Embracing wounds shapes our presence in all experiences, emphasizing the importance of not eradicating vulnerabilities.
Distinguishing between curing and healing, Reman highlights the role of dealing with loss for genuine connections.
Integrity lies in living authentically from our vulnerabilities, fostering wisdom and connections over time.
Deep dives
Rachel Naomi Reman's views on life and medicine
Rachel Naomi Reman, a physician and author, reflects on her lifelong struggle with Crohn's disease and her work with cancer patients, which shaped her perspective on life and medicine. She emphasizes the importance of not eradicating wounds but embracing them as they shape our capacity to be present in all experiences. Reman distinguishes between curing and healing, highlighting the essential role of healing in both receiving and giving in a world marked by loss.
Storytelling and Mysticism in Reman's Family Legacy
Reman shares her family's mystical background, particularly her grandfather's belief in constant communication with a holy presence in the world. She recounts a poignant story from her grandfather about the 'birthday of the world,' emphasizing the importance of recovering hidden light in all events and people. This mystical perspective shapes her understanding of life and spirituality.
The Meaning and Power of Loss
Reman delves into the concept of loss, asserting that the way individuals deal with loss influences their capacity to engage with life. She introduces a teaching exercise focused on loss with medical students, emphasizing the profound impact of listening generously and acknowledging the strength that arises from navigating loss.
Integrity, Wholeness, and Healing
Reman discusses the attainability of integrity and emphasizes that wholeness is never lost but often forgotten. She highlights how wounds and vulnerabilities contribute to our authentic selves, fostering connections and wisdom. Integrity, she explains, lies in living from the place of greatest truth, which evolves over time.
Legacy and Future Works of Rachel Naomi Reman
Rachel Naomi Reman's lasting impact on the field of medicine and her approach to healing through storytelling and spiritual reflection are evident in her works. Her upcoming book for children, 'The Birthday of the World,' signifies her commitment to spreading messages of light and healing. Reman's contributions to medical education and her profound insights on life continue to inspire and guide others in their journeys.
The Practice of Healing and Listening in Medicine
Reman shares her experiences in developing the Healer's Art course for medical students, focusing on the power of presence and the importance of human connection in healing. She highlights how medical training is evolving to recognize the limitations of science and the significance of compassion, service, and love in the practice of medicine.
The conversation of this hour always rises as an early experience that imprinted everything that came after at On Being. Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen is one of the wise people in our world. She trained as a doctor in a generation that understood death as a failure of medicine. Yet her lifelong struggle with Crohn’s Disease and her pioneering work with cancer patients shaped her view of life. Becoming whole, she teaches, is not about eradicating our wounds and weaknesses; rather, the way we deal with losses, large and small, shapes our capacity to be present to all of our experiences. That arresting notion, and the distinction Rachel Naomi Remen draws between curing and healing, makes this an urgent offering to our world — of healing we are all called to receive and to give.
Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen is founder of the Remen Institute for the Study of Health and Illness and a Professor of Family Medicine at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in Ohio. She’s also a Clinical Professor Emeritus of Family and Community Medicine at UC San Francisco School of Medicine, that’s where she developed “The Healer’s Art,” her course for medical students. Her beloved books include Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings. And in September, 2022, she will publish her first book for children: The Birthday of the World: A Story about Finding Light in Everyone and Everything.
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