Nurses, what does it mean to have soul? Does it mean that you've read "Chicken Soup For The Nurse's Soul"? Does it mean that you listen and dance to James Brown? Does it mean that you cook with spicy food?
Well, it could mean those things, but it's a whole lot more.
Showing posts with label compassion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label compassion. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Nurse, Whose Shoes Are You Wearing?
As
nurses, we're often in the mode of "doing". We hang IVs, check vital
signs, give treatments, dole out medications, and tend to multiple
tasks, whether in the hospital, nursing home, school, patients' homes, or other venues.
And when we're doing those tasks, we're generally wearing our metaphoric---and literal---nursing shoes.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Nurses: Compassion For The Self
Nurses, when you consider the level of compassion with which you treat your patients, do you also consider the possibility that you can treat yourself with that same compassion? Do you feel that you deserve it?
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Heroes, Courage, Trauma and Recovery
Yesterday, April 15th, 2013, two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon as runners and their supporters gathered in the afternoon near the finish line. As the race was winding down, the sense of celebration was palpable in the air, only to be replaced by shock and panic as a scene including dozens of injured and three dead emerged through the smoke.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Nurse Listens
Today on the Facebook page for Nurse Keith Coaching, I posted a question about listening that really got me thinking. Listening is a skill that all nurses need to develop and hone over the course of their career. But what does it really mean to listen well, and what if we think about listening metaphorically rather than literally?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Book Review: "The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill"
Disclaimer: As always, I received no payment for this book review, only a copy of the book from the author in order to facilitate the writing of this post.
"The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill" is a poetic and moving discourse on compassion by nurse, author and medicine man Michael Ortiz Hill. In this stirring book, Mr. Hill presents his view of compassion as a craft that can be learned, honed and developed, a notion that many in the nursing and medical fields would be wise to heed.
"The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill" is a poetic and moving discourse on compassion by nurse, author and medicine man Michael Ortiz Hill. In this stirring book, Mr. Hill presents his view of compassion as a craft that can be learned, honed and developed, a notion that many in the nursing and medical fields would be wise to heed.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Self Compassion and Empathy
Last night on RN.FM Radio, nurse and well-known author Carol Gino spoke eloquently about the need for nurses to develop self compassion before they can truly experience empathy for their patients. She was so right.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Compassion From Day to Day
I find that my days are simply filled with opportunities for feeling compassion for others. Consequently, it is those moments when I can connect with my compassion when I feel most connected, optimistic and part of something bigger than my little life.
As a nurse, one can often be consistently confronted with chances to be compassionate. In fact, nurses are often rated in surveys as some of the most trustworthy and compassionate people around, so I see my vocation as a professional doorway to practicing "compassion in action".
Working one-on-one with an elderly gentleman who lives with a variety of complaints and ailments, I use my compassion to see his suffering as no different than mine, and I strive to be free of judgment and frustration when he refuses to do what I think might be in his best interests. My frustration does bubble up from time to time, but I try to see the world through his blurry eyes, and I cultivate a gentle acceptance of his personal modus operandi.
In my other work, a woman with a history of a major stroke can say nothing more than "momma" over and over again, although we are aware that her mental and cognitive functions are fully intact. She frequently cries in frustration when she cannot make herself understood, and I do my best to look her deeply in the eyes and beam my love and admiration to her when we are face to face every other week when I come to see how things are going with the home health aides that I supervise. I think she and I have great love for one another, and although we cannot communicate conversationally like we might like to, we connect on a level that supersedes that of the spoken word.
Yet another client has a condition that puts her at great risk of repeat heart attacks or strokes, and she lives each day as if it might be her last. Her condition is uncorrectable, and although medications keep her alive, she walks a precipitously tenuous line with life on one side and death on the other. We talk deeply about her life, her past, and her fears for the future, and I listen to her with an open heart and a well of compassion for her suffering.
Aside from nursing, opportunities for compassion are everywhere: the homeless veteran begging for money on the street corner; the elderly widower making his lonely way through his latter years; the child home from school with the flu; a friend who loses a parent.
The human condition is almost synonymous with suffering, yet that suffering can be assuaged on many levels by the active practice of compassion for others, and the ability to see the suffering of another person as no different than one's own. "There but for the grace of God go I" is a crucial tenet to remember at time when one feels judgmental or impatient with the plight of other people, and it is in cultivating such an outlook that we truly embody our humanity.
