October 4, 2025 • 25 mins
Explore the profound connection between a patient's mindset and their physical well-being. Siegel, a retired surgeon and founder of ECaP (Exceptional Cancer Patients), argues that self-healing is an innate human ability often overlooked by conventional medicine. He advocates for an integrated approach that combines modern medical science with an individual's will to live, emotional expression, and spiritual peace. The text emphasizes the power of positive attitudes, love, forgiveness, and hope in influencing health outcomes, citing numerous anecdotes of "self-induced healings" or spontaneous remissions. Siegel critiques the medical profession's detachment from patients' emotional lives and encourages doctors to view individuals, not just their diseases. He presents practical techniques like journaling, drawing, meditation, and visualization as tools for patients to actively participate in their healing journey, ultimately stressing that living a full, meaningful life is paramount, regardless of illness.
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You can listen and download our episodes for free on more than 10 different platforms:
https://linktr.ee/book_shelter
Get the Book now from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Love-Healing-Communication-Self-Healing/dp/0060917059?&linkCode=ll1&tag=cvthunderx-20&linkId=81d11a7f7c387fd27161c295aa18a174&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the deep Dive, where we cut through the
noise to bring you the core insights from influential works
and well surprising research. Today, we're embarking on a truly
transformative journey into doctor Bernie Siegel's profound book, Peace, Love,
and Healing.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Indeed, and it's quite a journey.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This isn't just a collection of medical insights, is it.
It's more like an unfolding story, a narrative of discovery, resilience,
and the incredible, often overlooked power of the human spirit
to heal exactly. Our mission is to explore how Segal
challenges traditional thinking and reveals the vital, undeniable connection between
(00:38):
our minds and bodies.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You'll discover how conventional medicine, while absolutely crucial, often tells
only half the story right, and how an innate, powerful
ability for self healing can lead to really remarkable outcomes. Okay,
we'll unpack this fascinating narrative demonstrating how love and belief
are not just abstract concepts but actually potent physiological forces.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So our story begins not in a research lab, but
in the bustling operating rooms of Yale with doctor Bernie.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Siegel, right, a highly trained pediatric and general surgeon, very
much a product of traditional medical education. Okay, Yet as
he worked he started to notice something extraordinary. Patterns that
you know, defied his conventional understanding of disease patterns.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
What kind of pattern?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, what's fascinating here is that as he treated families
across generations, he observed that illness didn't seem to strike randomly.
It often appeared to serve as a form of existential
self expression for patients, almost predictable after a while.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So he started seeing illness as more than just a
physical malfunction. He was finding a deeper personal meaning in it.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Exactly precisely, Siegel realized that centuries ago, physicians had to
know their patient's entire lives to heal them, not just
treat the symptoms. Right, more holistic view, a completely holistic view.
He began to explore the long neglected concept of self healing,
this innate ability given to us as an alternative to
modern medicine.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Mind you, okay, that's important, crucial.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
But as a powerful, necessary compliment. His core message here
is that we should always use all options available, but
always remembering that, as he puts it, love is physiologic.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Love is physiologic. That's a powerful statement. Okay, let's unpack
this idea, maybe with a story that truly brings it
to life.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Let's do it. Imagine John Florio, a seventy eight year
old landscape gardener diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer. He tells
Doctor Siegel he wants to postpone surgery. Post his reason,
it's springtime and he wants to make the world beautiful
his gardening work. Wow, that's quite a reason, it is,
and this case perfectly illustrates Siegel's point about a profound
(02:45):
commitment to life. John completely at peace with his decision.
Heals rapidly after the eventual.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Surgery, even with the cancer, even though.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
The pathology report shows extensive residual cancer. Yes, then chemotherapy
is recommended. He declines again, again, simply saying it's still
I don't have time for all that.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
He's just wanted to garden.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
That was his focus. Six years later, he's still gardening
at eighty three, sending doctor Siegel articles about the therapeutic
value of the outdoors.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Incredible.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
His real secret, as Siegel puts it, John is too
busy living to be sick.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
That's incredible. So these aren't just medical anomalies. Then there's
something more.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Precisely, Siegel calls these self induced healings not just spontaneous
remissions ah okay. He argues that the medical profession often
dismisses them as errors in diagnosis, basically avoiding the discomfort
of studying the person who.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Gets well right, focusing on the disease, not the individual's
response exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
The crucial difference is that Siegel sees an active role
the patient plays in their own recovery.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
This raises an important question, then, what exactly can we
learn from these individuals?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well? The book offers many examples, like the parents of
a boy named Kelly, who is undergoing brain tumor treatment.
They created positive expectations. They told him he'd only get
sick the first time he took a powerful pill. They
used a magic mixture on his head for hair growth,
and hungry pills which were actually just fullic acid to
boost his appetite.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Simple things really.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Seemingly simple, yes, but all these interventions had remarkable positive
effects because of the belief instilled.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
These powerful individual stories from John to Kelly. They aren't
just anomalies, are they not?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
At all?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
They push us to reconsider the widely accepted, yet often
misunderstood placebo effect, a phenomenon, Siegel argues, is well kind
of maligned when it should be studied as a vital tool.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Indeed, it's often dismissed, isn't it. But studies consistently show
that a third or more of people treated with Clacibo's
report positive results.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
A third.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That's significant, very significant, even for serious conditions like post
operative pain, heart disease, and cancer. Wow, and think about
the waiting room effect observed in some alternative cancer programs,
where maybe ten to twenty percent get well before even
starting treating from being there. It's attributed to collective hope.
