In a previous paper I explored how new generations of Western doctors are more focused on treating the disease, rather than the patient as a whole. If doctors spent extra time with each patient to treat their spiritual well-being, as well as their physical ailments, they could create a new dynamic in the way medicine is practiced. In this paper I will discuss why arts from Eastern mysticism should be incorporated into Western medicine practices, as well as a few ways they may be incorporated.
First we should redefine what mysticism means to medical personnel; perhaps a better way to describe it would be healing the mind. In western culture, the majority of people reject spiritual healing. In the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” (this is how Hmong translate epilepsy) the divide between modern science and spiritual healing is clearly illustrated. This book describes a case in which a severely epileptic Hmong girl was treated with state of the art medicine. However, the parents believed the medicine was actually hurting her and sought to use traditional shaman healers to protect her spirit. After four years of treatment by the best western medicine could provide, the doctors pronounced that she would die with or without their care within two hours and allowed the parents to take her home. Her parents felt that the medicine allowed evil spirits to get close to their daughter, and so treated her “soul” with a shaman. Against the dire odds given to her by the doctors she survived for another thirty years. This illustrates that western medicine does not have all of the answers yet, and that spiritual healing can provide a bridge between what we know and what we do not yet know.
In the article “Religion and the Brain” An...
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... linked to Buddhism alone; any religion in which an empathetic bond is created between doctor and patient will work. I selected Buddhism its ambiguity in its concerns with a god, allowing the doctor to be more open towards any religion. Open-mindedness is need on the patient’s behalf as well. If a patient does not believe in the treatment provided it is doomed to fail. I recently spoke to a co-worker about the benefits of practicing meditation and a better diet, in addition to her medicine, her response was typical of the attitude of most people: “It seems too far ‘out-there’ to me.” A solution to this could be education via traditional and social media, as the average patient might not be willing to educate themselves in a classroom environment. In conclusion, education and open-mindedness for all parties involved will help create a new more cohesive patient care.
Ross defines and differentiates between the terms healing and curing. She recognizes the fact that healing and curing are very intertwined and it can be hard to distinguish between the two terms. There are differences between the definitions in scholarly and general settings. She references an ethnographic study of healing versus curing conducted by anthropologists Andrew Strathern and Pamela Stewart in 1999 with native groups in New Guinea. The results of the study looked at how energy used by the different types of tribal healers to either cure or heal a patient. Eastern medicine focuses on how energy interacts with the healing process in connection within the mind. Whereas Western medicine is focused on the mind and the body separately. The practice is considered a holistic approach to finding cures. According to Ross (2013), healing is more a therapeutic process targeting the whole body and specific illness including emotional, mental, and social aspects in the treatment. The act of curing is a pragmatic approach that focuses on removing the problem all together. The life experiences of a person playing into how well certain treatments will heal or cure what is ailing them. These aspects can not be defined with textbook definitions. The interaction that the healing process has with energy is a variable in the success rate. Uncontrolled emotions can have a greater impact on the inside the body than a person can realize. The exploration of energy interaction within the body can be used for greater analysis of health care systems. (21-22). Are Western healthcare facilities purposely “curing” patients just so that they return are few years later? Is Western Medicine built upon a negative feedback loop? The terminolo...
Traditional Hmong’s believe in their Shaman rather than western doctors, they choose to detain their treatment by hosting their rituals to save them. A shaman is “a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc” (dictionary.com). Hmong individual’s have a belief that ancestral spirits, including the spirits of shamans, are reincarnated into the same family tree. Hmong consider being a shaman an honor because they carry the duty of helping mankind according to Hmong mythology. Differences between Hmong traditional beliefs and Western biomedical beliefs create a lack of understanding. Negative health care experiences result in Hmong community members’ mistrust and fear of Western medicine. However, when there’s mistrust between a doctor and a patient there could be lack of treatment because of the differences between our ...
...uals, even if they don't agree with them. It really falls to nurses to address the situation properly, and effectively ensure that the cultural communication between the doctor and the patient does not break down. Nurses most of all have to communicate with patients in a healing way, even if they do not agree with mystical remedies because the nurse has to recognize that there is nonetheless a function that mystical ritual remedies do serve, even to western medicine: to comfort the patients and their families. Ancient rituals or customs, retained to some extent or respected by western caregivers, can serve to maintain a healing and positive attitude, and as a psycholgocial support which the nurse can provide through respect and symbolic use of non-western cultural myths as a psychological stimulant to assist the healing process and inspire the patient thereof.
Reynolds, D. (1989). On being natural: Two Japanese approaches to healing, In A. Sheikh & S. Shiekh's Eastern and western approaches to healing: Ancient wisdom & modern knowledge, NY: John Wiley.
Throughout time, mankind has persistently been seeking ways to maintain their health and to cure those that had not been so fortunate in that task. Just about everything has been experimented with as a cure for some type of illness whether physical, spiritual or mental. There has always been evidence of spiritual healing and it will continue to be an important part of any healing process, large or small. In particular, the roots of Native American Medicine men (often a woman in some cultures) may be traced back to ancient times referred to as Shaman. A special type of healer used by the Indians is referred to as a medicine man (comes from the French word medecin, meaning doctor).
