Beyond resilience: the urgent call for “soul talk” in medicine
(as published on Kevin MD) – https://www.kevinmd.com/2024/01/beyond-resilience-the-urgent-call-for-soul-talk-in-medicine.html Burnout: “an erosion of the soul caused by a deterioration of one’s values, dignity, spirit and will.” Christine Maslach (The Truth about Burnout by Maslach and Leiter) “Shredding of the soul.” Rita Nakashima Brock (Director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America) The word […]
Misalignment of Values: The Canary in the Mine
Discovering the profound dissonance between their values and those expressed, overtly or covertly, by their workplace is a common theme with many of my physician clients. Initially, they may experience a degree of relief at recognizing that this conflict underlies much of the frustration, anger, anxiety and even sadness that they are experiencing with their […]
Walking Around a Garden Nursery – Nature in a Container
The explosion of colors, smells and beauty in a garden nursery delights the senses. Exuberant growth and tantalizing floral arrangements stimulate our imagination, inspiring extravagant purchases. At home, we delight in our tiny, imported oasis of loveliness and joy. For a moment in time, we see, smell, touch and experience the transcendent mystery and wonder […]
Music – The Mood Shifter
I remember being on a road trip with my husband and our kids. We had been playing a lot of Rolling Stones, partly to drown the rather raucous peanut gallery in the back seat. The shouted exhortations from my husband and I “to quiet down” had escalated in both frequency and volume. Exhausted from the […]
Do You Have a Grounding Strategy?
When high or irregular currents hit an electrical system, the grounding wire harmlessly transfers the extra energy into the ground, preventing the system from malfunctioning. Our own systems as humans are not so different. Overload and unpredictability, without grounding, can lead to glitches, diminished performance and even breakdown. The strategy for grounding may vary from […]
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation
Science, Imagination and A Garden Meet: The Garden of Cosmic Speculation I first came across this garden in Louise Penny’s 10th book, The Long Way Home, of the Inspector Gamache series. The name alone intrigued me. The garden represents a collaboration between the late Charles and Maggie Jencks at Portrack House, their home in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Modern […]
In My Library
Do you need a dose of extraordinary real-world experiences and places to fire up your imagination? Look no further than Atlas Obscura, the website and the book. Atlas Obscura is not simply a place for those already predisposed to creative, out-of-the-box thinking. It offers a tremendous resource for all of us to shift perspective, receive inspiration […]
James Doty: Into the Magic Shop
Reading the journey of neurosurgeon, James Doty MD, does indeed have a fantastical element to it. He was born into a family where his mother was ill and his father an alcoholic. A world characterized by uncertainty, violence and few prospects. At 13 he began taking drugs and was beginning to get into trouble. By […]