And look, this isn't magic. It's physiology positive psychological expectations,
(05:07):
increase in endorphin production. These are our body's natural painkillers,
thereby physiologically linking mind and body. The belief itself creates
a biological response that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
It's like that story of the woman from North Carolina,
she had widespread lymphoma, given only months to live.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
That's the one a nurse friend told her doctor Siegel
makes people well all the time. A bit of an exaggeration, maybe,
but it sparked hope. Right after meeting him and feeling
that surge of hope, she tells her friend, I knew
I'd get well when he held my hand, just that touch,
that connection, and her side effects, her side effects from
chemotherapy disappeared. Why because she believed they would. It's a
(05:46):
powerful illustration of expectation.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It truly is. And what about the summer perse story.
That one's quite striking too.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh yes, the account by Jane A McAdams, herself a physician,
about her mother, it's another profound example.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Kill us about it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Buying mother, normally very frugal, asked for an expensive summer
purse in January. In January, okay, subtly, she was asking
if she would live six more months, right, would she
see the.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Summer ah said?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Her daughter bought it. She showed belief, a commitment to
that future, and the mother lived many more years, using
at least half a dozen more purses.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It is beautiful. But it's also, as Siegel would argue,
a powerful illustration of his core insight. A tangible commitment
to life and shared belief can literally extend one's horizon.
The simple act of buying a purse became, in a way,
a physiological catalyst for healing.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So for many listening these stories might sound incredible, maybe
even miraculous. How does Siegull bridge that gap between these
amazing recoveries and concrete scientific understanding. Is there a real
physiological basis for this mind body connection?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Absolutely, He's very clear on this. Siegel emphasizes that peptide
messenger molecules. These are essentially the body sophisticated communication.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Chemicals, rightg.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Doorphins exactly like endorphins, are natural pain relievers and interlukens
which modulate our immune responses. These peptides are the direct
physiological link between mind and body, and biochemist Nick Hall
even provocatively suggested back then that if mental processes can
influence something as fundamental as the reproductive system, why couldn't
(07:23):
the sand be true for the immune system? Makes sense,
This idea laid crucial groundwork for George Solomon's pioneering work
in psycho neeuroimmunology. That's the study of how our psychological,
nervous and immune systems interact, right and I exactly. His
research has confirmed stress as immunosuppressive and identified significant emotional
factors in the survivor personality for AIDS patients, really solidifying
(07:48):
the scientific basis for these connections.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
It sounds like Segel is arguing for a much more
integrated view of health.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Then, precisely he introduces the idea of soma significance significant. Yeah,
he deliberately replaced is the term psychosomatic, which often carries
that implication that something is all in your head or
not truly physical. Right, So a significance emphasizes the profound,
undeniable unity of body and mind. It suggests our bodies
(08:14):
literally mean what they say. Through health and disease, they
can act as a kind of reset button for our lives,
guiding us back to a more authentic path.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
A reset button. I like that.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
It's a crucial concept. The book shares how symptoms, dreams,
and even drawings are all languages of this inner self. Languages, yes,
languages of what Seagull drawing on Carl Jung's ideas refers
to as the loving intelligence of energy or psychic DNA.
This holds our unique blueprint for development and healing. It's
about listening to the wisdom of our unconscious dreams.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
You say, can you give usn example of how dreams
specifically communicate these messages.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Certainly, take Mark Brush, he dreamed of torturers placing hot
coals under his chin.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Ouch.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, And separately, his girlfriend dreamed a bed filling with blood.
He instinctively knew, he just felt it, that it meant
cancer growing in my throat and was he right? Confirmed
months later as thyroid cancer. And what's even more striking
is that his doctor sort of grudgingly even referred to
the thyroid as the neck brain, which echoed another one
of Barash's dreams.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Wow. So not random images at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Direct symbolic messages from his inner self about his physical condition.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
That's a powerful and specific example. And you mentioned dreams
can even guide medical decisions.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They can. Siegul tells the story of a woman facing
a very risky bone marrow transplant. She dreams she was
in a high rise hotel knocking on doors okay, and
three people, two gay men and a woman, all told
her the same thing, go see doctor Osland. She also
recalled her neighbor named Dana in a room next.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Door, Dana Osland. Any connection. Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
This provided symbolic confirmation for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute,
where the transplant.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Was being offered Dana Farber right.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
And it turned out her friend's sun was named Osland.
Her deep self, her intuition, knew the path guiding her
towards a choice she could trust.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Amazing, And the messages don't stop there. What about these
spiritual flat tires you mentioned earlier? That sounds intriguing.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Huh yeah. Seagull shares this anecdote about a disastrous trip
to the airport in Keystone, Colorado. Everything went wrong, Look
what late bellboy took a wrong turn, got lost, had
to force a car off the road just to ask
for directions, and then finally a flat tire. Oh man,
they missed their plane, only to hear later that the
(10:33):
plane had crashed.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
No way.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Yes, he and his wife actually bronzed the tire, kept
it as a symbol of a message from the universe,
a divine intervention.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Perhaps a literal sign, a.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Very literal sign. And he suggests that even small, seemingly
insignificant occurrences, like finding a penny on the carpet or
an elevator opening unprompted, can be signs, you know, symbolic
nudges from our unconscious or the universe.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
So our inner self communicates in all these different ways,
and drawings too, you said, yeah, they can reveal these truths.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Absolutely. Drawings can be incredibly revealing and profound. A little
girl with swollen lymph nodes, for instance, drew her family cat,
but with these exaggerated claws, and that meant something led
directly to a diagnosis of cat scratch fever. In a
more poignant example, a four year old with a sarcoma
drew a purple balloon with her name on it, floating
(11:24):
up to the sky. She died on her mother's birthday.