As a nurse, one can often be consistently confronted with chances to be compassionate. In fact, nurses are often rated in surveys as some of the most trustworthy and compassionate people around, so I see my vocation as a professional doorway to practicing "compassion in action".
Working one-on-one with an elderly gentleman who lives with a variety of complaints and ailments, I use my compassion to see his suffering as no different than mine, and I strive to be free of judgment and frustration when he refuses to do what I think might be in his best interests. My frustration does bubble up from time to time, but I try to see the world through his blurry eyes, and I cultivate a gentle acceptance of his personal modus operandi.
In my other work, a woman with a history of a major stroke can say nothing more than "momma" over and over again, although we are aware that her mental and cognitive functions are fully intact. She frequently cries in frustration when she cannot make herself understood, and I do my best to look her deeply in the eyes and beam my love and admiration to her when we are face to face every other week when I come to see how things are going with the home health aides that I supervise. I think she and I have great love for one another, and although we cannot communicate conversationally like we might like to, we connect on a level that supersedes that of the spoken word.
Yet another client has a condition that puts her at great risk of repeat heart attacks or strokes, and she lives each day as if it might be her last. Her condition is uncorrectable, and although medications keep her alive, she walks a precipitously tenuous line with life on one side and death on the other. We talk deeply about her life, her past, and her fears for the future, and I listen to her with an open heart and a well of compassion for her suffering.
Aside from nursing, opportunities for compassion are everywhere: the homeless veteran begging for money on the street corner; the elderly widower making his lonely way through his latter years; the child home from school with the flu; a friend who loses a parent.
The human condition is almost synonymous with suffering, yet that suffering can be assuaged on many levels by the active practice of compassion for others, and the ability to see the suffering of another person as no different than one's own. "There but for the grace of God go I" is a crucial tenet to remember at time when one feels judgmental or impatient with the plight of other people, and it is in cultivating such an outlook that we truly embody our humanity.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Welcoming 2009 With Compassion
Well, here we are looking 2009 square in the face, with our hopes, dreams, prayers and aspirations floating up into the ethers.
For myself, on a very personal level, I am wishing for an end to my chronic pain, a complete remission from depression, regular exercise, stable weight, improved sleep, and more connection with others. I plan to be proactive about my health, reach out socially and professionally, and embrace the challenges and opportunities afforded me by my new job as a Public Health Nurse. In terms of writing, Digital Doorway will very soon celebrate its fourth birthday, and I plan to continue to seek out opportunities to have my work published both online and in print.
As for this world of ours, I am hopeful that Barack Obama's rise to power will lead to some startlingly refreshing changes here in the United States and abroad. For one, I hope that 2009 will see us moving towards some form of universal health care, allowing those 40 million uninsured Americans to have access to what I see as a basic human right. Yes, providing health care for every American citizen will be expensive, but as our population ages, the cost of untreated chronic disease will have costs beyond our wildest dreams.
In terms of violence around the world, I find it difficult to hope that all violence, slavery, ethnic cleansing, terrorism and war will cease to be. Considering the track record of homo sapiens sapiens, this is an unrealistic expectation, however I still hold out hope that we will see some changes as the U.S. itself undergoes a makeover of sorts.
Over all, if there was going to be more of anything on this old earth of ours, I would like to see more compassion. Breaking it all down, stripping away the hurt, the pain, the violence, the greed, the errant passions that consume us as a species, I feel that a scarcity of compassion can lead humans to act in ways that are damaging to self, to others, and to humanity as a whole. As for Mr. Obama, he would be wise to create a new cabinet-level position---The Secretary of Compassion---whose grave responsibility would be to remind us as a people that compassion is the energy that must be injected into every situation, into every circumstance, and into every relationship.
Compassion is the seed of non-violence, and the lack of compassion is the very germ that leads to the growth of hatred, violence, and all of the negative emotions and energies that seem to so deeply infect and haunt the human race.
