BERNIE By Bernie Siegel, MD


From Patient to Respant U


nfortunately doctors and health professionals, in general, do not study success. We are far more likely to consider an unexpected recovery to be due to the treatment or a


spontaneous remission. However, I have learned from my experi- ence with patients and by asking them, “Why didn’t you die when you were supposed to?” that they always had a story to tell. I can recall as an intern, realizing that the seniors with hip fractures who were noisy and demanding didn’t develop pneumonia and die; while the submissive, quiet seniors who never raised their voice or caused a problem had a much higher mortality rate.


By speaking up and becoming a problem patient you become


identifi ed as a person and not by your room number or disease and, therefore, are far less likely to have a fatal or non-fatal medi- cal error made while being cared for. The word patient derives its meaning from submissive sufferer. That is not a good thing to be when hospitalized or receiving medical treatment of any kind. You need to be a respant, or responsible participant if you want to heal and survive.


We now know from studies how one’s emotions and personal-


ity affect survival rates. I was criticized years ago for speaking about many things no one had researched because no one believed they made sense. Simple things like laughter affecting the survival of cancer patients and loneliness affecting the genes which control immune function are now proven to be true by studies. Survival be- havior and an immune competent personality are not an accident or luck.


Those in the mental health fi eld are far more likely to be aware of this because of what they see happen to their patients. When people have a sense of meaning in their life, express anger and emotions appropriately in defense of themselves, ask for help from family and friends, participate in their health care decisions, say no to what they choose not to do, fi nd time to do what they enjoy and to play, use their feelings to help them to heal their lives and do not live a role but an authentic life, they will always do better than ex- pected. Disease is a loss of health, not punishment, and your health is to be looked for as you would seek to fi nd your lost car keys.


Decades ago I invited one hundred cancer patients to attend a support group and live a longer better life. I expected them to bring friends and family members and that I would have hundreds of people to deal with. Less than a dozen women showed up for the fi rst meeting. Those who showed up became labeled exceptional cancer patients because they were a minority but what they reveal to us is our potential. Diffi cult patients do not die when they are


34 ELM Maine ~ September/October 2017


That is why I work at deceiving people into health by working with their beliefs and communicating with them in a positive way rather than listing all the side effects they will have and none of the advantages of therapy. Doctors need training in communica- tion and hypnotic techniques. We can kill or cure with words or scalpels. Patients need to be respants and keep their power and feel free to change doctors and criticize them in a constructive way. The best doctors are criticized by patients, nurses and family. Why? Because they do not make excuses and learn from their mistakes. Believe me if your doctor or their loved ones have suffered a major illness they are no longer a spectator or tourist. So love yourself, take responsibility for and participate in your life and state of health. This is not about avoiding dying but about living and its benefi cial side effects.


For many, Dr. Bernard Siegel-or Bernie, as he prefers to be- called-needs no introduction. He has touched many lives all over- the Planet. In 1978, he reached a national and then international audience when he began talking about patient empowerment and the choice to live fully and die in peace. As a physician who has cared for and counseled innumerable people whose mortality has been threatened by illness, Bernie embraces a philosophy of living and dying that stands at the forefront of the medical ethics and spiritual issues our Society grapples with today. Read Bernie’s regu- lar blog posts on his website where you will also fi nd his books, articles, and CDs: http://www.berniesiegelmd.com.


You have to start with a belief in yourself and faith in all the


things you incorporate into your life and choose as therapy. A pa- tient of mine who was a landscaper refused treatment for his cancer because it was springtime and he wanted to go home and make the world beautiful before he died. He lived to be ninety-four and became my teacher. The mind is indeed a powerful thing and not emphasized enough in the medical information we receive during our training.


supposed to. Those with inspiration who transform their lives and rebirth themselves give their bodies live messages and the body then does the best it can for them. Our bodies love us but if we do not love our life and bodies it sees illness and death as a way to be free of our affl ictions. Monday morning supports that with more heart attacks, strokes, illnesses and suicides. When you let an MD, or Medical Deity, determine whether you live or die you are giving away your power. I have seen people, whose hope was taken away by doctors, commit suicide or go home, climb into bed and die. I have also seen others get damn angry at their doctors and go on to survive for many years or be cured of their disease.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36