Accepting death, These drawings can sometimes reveal prognosis, help in accepting,
or sometimes even help turn around an illness. They provide
a direct window into the patient's inner landscape.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
That's incredibly powerful. Yeah, and heart wrenching. I also recall
the story of the woman at a workshop who drew
herself with an empty cavity in her chest and her
heart like on the floor next to her.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yes, that drawing was a pivotal moment for her. Siegel
had just told a story about how grief could potentially
cause heart sarcoma, and her drawing, combined with that story,
helped her realize she was literally making herself ill with
grief over her father's degenerative disease.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
That self awareness changed things profoundly.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
This self discovery brought joy back into her life and interestingly,
also transformed her sensitive five year old daughter. These stories
really highlight Arnold Mandel's dream body concept, this idea that
symptoms dreams art. They're all unified expressions of our total
real personality.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
And speaking of visualization, what about the famous Garrett Porter,
the boy who used Star Wars imagery to shrink his
brain tumor. That story always stuck with me.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
It's one of the most compelling examples, isn't it. Nine
year old Garrett He visualized his brain as the Solar System,
the tumor as an evil planet, and himself as a
space squadron leader zapping it.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Using something meaningful to him exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
His tumor disappeared in five months without any other therapy.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And this demonstrates a crucial point for Siegel that personal
meaningful imagery is key. The unconscious knows what to do.
If you give it a life, I have message something
that resonates deeply with the individual.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
If these stories teach us anything, then it's that we
are not just passive recipients of disease. It's about being
an activist patient, as.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Seagull calls ny, Yes, and he challenges the medical profession's
traditional detached concern. He argues instead for rational concern. Rational
concern meaning you engage with the patient's reality, their feelings.
He says, very powerfully, the truth without compassion is hostility.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Hmm, that is hard.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
It does. He recounts a patient's experience contrasting a Spanish
doctor who actually embraced her before giving bad news with
an American surgeon who spoke to her with his back turned.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Oh, that's awful.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
It is, and Siegel points out that doctor's apparent indifference
can often be a mask for their own pain. Their
own fear of death may be a result of poor
training in dealing with patient suffering.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So how can doctor's cope?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
He believes physicians can find solace and provide better care
by focusing on care over cure. You can always care,
always help patients with how to live, even if a
cure is impossible.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
This empowering message for patients is really inspiring. I love
that story about Edward's credo. The list of instructions a
patient taped to his wall for his medical time.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Oh yeah, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Requesting good thoughts, friendship, advice, encouragement, hope, love, energy, smiles,
and forbidding pessimism, downers, bitterness, pity, taking charge of the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
That is a fantastic example of a patient taking proactive
responsibility for their emotional environment and their healing journey. Total ownership.
And there was another woman facing a radical limphitednectomy who
wrote this powerful letter to her surgeons. What I did
say clearly stating I want, need to be consulted, impossible
to be in on any decisions that are to be
(14:47):
made in my behalf. These aren't just requests, they are
declarations of partnership and healing.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
It takes courage. I remember the doctor who said, this
is my operation and the tape goes when a patient
tries to bring in her meditation.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Tape, and the patient's response.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
She famously replied, it's my operation too, and kept your tape.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Good for her, absolutely and such assertiveness. You know, even
when it challenges authority often leads to doctors becoming converts.
As Siegel puts it, they witness the positive results firsthand.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
They see it works.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
They see it works. Surgeons have been so impressed by
patients who mentally prepared for bloodless procedures visualizing their body healing,
that they've actually adopted similar techniques themselves. Yeah. SEAgel emphasizes
again and again the body heals, not just the medicine,
and each person must find their own unique therapeutic path.
(15:40):
His powerful advice is, you need to choose therapies you
can live and die with.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Choose therapies you can live and die with. That's deep,
speaking of choosing one's own path and defying expectations. Siegel
also delves into the profound impact of our past emotional
experiences on our health, doesn't he.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
He truly does. It's a major theme. SEAgel reviews that
our past emotional experiences, especially from childhood, profoundly impact our
vulnerability to disease later in life.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Also, is there research on this Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Studies by Carolyn Biddell Thomas, for instance, found a striking
correlation between unhappy childhood relationships, repressed emotions, and later illnesses
like cancer, suicide, and mental illness.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And further research on adopted Danish children showed a correlation
between the children's cancer and their adoptive parents' cancer before
age fifty.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Adoptive parents and not genetic.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Suggesting environmental or emotional links rather than purely genetic ones.