While cultivating compassion is indeed a very personal action that begins from within, compassion can also be developed by nations, by world leaders, and by societies themselves. If I were to wish for any particular theme for 2009, the widespread cultivation of compassion on a global scale would be my greatest wish for humanity. Perhaps, if we each plant the seed of a growing seedling of compassion that comes to fruition within each of our hearts in the coming year, that seedling will sprout into a worldwide blossoming of compassion that can only have positive ramifications for the entire world.
As I have written before, The Charter for Compassion is a worldwide movement striving to bring compassion into the consciousness of humankind. Its mission is global, and the work of cultivating a worldwide movement of compassion is indeed in process as I write. From their website:
"The Charter for Compassion is a collaborative effort to build a peaceful and harmonious global community. Bringing together the voices of people from all religions, the Charter seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world."
I, for one, embrace compassion as the global theme for 2009. Perhaps you, dear Reader, will join me in this movement so we can work to bring compassion to the forefront of human consciousness in 2009.
(c) 2009 NurseKeith
For myself, on a very personal level, I am wishing for an end to my chronic pain, a complete remission from depression, regular exercise, stable weight, improved sleep, and more connection with others. I plan to be proactive about my health, reach out socially and professionally, and embrace the challenges and opportunities afforded me by my new job as a Public Health Nurse. In terms of writing, Digital Doorway will very soon celebrate its fourth birthday, and I plan to continue to seek out opportunities to have my work published both online and in print.
As for this world of ours, I am hopeful that Barack Obama's rise to power will lead to some startlingly refreshing changes here in the United States and abroad. For one, I hope that 2009 will see us moving towards some form of universal health care, allowing those 40 million uninsured Americans to have access to what I see as a basic human right. Yes, providing health care for every American citizen will be expensive, but as our population ages, the cost of untreated chronic disease will have costs beyond our wildest dreams.
In terms of violence around the world, I find it difficult to hope that all violence, slavery, ethnic cleansing, terrorism and war will cease to be. Considering the track record of homo sapiens sapiens, this is an unrealistic expectation, however I still hold out hope that we will see some changes as the U.S. itself undergoes a makeover of sorts.
Over all, if there was going to be more of anything on this old earth of ours, I would like to see more compassion. Breaking it all down, stripping away the hurt, the pain, the violence, the greed, the errant passions that consume us as a species, I feel that a scarcity of compassion can lead humans to act in ways that are damaging to self, to others, and to humanity as a whole. As for Mr. Obama, he would be wise to create a new cabinet-level position---The Secretary of Compassion---whose grave responsibility would be to remind us as a people that compassion is the energy that must be injected into every situation, into every circumstance, and into every relationship.
Compassion is the seed of non-violence, and the lack of compassion is the very germ that leads to the growth of hatred, violence, and all of the negative emotions and energies that seem to so deeply infect and haunt the human race.
While cultivating compassion is indeed a very personal action that begins from within, compassion can also be developed by nations, by world leaders, and by societies themselves. If I were to wish for any particular theme for 2009, the widespread cultivation of compassion on a global scale would be my greatest wish for humanity. Perhaps, if we each plant the seed of a growing seedling of compassion that comes to fruition within each of our hearts in the coming year, that seedling will sprout into a worldwide blossoming of compassion that can only have positive ramifications for the entire world.
As I have written before, The Charter for Compassion is a worldwide movement striving to bring compassion into the consciousness of humankind. Its mission is global, and the work of cultivating a worldwide movement of compassion is indeed in process as I write. From their website:
"The Charter for Compassion is a collaborative effort to build a peaceful and harmonious global community. Bringing together the voices of people from all religions, the Charter seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world."
I, for one, embrace compassion as the global theme for 2009. Perhaps you, dear Reader, will join me in this movement so we can work to bring compassion to the forefront of human consciousness in 2009.
(c) 2009 NurseKeith
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Charter for Compassion
A new organization and movement have been founded with the goal "to build a peaceful and harmonious global community".
Utilizing the minds of some of the greatest religious thinkers of our time---including
Archbishop Desmond Tutu---The Charter for Compassion "seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world."
The following video clearly illustrates the goals of this burgeoning global movement, and simply and coherently verbalizes the widely accepted need for a universal propagation of compassionate tolerance.
The Charter for Compassion will be collaboratively created using input from people from every corner of the globe via new innovative software that enhances a collective decision-making process.