Mathews, Holly F. "Introduction: A Regional Approach and Multidisciplinary Persepctive." Herbal and Magical Medicine: Traditional Healing Today. Ed. James Kirkland, Holly F. Mathews, C. W. Sullivan, III, and Karen Baldwin. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 1-13. Print.
In this new age there are many alternative medicines that help in the healing process. The new age healing practices shifts religious traditions as a sign of divine healing which is more the western’s use of scientific medicine to metaphysical movement. Some of the alternatives to healing include, ’’chiropractic, twelve-steps programs, therapeutic touch, crystal healing, and sundry holistic therapies.’’ Because of the slow decrease of physical healing from the church, the use of New Age Metaphysics has increased. New Age Metaphysics, New Age Energy Medicines, and Holistic Heath have given us alternatives in healing and medicine.
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
Throughout history, it seems that medicine and spirituality have been linked in many circumstances. In a study looking at the use of complementary and alternative therapies in cardiac patients, spiritual healing was one of many practices patient sought to utilize. In another study, 29% of participants chose to use prayer or premeditation as a way to cope with their chronic illness. In both studies, prayer or meditation was more likely to be used by individuals who had a large social network, as well as support from another person in the same health situation. Based on these studies, it seems that many individuals (not just cardiovascular patients) turn to their spirituality in times of health distress.
This video lecture course is about Buddhism and how it is valid in the terms of modern psychology, hence the name Buddhism and Modern Psychology. In this essay, I will answer two questions pertaining to the topic of how Buddhism in the eyes of psychology is valid. The questions have been chosen out of a list and they are the ones that I felt were most relevant to the topic.
Western psychology is concerned with the investigation of understanding the negative aspects of human behavior, emotions and the mind, and to some extent, with changing them. The Buddhist approach to the investigation of the mind is unscientific, as defined by the science of Western Psychology. It is not concerned with laboratory conditions, control groups, or ‘objectivity’ in the sense of the experimenter being separate from and impartial to the subject (Nettle, 2005). In Buddhism, the person conducting the experiment and the subject are the same. Buddhists seek truth, as do scientists. Science, for the most part, sees the world as something external, which can be observed and understood as truth. Psychology involves understanding the human experience through the study of the mind and how perception governs behavior. Buddhism sees perception as internal and of one’s experience of the outside world as a fundamental part of understanding the truth within our self.
Certain religious groups reject westernized medicine, like the Amish. Yet, for the most part most religions allow their medicinal practices to work in tandem with westernized medicine. For example, First Nations people tend to have a very holistic view when it comes to their surroundings and medicine. Aboriginal traditional approaches to health and wellness include the use of sacred herbs like sage or tobacco and traditional healers/medicine (pg. 5, Singh, 2009). However, they will not reject help from professionally trained doctors and medical staff. Much like other religions, First Nations put a strong emphasis on family/community. Consensus or decision-making is fairly common for them. A practitioner or medical staff member must remember to respect ceremonial objects such as tobacco or traditional blankets, include immediate family members when making a treatment decision, and to accommodate spiritual practices. Normally, organ donation is accepted UNLESS the organ is being removed from someone who is not deceased. First Nations’ believe that their bo...
Every year, approximately 230, 000 to 400. 00 deaths are caused by iatrogenic deaths ( in other words, these are deaths caused by wrong medical treatments). Two of the prominent yet some what contrasting types of medicine are, Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine, and Modern (aka western) medicine. Both of these have their own processes and methods of healing, which over the years have created their own followers. While Ayurveda addresses the root causes of the disease through identifying the imbalances in the elements, called “Doshas”, it also emphasizes on a spiritual lifestyle which for most people in today's world is a sea change. On the other hand, western medicine addresses the symptoms and provides instant albeit temporary relief for suffering. Needless to say there are more followers of the western medicine due to its immediate impact on subsiding the pain. Out of lack of awareness to the significance of traditional medicine, especially Ayurveda, many doctors and researchers are against the use of Ayurvedic and traditional medicines, which limits the potential of curing certain ailments of patients without additional side effects.
Buddhists strive to maintain equanimity in all situations and circumstances. They tend to talk in a calm, even tone regardless the situation. One of many Buddhist philosophies is that, “hate and intolerance were for none, limitless loving-kindness and compassion were for all.” (Bogoda, 2005, p. 3) Practicing loving-kindness with a patient of Buddhist background would be highly appreciated and will open doors for communication between the patient and the nurse.
Buddhist teachings and worshipping both have impacts on adherents and the Buddhist community. Both provide an insight into how to achieve the ultimate goal of enlightenment and reach Nirvana. Bioethics is a major topic in Buddhist teachings an the ethical regulations of Buddhist teachings are derived from the concepts of the Eightfold Path, karma, four noble truths and the five precepts. These are the ethics that judge human actions as morally right or wrong. Moreover, significant practices drawn from Temple Puja can be used to convey worship of the Buddha and offer Buddhists a greater understanding of their path to enlightenment. Such significant people like the 14th Dalai Lama, have contributed to the impacts of Buddhist teachings.