These findings collectively highlight how our early emotional landscapes can
literally shape our physiological destiny.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
So a legacy of lovelessness, as he puts it, yeah,
can literally make us sick. That's a stark thought, it can.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Indeed, this emotional deprivation can create what he calls an
inexpressive emotional style.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Characterized by compliance, conformity, denial of anger, a general non
ex expression of emotion. Just stuffing it all down, and
this is directly linked to poorer prognosis and illness.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Keeping it all inside is.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Harmful, physically harmful. Anthropologists Ashley Montague even observed that unloved
children literally don't grow as well. You can see it
as dense lines in their bone x rays. This failure
to thrive syndrome shows that love and physical touch aren't
merely emotional comforts, they are deeply physiological necessities for development
and health.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It brings to mind those quotes the garbage in Garbage
out computer expert and the lung cancer patient who said,
you need to turn yourself inside out, let the pain out,
take the love. In vivid metaphors for emotional liberation.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
They really are. These individuals embody the essential shift from
a helplessness mindset, which psychologist Martin Seligman's research famously showed
dogs could.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Actually learn learned helplessness.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Right exactly, a shift towards one of active empowerment. Think
of doctor Victor frankel in Man's Search for Meaning describing
choosing one's attitude even in the horrific conditions of concentration camps.
It's about finding agency, even where it seems impossible.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
The story of rayber Tay, the man diagnosed with terminal
voice box cancer, is another powerful example of this shift,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Oh? Absolutely, His son Keith, had a brain hemorrhage shortly
after learning of raised diagnosis. Oh my goodness, literally bursting,
you could say, with repressed feelings learned from his father.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So the son's crisis made the father reflect.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
It was a pivotal event. It made Ray realize his
own lifelong habit of internalizing feelings. He saw the pattern
pass down, so he gave his son a live message permission,
basically that it was okay to express emotion, and in
doing that for his son, In doing so, he healed himself.
He transformed his own life and completely defied his prognosis.
(18:48):
He had blossomed into a new person, as Siegel described it,
by understanding that his illness was in part a manifestation
of his feelings stuck in his throat. It underscores that
sometimes healing is about unblocking those emotional channels.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
And beyond emotional expressions. Siegel also powerfully highlights the importance
of purpose and healing. I'm thinking of Elizabeth Koopler Ross's story,
the woman who rallied to attend her son's wedding.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yes, only to return to the hospital afterwards and say,
don't forget, I have another son. A reason to keep going,
A powerful reason. Purpose and hope are truly physiological motivators.
Think of John Calderhead, who lost a leg to sarcoma
but was backsetining competitively because he refused to accept limitations.
Amazing determination or mister Wood paralyzed from the neck down
(19:33):
for thirty years, he not only raised seven children but
became a renowned mouthstick artist. Siegel calls these individuals round trippers,
a term coined by one of his patients. Round trippers
people who will always come back metaphorically speaking, because they
have a profound reason to live a mission that transcends
their physical limitations.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
It really makes you wonder what stands out most about
these exceptional patients, as Siegel calls them, what is their
common thread? Is it something we can all cultivate?
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Well? They show us that being exceptional isn't necessarily about
performing extraordinary physical feats. It's more about cultivating a particular.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Attitude and attitude.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, it's about being strong at the broken places. As
Hemingway said, they are assertive in their care. They learn
to nurture themselves emotionally. They communicate their needs clearly.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
So self advocacy and self care absolutely.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Ultimately, it boils down to self love and an unwavering
commitment to life, even when facing the reality of death. Ultimately, then,
Siegul addresses death itself not as a failure, which is
often the perspective of medicine right right.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
He sees it not as failure, but as a potential
final healing. He challenges doctors to embrace care over cure,
quoting henrinoan the friend who can be silent with us
in a moment of despair, That is, a friend who cares.
Sometimes prisons is the most healing thing being there. Indeed,
Seagull shares his own personal experience of a dying boy
(20:59):
cal the same boy whose parents used positive expectation earlier. Yes,
near the end, Kelly pointed to his cheeks for a kiss,
something doctor Siegel felt was an unprecedented privilege. It happened
right before he died, and it revealed to Siegel a profound,
nonverbal understanding of how to say goodbye Wow. Similarly, doctor
Rachel Remon shared her experience of a dying child who
(21:20):
actually forgave her for not being able to cure him.
That taught her about mutual love and well impeccability and
just playing their respective roles in that difficult time.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
So Deak can be a moment of.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Connection, profound connection and even healing, not just an end point.
He says something quite radical, You can even survive dying.
What does he mean by that?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He means that a fatal diagnosis isn't the worst possible outcome.
The real tragedy is not living fully while you are alive.
The knowledge of our eventual death paradoxically can give meaning, urgency,
and beauty to every single day.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
It focuses the mind, it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Really does, and what truly provides immortality, he suggests, is
is love, the love we give and receive. He tells
the story of Cathy's husband who kept saying light Light
at the moment of death, as if showing them he
was in transition, moving towards something comforting for them, I
imagine immensely. Or Kelly Carmody, the nine year old whose
short life profoundly touched hundreds of people. He left this
(22:19):
incredible legacy of love that lived on far beyond his
physical years. That's a form of immortality.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
He also touches on the spiritual aspect of healing. Doesn't
he prayer and such?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Yes? He notes studies like those by Randy Byrd and
Bernard grad looking into the efficacy of prayer, and he
shares stories of mystical experiences, things that seem to defy
rational explanation, suggesting there's often more to healing than just
the material or psychological.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
And the biblical story of God is.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
The potter, Yes, constantly molding and remaking us. It offers
a powerful message in this context, keep trying, keep working
on yourself, keep growing. The only unforgivable, sin Segul suggests,
is giving up hope, giving up on life. It's a
call to continuous self creation and resilience.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
So if we take all of these profound insights and
stories from peace, love and healing, what does this all
mean for living our lives today, right now? How do
we apply this Well?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Fundamentally, it means embracing our uniqueness, living authentically, showing our
true colors, as he puts it, like the maple leaf,
exactly like the maple leaf that conforms in summer but
reveals its distinct, brilliant beauty in the fall, just before
letting go. Or think of Jenny Justice's famous poem warning
when I am an old woman, I shall wear purple right,
live boldly, Live boldly, genuinely. It's a call to commit
(23:38):
fully to love and life, to choose our unique path
and display our true self without apology and are the
practical steps he suggests, Yes, for those seeking something concrete,
Segel recommends keeping a daily journal, just recording feelings and dreams.