The previously mentioned group of religious elders, dubbed "The Council of Sages", will work together to distill the thoughts and input of thousands of contributors into a concrete document that "will not only speak to the core ideas of compassion but will also address the actions all segments of society can take to bring these ideas into the world more fully. The Charter for Compassion will then be signed by religious leaders of all faiths at a large launch event, followed by a series of other events to publicize and promote the Charter around the world".
First, collaborative suggestions regarding the preamble of the Charter are being sought at this very moment.
Starting on November 20th, input will be sought regarding the "eight core elements of compassion":
Then, beginning on November 27th, there will be specific calls to action for different groups:
If you would like to submit your own story as a part of this growing conversation, click here to visit the segment of the site devoted to contributors' personal testimonies.
The Charter for Compassion may be the exciting birth of a new expression of how compassion, tolerance and global cooperation can change the world and alter humanity's very way of thinking. Please consider visiting the site and perhaps even sharing a story of how you feel compassion can be generated, propagated, and disseminated throughout the world.
Utilizing the minds of some of the greatest religious thinkers of our time---including
Archbishop Desmond Tutu---The Charter for Compassion "seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world."
The following video clearly illustrates the goals of this burgeoning global movement, and simply and coherently verbalizes the widely accepted need for a universal propagation of compassionate tolerance.
The Charter for Compassion will be collaboratively created using input from people from every corner of the globe via new innovative software that enhances a collective decision-making process.
The previously mentioned group of religious elders, dubbed "The Council of Sages", will work together to distill the thoughts and input of thousands of contributors into a concrete document that "will not only speak to the core ideas of compassion but will also address the actions all segments of society can take to bring these ideas into the world more fully. The Charter for Compassion will then be signed by religious leaders of all faiths at a large launch event, followed by a series of other events to publicize and promote the Charter around the world".
First, collaborative suggestions regarding the preamble of the Charter are being sought at this very moment.
Starting on November 20th, input will be sought regarding the "eight core elements of compassion":
- Compassion as empathy not pity.
- Compassion as concrete action.
- Compassion as a lens for scripture.
- Compassion’s role as a spiritual tool and its relation to be
- Compassion as fundamental to all faiths.
- Compassion as an urgent global need.
- Compassion as concern for everybody.
- Compassion and the Golden Rule.
Then, beginning on November 27th, there will be specific calls to action for different groups:
- Educators
- Scholars
- Congregants
- Religious leaders
- Media
- Youth
If you would like to submit your own story as a part of this growing conversation, click here to visit the segment of the site devoted to contributors' personal testimonies.
The Charter for Compassion may be the exciting birth of a new expression of how compassion, tolerance and global cooperation can change the world and alter humanity's very way of thinking. Please consider visiting the site and perhaps even sharing a story of how you feel compassion can be generated, propagated, and disseminated throughout the world.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Vicarious Traumatization
After eleven years of providing direct nursing care---all in ambulatory settings, mind you---I wonder when it will be time to take a break and approach my work in the healthcare field from another vantage point. While I, like many nurses, thrive on the interpersonal relationships which nursing engenders, I also long for a rest from the emotional tugging which is part and parcel of my work.
But what is it about that "emotional tugging" that is so exhausting, you ask? The answer, to a large extent, is vicarious traumatization, wherein the act of bearing witness to the trauma of others can lead to internalization of trauma and psychic distress by the clinician. Several studies cited on the American Psychological Association website conclude that clinicians with their own personal trauma histories are more likely to experience deleterious effects when working closely with patients experiencing trauma.
Taking into consideration that the majority of my patients have suffered multiple traumas and live chaotic and difficult lives, I am consistently in a place of feeling unable to fully relieve the suffering of those around me. Confronted day after day by individuals whose suffering continues largely unabated, I surmise that my own level of suffering appears to have concurrently elevated, perhaps in response to those for whom my efforts seem to have little effect.
Many of my patients experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other forms of mental illness and psychic distress, not to mention chronic pain. Interestingly, my own depression, distress and physical pain symptoms have become significantly exacerbated in the last few years, leading me to more fully appreciate and understand my patients' suffering based on my own experience. Having been diagnosed myself with PTSD six years ago following a friend's murder, I appreciate the long-lasting effects of such experiences and the immeasurable difficulty of recovery.
