Episode #179 A heart doctor’s quest for healing and happiness – with Jonathan Fisher, MD FACC
Jun 25, 2024
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Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a cardiologist dedicated to the intersection of heart health and emotional well-being, dives deep into the profound impact of managing thoughts and emotions on overall health. He shares insights from his book, emphasizing the importance of ‘heart waker’ emotions versus ‘heart breakers.’ Listeners will discover the practical ‘BESTLIFE’ routine to cultivate positivity each morning. Personal anecdotes and mindfulness techniques highlight the path to healing and happiness, making his approach both relatable and actionable.
Dr. Jonathan Fisher emphasizes the profound impact that managing thoughts and emotions can have on overall physical and mental health.
His personal journey of seeking mindfulness and self-compassion showcases the transformative power of facing difficult emotions and cultivating kindness.
Fisher advocates for a holistic understanding of heart health, integrating emotional and spiritual dimensions to enhance patient care and wellness.
Deep dives
Introduction to Health and Wellness Focus
The podcast shifts its focus from healthcare as an industry to prioritizing health and wellness, emphasizing proactive and preventive primary care. This transition highlights the importance of health equity and how inclusive narratives can improve overall outcomes. By promoting a generative approach to healthcare, the discussions aim to encourage better practices and foster collaborative environments. The conversation sets the stage for exploring concepts like mindfulness, well-being, and resilience, all key to enhancing health outcomes.
The Journey of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Dr. Jonathan Fisher shares his deeply personal journey towards mindfulness and self-compassion, shedding light on pivotal moments that spurred this transformation. He reflects on feedback from his staff that revealed a cold and unkind demeanor, despite his training as an empathic healer. Coupled with the loss of his sister, these experiences prompted him to seek help for his anxiety and depression, resulting in a quest for healing through mindfulness. His journey underscores the importance of facing difficult emotions and making changes to cultivate a more compassionate and fulfilling life.
Dimensions of the Heart in Healthcare
Dr. Fisher challenges traditional views of cardiology by emphasizing the heart's multifaceted dimensions, including physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects. He argues that a comprehensive understanding of heart health extends beyond anatomical function, incorporating psychological well-being and social connectivity. This holistic perspective advocates for the integration of emotional and spiritual care into medical practice, promoting a more effective, person-centered approach to healthcare. By addressing these dimensions, healthcare providers can foster deeper connections with patients and improve overall health outcomes.
The Mind-Heart Connection
Dr. Fisher elucidates the critical connection between the mind and heart, stressing how thoughts and emotions significantly impact physical health. He explains that chronic negative emotional states can exacerbate physical conditions, highlighting the need for healthcare professionals to address emotional wellness in treatment plans. This understanding leads to finding solutions for managing stress and fostering positive outcomes, such as through optimism and compassionate behavior. By recognizing the interplay between emotional experiences and physical health, patients and practitioners can engage in more holistic healing practices.
Implementing Mindfulness Techniques
The conversation offers practical mindfulness techniques, such as the DRS method, which encourages individuals to Decenter, Reframe, and Soothing their emotional responses. These strategies provide immediate tools for managing strong emotions during stressful situations, enabling individuals to respond more skillfully. Dr. Fisher illustrates the importance of practicing self-compassion and awareness as essential components of emotional regulation. By implementing these techniques, both healthcare providers and patients can cultivate healthier emotional environments that foster resilience and well-being.
In his recently published book, Just One Heart, Dr. Fisher draws upon the vast body of scientific literature on positive psychology and wellness, as well as the teachings of mindfulness and stoicism which have withstood the test of time for over two and half millenia. A major take home point is that the ability to manage our thoughts and emotions impacts our physical, mental and social health as much, if not more than, any medication, healthy food or physical exercise routine.
As you listen to this interview, I suspect you’ll be grabbing your pen to capture the many practical techniques Jonathan shares. Near the beginning of the interview Jonathan lists the emotions that he calls ‘heart breakers’ and goes on to share the ‘heart waker’ emotions that have been demonstrated to help people heal their heart and pursue happiness. Later, he offers us a daily routine that’s distilled in the acronym, ‘BESTLIFE’, designed to assist in manifesting positive emotions at the start of each day. He shares another technique, composed of three brief questions, that empower us to rapidly shift from a pessimistic to optimistic mindset in our daily interactions. One thing I love about Jonathan’s approach is his focus on translating the concepts of mindfulness into daily practices and techniques that “are super simple and …easy to remember”.
Our dialogue is content rich but also deeply personal and touching. What makes it so is that Jonathan has not only grounded his perspective in scientific literature and numerous interviews with experts; he’s also integrated it into his personal life and professional practice – with patients, clients and organizations. Jonathan’s personal pursuit of self-compassion and his transparency, integrity and generosity provide a wonderful example of lived mindfulness.
Dr. Fisher is a unique cardiologist in that his practice includes not only the care of the cardiovascular system, but also tending to the metaphysical heart. I wonder how different healthcare might be if more doctors, nurses and other clinicians were trained in the ways that Jonathan has trained himself – to “think differently about the heart”.
You can learn more about Dr. Fisher and his work through his website and his book, Just One Heart: A Cardiologist’s Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness, available for purchase now on Amazon.
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