It sounds simple, but it's a way to connect with
that inner self and interestingly, research actually shows journaling can
(23:59):
boost the immune system.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Really yeah, It's a simple, yet scientifically supported way to
connect with that inner wisdom.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And there you have it, the incredible journey through doctor
Bernie Siegel's Peace, Love, and Healing. It's really a story
not just about medical insights, but about profound personal transformation,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Absolutely It's about how Siegel himself, through listening deeply to
his patient's courageous stories, learn to redefine what healing truly means.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
We've seen how emotions, belief, dreams, our sense of purpose.
These aren't just abstract concepts floating around. There are powerful
physiological forces with real tangible effects on our health.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
The book profoundly encourages you, the listener, to start listening
to your body, to express your true self, and to
remember that love, love for yourself and for others is
probably the most potent medicine we have available.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So as you reflect on this deep dive today, maybe
consider this, What unspoken messages might your body be sending
you right now that you haven't yet heard. What true
colors are you ready perhaps to reveal to the world
to truly live and heal?
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Because the choice to live a healed life, a life
full of self, love and purpose. Will that choice is
always yours. Begin to acknowledge that inner wisdom, trust it,
and let it guide you.
Welcome to the deep Dive, where we cut through the
noise to bring you the core insights from influential works
and well surprising research. Today, we're embarking on a truly
transformative journey into doctor Bernie Siegel's profound book, Peace, Love,
and Healing.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Indeed, and it's quite a journey.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
This isn't just a collection of medical insights, is it.
It's more like an unfolding story, a narrative of discovery, resilience,
and the incredible, often overlooked power of the human spirit
to heal exactly. Our mission is to explore how Segal
challenges traditional thinking and reveals the vital, undeniable connection between
(00:38):
our minds and bodies.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
You'll discover how conventional medicine, while absolutely crucial, often tells
only half the story right, and how an innate, powerful
ability for self healing can lead to really remarkable outcomes. Okay,
we'll unpack this fascinating narrative demonstrating how love and belief
are not just abstract concepts but actually potent physiological forces.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
So our story begins not in a research lab, but
in the bustling operating rooms of Yale with doctor Bernie.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Siegel, right, a highly trained pediatric and general surgeon, very
much a product of traditional medical education. Okay, Yet as
he worked he started to notice something extraordinary. Patterns that
you know, defied his conventional understanding of disease patterns.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
What kind of pattern?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, what's fascinating here is that as he treated families
across generations, he observed that illness didn't seem to strike randomly.
It often appeared to serve as a form of existential
self expression for patients, almost predictable after a while.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
So he started seeing illness as more than just a
physical malfunction. He was finding a deeper personal meaning in it.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Exactly precisely, Siegel realized that centuries ago, physicians had to
know their patient's entire lives to heal them, not just
treat the symptoms. Right, more holistic view, a completely holistic view.
He began to explore the long neglected concept of self healing,
this innate ability given to us as an alternative to
modern medicine.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Mind you, okay, that's important, crucial.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
But as a powerful, necessary compliment. His core message here
is that we should always use all options available, but
always remembering that, as he puts it, love is physiologic.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Love is physiologic. That's a powerful statement. Okay, let's unpack
this idea, maybe with a story that truly brings it
to life.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Let's do it. Imagine John Florio, a seventy eight year
old landscape gardener diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer. He tells
Doctor Siegel he wants to postpone surgery. Post his reason,
it's springtime and he wants to make the world beautiful
his gardening work. Wow, that's quite a reason, it is,
and this case perfectly illustrates Siegel's point about a profound
(02:45):
commitment to life. John completely at peace with his decision.
Heals rapidly after the eventual.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Surgery, even with the cancer, even though.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
The pathology report shows extensive residual cancer. Yes, then chemotherapy
is recommended. He declines again, again, simply saying it's still
I don't have time for all that.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
He's just wanted to garden.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
That was his focus. Six years later, he's still gardening
at eighty three, sending doctor Siegel articles about the therapeutic
value of the outdoors.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Incredible.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
His real secret, as Siegel puts it, John is too
busy living to be sick.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
That's incredible. So these aren't just medical anomalies. Then there's
something more.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Precisely, Siegel calls these self induced healings not just spontaneous
remissions ah okay. He argues that the medical profession often
dismisses them as errors in diagnosis, basically avoiding the discomfort
of studying the person who.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Gets well right, focusing on the disease, not the individual's
response exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
The crucial difference is that Siegel sees an active role
the patient plays in their own recovery.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
This raises an important question, then, what exactly can we
learn from these individuals?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well? The book offers many examples, like the parents of
a boy named Kelly, who is undergoing brain tumor treatment.