The concept of vicarious traumatization is one which we all---clinicians and non-clinicians alike---might understand, but it is only now, as my own physical and psychic suffering has become augmented, that I more fully comprehend the insidiousness of its impact on the unwary clinician.
Luckily, this Thursday, I will attend a "Behavioral Health Grand Rounds" at a local hospital, where several experts on vicarious traumatization will present their research, their findings, and their recommendations to those of us interested to know more. As my leave of absence approaches at the end of this week, this particular presentation could not be more timely. I welcome this information, and also welcome the self-realization that it may engender.
But what is it about that "emotional tugging" that is so exhausting, you ask? The answer, to a large extent, is vicarious traumatization, wherein the act of bearing witness to the trauma of others can lead to internalization of trauma and psychic distress by the clinician. Several studies cited on the American Psychological Association website conclude that clinicians with their own personal trauma histories are more likely to experience deleterious effects when working closely with patients experiencing trauma.
Taking into consideration that the majority of my patients have suffered multiple traumas and live chaotic and difficult lives, I am consistently in a place of feeling unable to fully relieve the suffering of those around me. Confronted day after day by individuals whose suffering continues largely unabated, I surmise that my own level of suffering appears to have concurrently elevated, perhaps in response to those for whom my efforts seem to have little effect.
Many of my patients experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other forms of mental illness and psychic distress, not to mention chronic pain. Interestingly, my own depression, distress and physical pain symptoms have become significantly exacerbated in the last few years, leading me to more fully appreciate and understand my patients' suffering based on my own experience. Having been diagnosed myself with PTSD six years ago following a friend's murder, I appreciate the long-lasting effects of such experiences and the immeasurable difficulty of recovery.
The concept of vicarious traumatization is one which we all---clinicians and non-clinicians alike---might understand, but it is only now, as my own physical and psychic suffering has become augmented, that I more fully comprehend the insidiousness of its impact on the unwary clinician.
Luckily, this Thursday, I will attend a "Behavioral Health Grand Rounds" at a local hospital, where several experts on vicarious traumatization will present their research, their findings, and their recommendations to those of us interested to know more. As my leave of absence approaches at the end of this week, this particular presentation could not be more timely. I welcome this information, and also welcome the self-realization that it may engender.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
My Grandfather's Blessings
I am reading “My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging” by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., a book which appeared in our house from an unknown source. Many books grace our shelves and I personally have no recollection of how they landed there. More fool me. But these organically-acquired books which seem to grow from the very shelves out of nothing often seem to hold wisdom and messages far exceeding their exterior qualities or appearance. “My Grandfather’s Blessings” seems to be just one of those sorts of books indeed.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Schwartz Center Rounds
A new concept made its way into my personal and professional orbit today and I wanted to share it here. This concept is something called "Schwartz Center Rounds", which, according to the official website, is "a multidisciplinary forum where caregivers discuss difficult emotional and social issues that arise in caring for patients." The organization is doing some very interesting and thought-provoking work, and we are considering applying for a grant to bring Schwartz Center Rounds into our workplace, where the stress of our work takes its toll daily.
The Schwartz Center website explains further: "Over 26,000 clinicians across the country participate in these interactive discussions and share their experiences, thoughts and feelings on different topics. Schwartz Center Rounds take place at over 110 sites in 26 states."
Developed at Massachusetts General Hospital, the center appears to focus its energies on communication skills, end-of-life care, cultural competency, and spirituality. Aside from the Schwartz Center Rounds model, other programs include specialized training for medical, nursing, and allied health students, a speaker series, The Compassionate Caregiver Awards, and a Clinical Pastoral Education Program for Health Professionals.
Simply the notion that an organization exists with the sole aim of "strengthening the patient-caregiver relationship" buoys my spirit. That we, as a group of professionals, may be able to apply and receive grant money to strengthen our connections with patients and support ourselves in our work is truly a beacon of hope. In a team discussion, we decided that, whether we receive the grant or not, we have to make it our mission to bring this level of healing and self-awareness into our midst. The work that we do---caring for the sickest, poorest, and most disenfranchised inner-city communities---can truly exact a heavy price on clinicians and administrative staff alike, on both the physical and emotional levels. Despite the stress of our endeavor to provide such cutting-edge care, our attrition rate is extremely low, a testament to the closeness and camaraderie that we share as a team. Many of us frequently remark how this group of people works so well under incredible duress with such grace. Still, no amount of camaraderie can counteract the stress-related illnesses that can develop when deeper needs go unmet. I am a walking example, and my healing journey is still ongoing.
