Thank you, Erling for bringing up this very important topic. The Larry Dossey contribution is, of course, priceless. This topic is long over-due for recognition and discussion. Weve touched on it from time to time over the years but many of us need the reminder about what mindfulness really is all about. In all the years and the countless seminars on health and healing that Ive attended, the presenters never fail to address the process involves Body, Mind and Spirit
always used in combination for success not as individual components.
Among others that are my favorites are Jon Kabat-Zynn (Full Catastrophe Living). I began my AF journey reading Zynn. In his chapter on Healing, he says:
Healing as we are using the word here, does not mean curing, although the two words are often used interchangeably. As we shall see in the next chapter, there are few if any outright cures for chronic diseases or for stress-related disorders. While it may not be possible for us to cure ourselves or to find someone who can, it is possible for us to heal ourselves. Healing implies the possibility for us to relate differently to illness, disability even death as we learn to see with eyes of wholeness.
..this comes from practice such basic skills as going into and dwelling in the states of deep physiological relaxation and seeing and transcending our fears and our boundaries of body and mind. In monuments of stillness, you come to realize you are already whole, already complete in your being, even if your body has cancer or heart disease or AIDS or pain, even if you dont know how long you will live or what will happen to you.
We are not meditating to make anything go away. Whether we are basically healthy at the moment or have a terminal illness, none of us knows how long we have to live. Life only unfolds in moments. The healing power of mindfulness lies in living each one as fully as we can.. (p. 173)
This book is not to be overlooked as an important source.
Another resource I treasure is by Carolyn Myss (Why People Dont Heal and How They Can)
She says: When an illness is part of your spiritual journey, no medical intervention can heal you until your spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire. Medical intervention, complementary healing modalities, changes in nutrition and overall lifestyle may all help to some extent and should certainly be used. But the most effective healing option, when you are facing an illness as a spiritual challenge, is to rely on your spiritual practice to bring you the insights you need. Your practice can be a means of enduring the disease and healing it can prepare you for the release of your life, if that is the Divine will for you. You need to redirect your faith from the physical realm to the spiritual realm.
Those who have been able to make this transition can become great inspirations to others. By examining how they have handled their crises, we may gain some insight into how to deal with our own. (p125)
Of course, not to be forgotten are the many wonderful works by Wayne Dyer, PhD, ... books, DVDs, TV presentations, a wealth of help and direction.
References:
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (Delta, 1991)
[
en.wikipedia.org]
Why People Don't Heal and How They Can
by Caroline Myss, Ph.D
Three Rivers Press, 1997 (paperback); ISBN 978-0609802243
[
www.myss.com]
Jackie