They created positive expectations. They told him he'd only get
sick the first time he took a powerful pill. They
used a magic mixture on his head for hair growth,
and hungry pills which were actually just fullic acid to
boost his appetite.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Simple things really.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Seemingly simple, yes, but all these interventions had remarkable positive
effects because of the belief instilled.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
These powerful individual stories from John to Kelly. They aren't
just anomalies, are they not?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
At all?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
They push us to reconsider the widely accepted, yet often
misunderstood placebo effect, a phenomenon, Siegel argues, is well kind
of maligned when it should be studied as a vital tool.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Indeed, it's often dismissed, isn't it. But studies consistently show
that a third or more of people treated with Clacibo's
report positive results.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
A third.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That's significant, very significant, even for serious conditions like post
operative pain, heart disease, and cancer. Wow, and think about
the waiting room effect observed in some alternative cancer programs,
where maybe ten to twenty percent get well before even
starting treating from being there. It's attributed to collective hope.
And look, this isn't magic. It's physiology positive psychological expectations,
(05:07):
increase in endorphin production. These are our body's natural painkillers,
thereby physiologically linking mind and body. The belief itself creates
a biological response that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
It's like that story of the woman from North Carolina,
she had widespread lymphoma, given only months to live.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
That's the one a nurse friend told her doctor Siegel
makes people well all the time. A bit of an exaggeration, maybe,
but it sparked hope. Right after meeting him and feeling
that surge of hope, she tells her friend, I knew
I'd get well when he held my hand, just that touch,
that connection, and her side effects, her side effects from
chemotherapy disappeared. Why because she believed they would. It's a
(05:46):
powerful illustration of expectation.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
It truly is. And what about the summer perse story.
That one's quite striking too.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh yes, the account by Jane A McAdams, herself a physician,
about her mother, it's another profound example.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Kill us about it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Buying mother, normally very frugal, asked for an expensive summer
purse in January. In January, okay, subtly, she was asking
if she would live six more months, right, would she
see the.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Summer ah said?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Her daughter bought it. She showed belief, a commitment to
that future, and the mother lived many more years, using
at least half a dozen more purses.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It is beautiful. But it's also, as Siegel would argue,
a powerful illustration of his core insight. A tangible commitment
to life and shared belief can literally extend one's horizon.
The simple act of buying a purse became, in a way,
a physiological catalyst for healing.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So for many listening these stories might sound incredible, maybe
even miraculous. How does Siegull bridge that gap between these
amazing recoveries and concrete scientific understanding. Is there a real
physiological basis for this mind body connection?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Absolutely, He's very clear on this. Siegel emphasizes that peptide
messenger molecules. These are essentially the body sophisticated communication.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Chemicals, rightg.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Doorphins exactly like endorphins, are natural pain relievers and interlukens
which modulate our immune responses. These peptides are the direct
physiological link between mind and body, and biochemist Nick Hall
even provocatively suggested back then that if mental processes can
influence something as fundamental as the reproductive system, why couldn't
(07:23):
the sand be true for the immune system? Makes sense,
This idea laid crucial groundwork for George Solomon's pioneering work
in psycho neeuroimmunology. That's the study of how our psychological,
nervous and immune systems interact, right and I exactly. His
research has confirmed stress as immunosuppressive and identified significant emotional
factors in the survivor personality for AIDS patients, really solidifying
(07:48):
the scientific basis for these connections.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
It sounds like Segel is arguing for a much more
integrated view of health.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Then, precisely he introduces the idea of soma significance significant. Yeah,
he deliberately replaced is the term psychosomatic, which often carries
that implication that something is all in your head or
not truly physical. Right, So a significance emphasizes the profound,
undeniable unity of body and mind. It suggests our bodies
(08:14):
literally mean what they say. Through health and disease, they
can act as a kind of reset button for our lives,
guiding us back to a more authentic path.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
A reset button. I like that.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
It's a crucial concept. The book shares how symptoms, dreams,
and even drawings are all languages of this inner self. Languages, yes,
languages of what Seagull drawing on Carl Jung's ideas refers
to as the loving intelligence of energy or psychic DNA.
This holds our unique blueprint for development and healing. It's
about listening to the wisdom of our unconscious dreams.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
You say, can you give usn example of how dreams
specifically communicate these messages.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Certainly, take Mark Brush, he dreamed of torturers placing hot
coals under his chin.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Ouch.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Yeah, And separately, his girlfriend dreamed a bed filling with blood.
He instinctively knew, he just felt it, that it meant
cancer growing in my throat and was he right? Confirmed
months later as thyroid cancer. And what's even more striking
is that his doctor sort of grudgingly even referred to
the thyroid as the neck brain, which echoed another one
of Barash's dreams.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Wow. So not random images at all, not at all.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Direct symbolic messages from his inner self about his physical condition.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
That's a powerful and specific example. And you mentioned dreams
can even guide medical decisions.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They can. Siegul tells the story of a woman facing
a very risky bone marrow transplant. She dreams she was
in a high rise hotel knocking on doors okay, and
three people, two gay men and a woman, all told
her the same thing, go see doctor Osland. She also
recalled her neighbor named Dana in a room next.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Door, Dana Osland. Any connection. Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
This provided symbolic confirmation for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute,
where the transplant.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Was being offered Dana Farber right.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
And it turned out her friend's sun was named Osland.
