Question

I think the subtext which I actually am talking about because I liked it for today, is an experiential symposium on optimal health and wellbeing. And, I think there is a tremendous amount for us to talk about, even in that phrase. One is, the role of experience. And I will say that - my office being responsible for cultural transformation, I have become obsessed with what is culture, and the definition that I use, because that guides our strategies is - behavior based in experience and incentives - meaning that if we are going to transform or shift what medical model is today, and what healthcare is today, we can't start with just the data. If people do not have an inner experience, not much will change. Can you say something about what you think the role of experience is in today's healthcare?

>> GO HERE

Question

Interesting, now that live in the veteran administration and I interface with the department of defense. I was in a meeting not very long ago, and someone from the department of defense said, 'do you know this, health in this country is an issue of national security'. And, I thought for a minute, what's he talking about, right! Because, eighty percent of people that walk into a recruitment office for the armed services, doesn't even qualify to be considered for service. 80% - because of their health status. So, the dominant medical paradigm is what you are describing, which is, we are having a disease that we have to fight. And, it's revealed in the language that we use. Anti-biotics, Anti-psychotics, Anti..Anti..Anti... The concept that disease sits over there and the job of medicine is to fight that battle and win.  

>> GO HERE

Question

I want to explore the way we educate physicians in this country. And, there is a lot of research around this in the United States medical education, that we take caring, compassionate people into our medical schools. So, it does not look that our problem is our selection. People come with open hearts and with compassion and love. And there is a lot of data that looks at what happens one year into medical training, two years into medical training. What the studies show is that one year, two years into training, empathy and compassion into people that were empathetic, loving people when they came in, has plummeted. And, they self report that their medical care, not surprisingly, is different. You know, this is not surprising. I guess the simple way to say this is, I believe, if we can not sit with our own suffering, as physicians, we can't sit with the suffering of our patients. I'm comfortable dealing with your diabetes and hypertension, because I have the tools to fix that, I believe. And, I'm trained to do that. But, I don't want to even open the door, if I even knew what questions to ask, that might reveal your suffering. Because I don't know how to be present with that. So, I'd love your thoughts on that, those comments, and then, how do we begin to train and have our learners, our physicians and other healthcare providers put emotion at the same level as the intellect?  

>> GO HERE