Gone are the old-fashioned days of the private-practice physician who tends to the needs of a small geographic area from birth to death, delivering babies and pronouncing the deaths of elders at home. Healthcare has become a behemoth of specialization, splintered care, multiple caregivers, complex treatments, and a financial climate which often flies in the face of the essence of caregiving. Managed care often ties clinicians' hands, and caring for patients is made all the more difficult as providers jump through flaming hoops of bureaucracy to obtain the optimal treatment for deserving and ailing patients. The explosion of obesity, addiction, mental illness, and multiple comorbidities further stresses the system and the caregivers, and dangerous communicable diseases have only increased patients' fears and providers' need for increasingly specialized knowledge. It's a complex medical world in the 21st century, and fears of litigation only serve to make providing care that much more stressful.
Given the current healthcare climate, the complexity of patients with multiple illnesses, and the demands on all of us working in the field, there have to be valves through which the pressure is released. Addiction, alcoholism, workaholism, and burnout certainly do release pressure, but the subsequent damage done by these practices is all too real. Schwartz Center Rounds and similar models of self-reflection and development may be just what the doctor ordered, but it's a medicine that will only work if we take it.
The Schwartz Center website explains further: "Over 26,000 clinicians across the country participate in these interactive discussions and share their experiences, thoughts and feelings on different topics. Schwartz Center Rounds take place at over 110 sites in 26 states."
Developed at Massachusetts General Hospital, the center appears to focus its energies on communication skills, end-of-life care, cultural competency, and spirituality. Aside from the Schwartz Center Rounds model, other programs include specialized training for medical, nursing, and allied health students, a speaker series, The Compassionate Caregiver Awards, and a Clinical Pastoral Education Program for Health Professionals.
Simply the notion that an organization exists with the sole aim of "strengthening the patient-caregiver relationship" buoys my spirit. That we, as a group of professionals, may be able to apply and receive grant money to strengthen our connections with patients and support ourselves in our work is truly a beacon of hope. In a team discussion, we decided that, whether we receive the grant or not, we have to make it our mission to bring this level of healing and self-awareness into our midst. The work that we do---caring for the sickest, poorest, and most disenfranchised inner-city communities---can truly exact a heavy price on clinicians and administrative staff alike, on both the physical and emotional levels. Despite the stress of our endeavor to provide such cutting-edge care, our attrition rate is extremely low, a testament to the closeness and camaraderie that we share as a team. Many of us frequently remark how this group of people works so well under incredible duress with such grace. Still, no amount of camaraderie can counteract the stress-related illnesses that can develop when deeper needs go unmet. I am a walking example, and my healing journey is still ongoing.
Gone are the old-fashioned days of the private-practice physician who tends to the needs of a small geographic area from birth to death, delivering babies and pronouncing the deaths of elders at home. Healthcare has become a behemoth of specialization, splintered care, multiple caregivers, complex treatments, and a financial climate which often flies in the face of the essence of caregiving. Managed care often ties clinicians' hands, and caring for patients is made all the more difficult as providers jump through flaming hoops of bureaucracy to obtain the optimal treatment for deserving and ailing patients. The explosion of obesity, addiction, mental illness, and multiple comorbidities further stresses the system and the caregivers, and dangerous communicable diseases have only increased patients' fears and providers' need for increasingly specialized knowledge. It's a complex medical world in the 21st century, and fears of litigation only serve to make providing care that much more stressful.
Given the current healthcare climate, the complexity of patients with multiple illnesses, and the demands on all of us working in the field, there have to be valves through which the pressure is released. Addiction, alcoholism, workaholism, and burnout certainly do release pressure, but the subsequent damage done by these practices is all too real. Schwartz Center Rounds and similar models of self-reflection and development may be just what the doctor ordered, but it's a medicine that will only work if we take it.
