Cultivating Authentic Human Connections in Delivering Medical Care
J. Anna Looney, PhD, Faculty Member, The Center for Mind Body Medicine
Religious and spiritual beliefs have long served as a powerful source of comfort to humans during major life transitions. The onset of serious illnesses and suffering associated with mortality often raises existential questions that modern medicine cannot answer. Knowing that medicine evolved from sacred healing practices, we find important resources at the intersection of ancient spiritual practices and advanced medical science. Moreover, from the layperson’s perspective, receiving care from a medical team respectful of their beliefs greatly increases the satisfaction of their experience; for some patients, providers who show sensitivity, understanding and respect for the patient’s spiritual beliefs positively impact treatment and recovery. Even beyond a formal religious belief system, there is a contemporary expectation of humanistic treatment in the provider-patient relationship; melding compassion with advanced science can create greater patient satisfaction.
Yet medical providers may feel uncomfortable with – and even hostile to-- the suggestion that they should add spiritual expertise to their already daunting training. Not only might ethical boundary issues arise for medical professionals, but conversations about faith in health and healing have the potential for impinging on private matters around the medical provider’s personal beliefs.
What are reasonable requests and personal boundaries between provider and patient on spiritual matters around illness? How might clinicians respond to a patient’s explicit requests for prayer or assurance during illness and dying? Can secular humanistic values bridge the divide between healers and health managers?
This workshop offers a practical introduction to Mind Body Medicine (MBM) skills addressing the whole person. Using the model developed by Dr. James Gordon, founder of The Center for Mind Body Medicine, the workshop will provide a brief overview of the background of MBM, followed by an opportunity for experiencing basic skills to address patient needs. Simple, time-honored principles of presence, calm, connection and empathy will be reviewed. Three techniques for cultivating an authentic and open-hearted presence before, during and after clinical encounters will give workshop attendees a sense of the power of this approach for bridging human needs for spiritual and medical care.
Yet medical providers may feel uncomfortable with – and even hostile to-- the suggestion that they should add spiritual expertise to their already daunting training. Not only might ethical boundary issues arise for medical professionals, but conversations about faith in health and healing have the potential for impinging on private matters around the medical provider’s personal beliefs.
What are reasonable requests and personal boundaries between provider and patient on spiritual matters around illness? How might clinicians respond to a patient’s explicit requests for prayer or assurance during illness and dying? Can secular humanistic values bridge the divide between healers and health managers?
This workshop offers a practical introduction to Mind Body Medicine (MBM) skills addressing the whole person. Using the model developed by Dr. James Gordon, founder of The Center for Mind Body Medicine, the workshop will provide a brief overview of the background of MBM, followed by an opportunity for experiencing basic skills to address patient needs. Simple, time-honored principles of presence, calm, connection and empathy will be reviewed. Three techniques for cultivating an authentic and open-hearted presence before, during and after clinical encounters will give workshop attendees a sense of the power of this approach for bridging human needs for spiritual and medical care.