Shauna's story
Shauna noted her reflection on her cracked screen as she scrolled hurriedly through her feed. The silent space of the clinic room waited. Four days ago, she had blood drawn to evaluate her symptoms. She hated those blood draws: the restrictive band pinching her skin, the cold, demanding needle, the sight of blood rushing into vial after vial–it seemed much more a barbaric ritual than modern medicine.
Click. The doorknob turned and the doctor walked in.
Hi Shauna. I'm Dr. Lambert. Thanks for coming in. How are you feeling?
Like crap, Shauna noted to herself as she heard herself say, I'm doing okay. What did the tests show? She was clenching her phone.
Well, they're inconclusive...
Dr. Lambert's voice went on, but Shauna stopped following. The space between them thickened, then hardened a little. More tests.
A few minutes later, Dr. Lambert got up to leave. She reached for the doorknob, then paused. There was still something she wanted to say–something only just beginning to seep from the thick space that held them both. Instinctively, her eyes darted to the clock on the wall and caught the slender red second-hand marching on. Five past one already. I'm late. Her hand gripped the doorknob. Silence filled the room. And then, with the patience of sap rolling off a tree, the words came.
I'm sorry, Shauna. I know you were hoping for an answer today. I was too.
The space lightened and Shauna released a deep sigh. Maybe we can still figure this out.
Dear Friend,
Too many patients feel the healthcare system doesn't see them. Ironically, many physicians feel the same way. One of the most fundamental reasons for this is one we rarely talk about: Our education trains us to see only a part of what we are, rather than our whole being.
This training starts in elementary and middle school when we learned that we're made of a collection of parts called atoms. The lesson continues into college, then graduate and medical school. But for over a hundred years now, physicists have known that the human body is not fundamentally made from small parts, but rather from subtle fields. This knowledge has not been assimilated into medical science because its full implications, include those on the relationship between mind and matter, are still the subject of debate.
Second Mind Medicine explores this intersection of science, philosophy, and introspective practice to develop a more complete understanding of the human being–of you and me. Through this exploration, we come to see the rest of ourselves and each other, moving from separation and part-ness to wholeness and healing.
Warmly,
Anoop Kumar, MD, MMgt