Monday, January 15, 2007
A Hero's Day
Today is the day to commemorate a hero, a true lion of hope and equality. So many, like him, have fallen at the hands of known and unknown purveyors of fear: Malcolm X, JFK, RFK, Gandhi, John Lennon, the students of Tiananmen Square and Ohio State, Rachel Corrie, and the Greensboro Five. Some theorists feel that Paul Wellstone could be added to that list. Still others are driven from their homelands around the world, their lives spared but their hopes for freedom dashed.
Famous or completely unknown and unsung, so many have dedicated their lives to the freedom of others, and to equality and justice. Actions small and large accumulate and exponentially multiply the effect.
At times I wonder if I'm not doing enough, if my candle should be burning more brightly. If we all cared enough, wouldn't all the problems already be solved? We can't all be Martin, John, Mother Teresa, or Rigoberta Menchu, but we can all be who we are, enacting change by embodying love and compassion in the world. Some do their part simply by living quiet lives of meditation. Others march in the streets and speak truth to power. Still others send money, write letters, or speak up for those without a voice.
And the others, you ask? Yes, there are still others who do nothing but fend for themselves and take all that there is to take. But even for these there must be compassion somewhere in one's heart, even if for now that place is closed and inaccessible. As for those who are purveyors of fear and sowers of division, must we not also feel compassion for them as well? Some of us are capable of such compassion, some even attain the bliss of true forgiveness. Still others even more enlightened might realize that those brokers of fear are no different than ourselves and fully deserve our compassion.
As for me, I continue to struggle to forgive some in the world who have wronged me, like those who murdered my closest friend in the prime of his life and the rest who did their best to obfuscate the truth. My hatred and anger are still not dissipated, and I know that these emotions will only cause me harm in the end, no matter how human they may be. I also have strong vitriolic feelings for those who I feel are responsible for the raping and pillaging of our country, our culture, our economy, our ecology, our very soul as a nation. Will I some day feel compassion and forgiveness for them? It is a tall order, I must say.
But in the spirit of Martin, today is a day to hold forth a vision, even if the more difficult emotions serve to cloud that vista from time to time, like an emotional cataract. Without that vision, all is lost, and only the clouds and darkness hold sway. I'm sure Martin forgives his transgressors and sees the bigger picture from the vantage point of enlightenment. We can all catch a glimpse of that picture from time to time, and when we do, it's a breath of fresh air. It may be a mad, mad world out there, but to paraphrase and twist the words of W.C Fields for my own purposes, "there's a hero born every minute". Let's prepare the way for the the heroes of the New World, the world that's just around the bend, the one which Arundhati Roy says that she can hear breathing.
Famous or completely unknown and unsung, so many have dedicated their lives to the freedom of others, and to equality and justice. Actions small and large accumulate and exponentially multiply the effect.
At times I wonder if I'm not doing enough, if my candle should be burning more brightly. If we all cared enough, wouldn't all the problems already be solved? We can't all be Martin, John, Mother Teresa, or Rigoberta Menchu, but we can all be who we are, enacting change by embodying love and compassion in the world. Some do their part simply by living quiet lives of meditation. Others march in the streets and speak truth to power. Still others send money, write letters, or speak up for those without a voice.
And the others, you ask? Yes, there are still others who do nothing but fend for themselves and take all that there is to take. But even for these there must be compassion somewhere in one's heart, even if for now that place is closed and inaccessible. As for those who are purveyors of fear and sowers of division, must we not also feel compassion for them as well? Some of us are capable of such compassion, some even attain the bliss of true forgiveness. Still others even more enlightened might realize that those brokers of fear are no different than ourselves and fully deserve our compassion.
As for me, I continue to struggle to forgive some in the world who have wronged me, like those who murdered my closest friend in the prime of his life and the rest who did their best to obfuscate the truth. My hatred and anger are still not dissipated, and I know that these emotions will only cause me harm in the end, no matter how human they may be. I also have strong vitriolic feelings for those who I feel are responsible for the raping and pillaging of our country, our culture, our economy, our ecology, our very soul as a nation. Will I some day feel compassion and forgiveness for them? It is a tall order, I must say.