Her deep self, her intuition, knew the path guiding her
towards a choice she could trust.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Amazing, And the messages don't stop there. What about these
spiritual flat tires you mentioned earlier? That sounds intriguing.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Huh yeah. Seagull shares this anecdote about a disastrous trip
to the airport in Keystone, Colorado. Everything went wrong, Look
what late bellboy took a wrong turn, got lost, had
to force a car off the road just to ask
for directions, and then finally a flat tire. Oh man,
they missed their plane, only to hear later that the
(10:33):
plane had crashed.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
No way.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Yes, he and his wife actually bronzed the tire, kept
it as a symbol of a message from the universe,
a divine intervention.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Perhaps a literal sign, a.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Very literal sign. And he suggests that even small, seemingly
insignificant occurrences, like finding a penny on the carpet or
an elevator opening unprompted, can be signs, you know, symbolic
nudges from our unconscious or the universe.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
So our inner self communicates in all these different ways,
and drawings too, you said, yeah, they can reveal these truths.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Absolutely. Drawings can be incredibly revealing and profound. A little
girl with swollen lymph nodes, for instance, drew her family cat,
but with these exaggerated claws, and that meant something led
directly to a diagnosis of cat scratch fever. In a
more poignant example, a four year old with a sarcoma
drew a purple balloon with her name on it, floating
(11:24):
up to the sky. She died on her mother's birthday.
Accepting death, These drawings can sometimes reveal prognosis, help in accepting,
or sometimes even help turn around an illness. They provide
a direct window into the patient's inner landscape.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
That's incredibly powerful. Yeah, and heart wrenching. I also recall
the story of the woman at a workshop who drew
herself with an empty cavity in her chest and her
heart like on the floor next to her.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yes, that drawing was a pivotal moment for her. Siegel
had just told a story about how grief could potentially
cause heart sarcoma, and her drawing, combined with that story,
helped her realize she was literally making herself ill with
grief over her father's degenerative disease.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
That self awareness changed things profoundly.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
This self discovery brought joy back into her life and interestingly,
also transformed her sensitive five year old daughter. These stories
really highlight Arnold Mandel's dream body concept, this idea that
symptoms dreams art. They're all unified expressions of our total
real personality.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
And speaking of visualization, what about the famous Garrett Porter,
the boy who used Star Wars imagery to shrink his
brain tumor. That story always stuck with me.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
It's one of the most compelling examples, isn't it. Nine
year old Garrett He visualized his brain as the Solar System,
the tumor as an evil planet, and himself as a
space squadron leader zapping it.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Using something meaningful to him exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
His tumor disappeared in five months without any other therapy.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And this demonstrates a crucial point for Siegel that personal
meaningful imagery is key. The unconscious knows what to do.
If you give it a life, I have message something
that resonates deeply with the individual.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
If these stories teach us anything, then it's that we
are not just passive recipients of disease. It's about being
an activist patient, as.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Seagull calls ny, Yes, and he challenges the medical profession's
traditional detached concern. He argues instead for rational concern. Rational
concern meaning you engage with the patient's reality, their feelings.
He says, very powerfully, the truth without compassion is hostility.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Hmm, that is hard.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
It does. He recounts a patient's experience contrasting a Spanish
doctor who actually embraced her before giving bad news with
an American surgeon who spoke to her with his back turned.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Oh, that's awful.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
It is, and Siegel points out that doctor's apparent indifference
can often be a mask for their own pain. Their
own fear of death may be a result of poor
training in dealing with patient suffering.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So how can doctor's cope?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
He believes physicians can find solace and provide better care
by focusing on care over cure. You can always care,
always help patients with how to live, even if a
cure is impossible.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
This empowering message for patients is really inspiring. I love
that story about Edward's credo. The list of instructions a
patient taped to his wall for his medical time.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Oh yeah, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Requesting good thoughts, friendship, advice, encouragement, hope, love, energy, smiles,
and forbidding pessimism, downers, bitterness, pity, taking charge of the atmosphere.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
That is a fantastic example of a patient taking proactive
responsibility for their emotional environment and their healing journey. Total ownership.
And there was another woman facing a radical limphitednectomy who
wrote this powerful letter to her surgeons. What I did
say clearly stating I want, need to be consulted, impossible
to be in on any decisions that are to be
(14:47):
made in my behalf. These aren't just requests, they are
declarations of partnership and healing.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
It takes courage. I remember the doctor who said, this
is my operation and the tape goes when a patient
tries to bring in her meditation.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Tape, and the patient's response.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
She famously replied, it's my operation too, and kept your tape.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Good for her, absolutely and such assertiveness. You know, even
when it challenges authority often leads to doctors becoming converts.
As Siegel puts it, they witness the positive results firsthand.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
They see it works.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
They see it works. Surgeons have been so impressed by
patients who mentally prepared for bloodless procedures visualizing their body healing,
that they've actually adopted similar techniques themselves. Yeah. SEAgel emphasizes
again and again the body heals, not just the medicine,
and each person must find their own unique therapeutic path.
(15:40):
His powerful advice is, you need to choose therapies you
can live and die with.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Choose therapies you can live and die with. That's deep,
speaking of choosing one's own path and defying expectations. Siegel
also delves into the profound impact of our past emotional
experiences on our health, doesn't he.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
He truly does. It's a major theme. SEAgel reviews that
our past emotional experiences, especially from childhood, profoundly impact our
vulnerability to disease later in life.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Also, is there research on this Yes.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Studies by Carolyn Biddell Thomas, for instance, found a striking
correlation between unhappy childhood relationships, repressed emotions, and later illnesses
like cancer, suicide, and mental illness.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
And further research on adopted Danish children showed a correlation
between the children's cancer and their adoptive parents' cancer before
age fifty.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Adoptive parents and not genetic.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Suggesting environmental or emotional links rather than purely genetic ones.
