way patients and health care practitioners think about and approach healing. “By filling a gap in understanding the healing process, the study’s findings may offer hope to those who are suffering and guide how they respond to their state of illness,” said Dr. Stange. “Likewise, greater understanding of patients’ journeys may positively inform the way health professionals, caregivers, and communities support those who are ill.”
This full article is worth the read - Source for the Full Article