But in the spirit of Martin, today is a day to hold forth a vision, even if the more difficult emotions serve to cloud that vista from time to time, like an emotional cataract. Without that vision, all is lost, and only the clouds and darkness hold sway. I'm sure Martin forgives his transgressors and sees the bigger picture from the vantage point of enlightenment. We can all catch a glimpse of that picture from time to time, and when we do, it's a breath of fresh air. It may be a mad, mad world out there, but to paraphrase and twist the words of W.C Fields for my own purposes, "there's a hero born every minute". Let's prepare the way for the the heroes of the New World, the world that's just around the bend, the one which Arundhati Roy says that she can hear breathing.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
More on Compassion and Suffering
When speaking of compassion, one must also speak of suffering. The two seem to go hand in hand, the former a frequent consequence of the latter.
Many forms of suffering pervade the human condition: war, hunger, illness, crime, loneliness, imprisonment, enslavement, poverty, natural disaster. Where do we turn to ameliorate the suffering of others? Whose suffering do we choose to do something about and to whose condition do we turn a blind eye?
The entreating envelopes arrive in the mail almost daily: Amnesty International, The Human Rights Campaign, Oxfam, the list is endless. There is global suffering, local suffering, the plight of animals, of children, of women, of the sick, of the environment. Which envelopes do you throw in the trash? Which ones live on your desk for weeks or months? Which ones are returned immediately with a check? How does one decide where one's money is most needed? How does one not feel guilty about all of the worthy causes you just cannot afford to support?
For all the direct action in which an individual can take part, it seems that the soul, the very heart is the place for one to begin practicing compassion. One must first cultivate compassion for the self, learn to forgive ones self over and over again, assuage one's own suffering, and perhaps then extend that energy to others. I am often much quicker to excuse the behavior or actions of others while digging deep holes of self-blame and recrimination in my own heart and mind. Thus for me, the question is not necessarily how to cultivate compassion for others per se, but more how to simultaneously allow myself that same level of acceptance and peace. Perhaps from that place, one's actions towards the rest of the world come from a deeper, more grounded center built on self-love rather than guilt, on fullness rather than lack. Perhaps.
So, those envelopes that keep coming in the mail? I can guiltily drop them in the recycling box and hate myself for my shallow self-centeredness, I can send them each a pittance in an attempt to assuage my guilt, or I can simply send my money to the place to which I am guided by my heart, and continue to live a life driven by compassion, certain that what I produce and engender in this world will echo ever wider in ripples of compassion and love.
I think I'll choose to forgive myself and others, do what I can, release the guilt, release the pain, and wake up tomorrow and start again.
Many forms of suffering pervade the human condition: war, hunger, illness, crime, loneliness, imprisonment, enslavement, poverty, natural disaster. Where do we turn to ameliorate the suffering of others? Whose suffering do we choose to do something about and to whose condition do we turn a blind eye?
The entreating envelopes arrive in the mail almost daily: Amnesty International, The Human Rights Campaign, Oxfam, the list is endless. There is global suffering, local suffering, the plight of animals, of children, of women, of the sick, of the environment. Which envelopes do you throw in the trash? Which ones live on your desk for weeks or months? Which ones are returned immediately with a check? How does one decide where one's money is most needed? How does one not feel guilty about all of the worthy causes you just cannot afford to support?
For all the direct action in which an individual can take part, it seems that the soul, the very heart is the place for one to begin practicing compassion. One must first cultivate compassion for the self, learn to forgive ones self over and over again, assuage one's own suffering, and perhaps then extend that energy to others. I am often much quicker to excuse the behavior or actions of others while digging deep holes of self-blame and recrimination in my own heart and mind. Thus for me, the question is not necessarily how to cultivate compassion for others per se, but more how to simultaneously allow myself that same level of acceptance and peace. Perhaps from that place, one's actions towards the rest of the world come from a deeper, more grounded center built on self-love rather than guilt, on fullness rather than lack. Perhaps.
So, those envelopes that keep coming in the mail? I can guiltily drop them in the recycling box and hate myself for my shallow self-centeredness, I can send them each a pittance in an attempt to assuage my guilt, or I can simply send my money to the place to which I am guided by my heart, and continue to live a life driven by compassion, certain that what I produce and engender in this world will echo ever wider in ripples of compassion and love.
I think I'll choose to forgive myself and others, do what I can, release the guilt, release the pain, and wake up tomorrow and start again.
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