a fork in the road to healing

 

There is a fork in the road along the healing path in narrative medicine. One pathway invites patients to tell the stories of their illnesses. The other beckons health care providers to share their experiences as healers. The journey for both patients and providers is similar. It embraces memory, invites reflection, provides perspective, and engages support.

The patient’s narrative recalls his symptoms. He lists the diagnostic tests that were performed, names the medications that were prescribed, and traces his journey back to health…or not. But equally important is the fact that he can tell you how the diagnosis affected him emotionally and psychologically. He may have despaired to learn he had cancer. His entire world may have spun out of orbit because of a stroke or disabling injury. How will he manage if he can’t work? How will he support his family? Who will pay the bills and mow the lawn? He dreads burdening his wife and children with his care. He wishes he could die…not a healing thought among them.

If, on the other hand, the news is good, let’s say the lump turns out to be benign, or the doctors are able to slip the stent in before the infarction occurs…the patient’s story may end on a happy note. Besides relief and gratitude, there may be some spiritual introspection. A surge in compassion and empathy. New found joy and peace. An entirely different story.

"You must find the place
inside yourself where
nothing is impossible."
~Deepak Chopra~

When the health care provider sets out on his narrative path, it takes him to the bedsides of the people he has cared for over the years. He recalls patients with interesting and unusual presentations, baffling symptoms, and resistant conditions. Amazing recoveries and remarkable courage. He re-experiences his triumphs and his defeats. He may finally admit to the uncertainty, oversights, and errors in judgement that have haunted him over the years. He can name the patients who recovered against all odds, and the ones who succumbed despite his best efforts.

"One of the most valuable things
we can do to heal one another
is to listen to each other's stories."
~Rebecca Falls~

He may finally acknowledge how hard it was to sustain his marriage and to be present for his children. He may have missed his son’s winning soccer goal at the state championship because he was tied up in the operating room, or he may have forgotten his wife’s birthday because of some committee meeting or other. A huge part of his story takes place outside of the hospital and office. 

Our stories take into account more than what happened to us, when it occurred, or how it ended. They embrace how we respond to life’s vagaries, how we interpret and process them, how we survive them, and who we become because of them.

"Telling our story doesn't merely
document who we are.
It helps make us who we are."
~Rita Charon, MD, PhD~

Which narrative path will you take?

jan