Dr. Bernie Siegel at The Graduate Institute: "Reflections on the Art of Living & Healing"

For three consecutive Monday nights this September, I was one of the 25 or so lucky people attending Dr. Bernie Siegel's "Reflections on the Art of Health and Healing" at The Graduate Institute, www.learn.edu ,  in Bethany, CT.  Bernie, as he prefers to be called, has been a leader in the field of Integrative Health and Medicine for many years, is renowned for his work with cancer patients and was one of the founders of The Graduate Institute over ten years ago.  He is the author of many books, including A Book of Miracles; Faith, Hope and Healing; Affirmations For Living Beyond Cancer; Prescriptions for Living.   Bernie and his wife live here in Connecticut, where they raised 5 children.  They have also partnered together in some of the workshops involved with healing.  It sounds like they had always had a lot of pets and other animals around their home - a loving, happy, perhaps sometimes chaotic scene for a family to thrive.

Bernie Siegel graduated from Cornell University Medical School with honors and was trained in Surgery at Yale New Haven Medical School.  In 1989, he left his position at Yale as Asst. Clinical Professor of General and Pediatric Surgery in order to spend more time speaking with patients, their families and caregivers and write books about how love and happiness relate to healing illness.  He has a very warm, positive, strong and dynamic presence, and is very approachable.

I first saw him speak a number of years ago when I was 28 years old.  There were about 125 people in the audience.   To begin his presentation, he asked the audience, "how many people here want to live to be 100 years old?" I was a bit smug about my youth, I guess, and had never known anyone that old before.  100 was quite a bit older than even my grandparents and I hadn't thought that many years ahead in my own life.  So I didn't raise my hand and felt reassured as I looked around, as only a few people had their hands raised.   Then he said, "those who raised their hands will have the happiest lives, the best relationships and the best quality of life because they are thinking long term and have the most reverence for life".  I was a bit chagrined, and it was a real "aha" moment in my life for which I am eternally grateful.       

                                                 

Fast forward a number of years to September 2011.  It is such a treat to be in one of his classes at this point in my life and to be able to look back over the years as well as to see the tremendous advances in medical thought, practice and the growing emphasis on preventative medicine in this country.  Even with negatives such as soaring costs of medical insurance and for the doctors, soaring costs of malpractice insurance, the rising rates of autism and ADHD, obesity, breast and other types of cancer - people are now living much longer than 25 years ago and most with a better quality of life.  Information about the importance of exercise and healthy eating habits and stress management is so widely accepted now in Western Medicine.  This so complements our very advanced techniques in surgery and pharmaceutical research in this country for the benefit of the patient, who is now more of a client.   People are now encouraged to take much more responsibility for their health than in the past.

Some pearls of wisdom Bernie shared during his seminar this September are:  "If you want to enjoy the rest of your life, let your heart make up your mind."  "If you want to live the longest, healthiest life - love your life and your body and let it know that you do".  "Don't give others your power."  "See yourself as a work in progress, like a painting."  "If someone asks you to do something you don't feel like doing, say 'no'."  "Find out what makes you lose track of time and do it as much as possible."  "Have a vision of who you want to be and let people around you be your coaches."  "Look for coaches and role models and imitate them."

In one session, he had us all draw 2 pictures.  One was of ourselves.   If anyone in the class had an illness, he wanted them to draw the treatment and how they thought about it.  The other picture was of a scene in nature, or us with our family or us at work.  I am not an artist, but was able to draw a picture of a harbor in the Caribbean filled with sailboats that made me feel happy when I was finished.  This is what he does with his patients so he can analyse how they are thinking about themselves, their disease and their lives. 

From his years of practicing medicine, Bernie is a firm believer that "A person's life affects their health" and in the power of the mind/body relationship. He believes we are alive in order to learn, grow and love others.   "Fear is to keep you healthy, but if you live in fear you don't grow,  so live in love."  He also said, "Seek growth, not just joy and someday you realize you have enough."

In order to heal from an illness, disease or injury, Bernie says, "if you lose your health, treat it like you have lost your car keys."  In other words, keep the focus on finding it again.  He espoused the concept that whatever treatment the patient is receiving, it is very important that they believe in it thoroughly and feel that it is helping them.

Bernie Siegel is a master healer and a very warm, positive, down to earth presence who attracts a diverse group of people who are looking to heal from serious illness or tragedy with themselves or in their family, often involving children; as well as those who seek to heal others.   It was a joy to be in his class and to meet some of the remarkable people who were there.  The Graduate Institute is such an uplifting,  lightfilled environment with all the glass that seems to bring the outdoors inside and feels somewhat like a spa or like being on a retreat.  I look foward to the next time I am there and hope to keep the connection with Bernie Siegel and some of the amazing people I met in class.