These findings collectively highlight how our early emotional landscapes can
literally shape our physiological destiny.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
So a legacy of lovelessness, as he puts it, yeah,
can literally make us sick. That's a stark thought, it can.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Indeed, this emotional deprivation can create what he calls an
inexpressive emotional style.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Characterized by compliance, conformity, denial of anger, a general non
ex expression of emotion. Just stuffing it all down, and
this is directly linked to poorer prognosis and illness.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Keeping it all inside is.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Harmful, physically harmful. Anthropologists Ashley Montague even observed that unloved
children literally don't grow as well. You can see it
as dense lines in their bone x rays. This failure
to thrive syndrome shows that love and physical touch aren't
merely emotional comforts, they are deeply physiological necessities for development
and health.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It brings to mind those quotes the garbage in Garbage
out computer expert and the lung cancer patient who said,
you need to turn yourself inside out, let the pain out,
take the love. In vivid metaphors for emotional liberation.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
They really are. These individuals embody the essential shift from
a helplessness mindset, which psychologist Martin Seligman's research famously showed
dogs could.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Actually learn learned helplessness.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Right exactly, a shift towards one of active empowerment. Think
of doctor Victor frankel in Man's Search for Meaning describing
choosing one's attitude even in the horrific conditions of concentration camps.
It's about finding agency, even where it seems impossible.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
The story of rayber Tay, the man diagnosed with terminal
voice box cancer, is another powerful example of this shift,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Oh? Absolutely, His son Keith, had a brain hemorrhage shortly
after learning of raised diagnosis. Oh my goodness, literally bursting,
you could say, with repressed feelings learned from his father.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
So the son's crisis made the father reflect.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
It was a pivotal event. It made Ray realize his
own lifelong habit of internalizing feelings. He saw the pattern
pass down, so he gave his son a live message permission,
basically that it was okay to express emotion, and in
doing that for his son, In doing so, he healed himself.
He transformed his own life and completely defied his prognosis.
(18:48):
He had blossomed into a new person, as Siegel described it,
by understanding that his illness was in part a manifestation
of his feelings stuck in his throat. It underscores that
sometimes healing is about unblocking those emotional channels.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
And beyond emotional expressions. Siegel also powerfully highlights the importance
of purpose and healing. I'm thinking of Elizabeth Koopler Ross's story,
the woman who rallied to attend her son's wedding.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yes, only to return to the hospital afterwards and say,
don't forget, I have another son. A reason to keep going,
A powerful reason. Purpose and hope are truly physiological motivators.
Think of John Calderhead, who lost a leg to sarcoma
but was backsetining competitively because he refused to accept limitations.
Amazing determination or mister Wood paralyzed from the neck down
(19:33):
for thirty years, he not only raised seven children but
became a renowned mouthstick artist. Siegel calls these individuals round trippers,
a term coined by one of his patients. Round trippers
people who will always come back metaphorically speaking, because they
have a profound reason to live a mission that transcends
their physical limitations.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
It really makes you wonder what stands out most about
these exceptional patients, as Siegel calls them, what is their
common thread? Is it something we can all cultivate?
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Well? They show us that being exceptional isn't necessarily about
performing extraordinary physical feats. It's more about cultivating a particular.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Attitude and attitude.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, it's about being strong at the broken places. As
Hemingway said, they are assertive in their care. They learn
to nurture themselves emotionally. They communicate their needs clearly.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
So self advocacy and self care absolutely.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Ultimately, it boils down to self love and an unwavering
commitment to life, even when facing the reality of death. Ultimately, then,
Siegul addresses death itself not as a failure, which is
often the perspective of medicine right right.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
He sees it not as failure, but as a potential
final healing. He challenges doctors to embrace care over cure,
quoting henrinoan the friend who can be silent with us
in a moment of despair, That is, a friend who cares.
Sometimes prisons is the most healing thing being there. Indeed,
Seagull shares his own personal experience of a dying boy
(20:59):
cal the same boy whose parents used positive expectation earlier. Yes,
near the end, Kelly pointed to his cheeks for a kiss,
something doctor Siegel felt was an unprecedented privilege. It happened
right before he died, and it revealed to Siegel a profound,
nonverbal understanding of how to say goodbye Wow. Similarly, doctor
Rachel Remon shared her experience of a dying child who
(21:20):
actually forgave her for not being able to cure him.
That taught her about mutual love and well impeccability and
just playing their respective roles in that difficult time.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
So Deak can be a moment of.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Connection, profound connection and even healing, not just an end point.
He says something quite radical, You can even survive dying.
What does he mean by that?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
He means that a fatal diagnosis isn't the worst possible outcome.
The real tragedy is not living fully while you are alive.
The knowledge of our eventual death paradoxically can give meaning, urgency,
and beauty to every single day.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
It focuses the mind, it.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Really does, and what truly provides immortality, he suggests, is
is love, the love we give and receive. He tells
the story of Cathy's husband who kept saying light Light
at the moment of death, as if showing them he
was in transition, moving towards something comforting for them, I
imagine immensely. Or Kelly Carmody, the nine year old whose
short life profoundly touched hundreds of people. He left this
(22:19):
incredible legacy of love that lived on far beyond his
physical years. That's a form of immortality.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
He also touches on the spiritual aspect of healing. Doesn't
he prayer and such?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
Yes? He notes studies like those by Randy Byrd and
Bernard grad looking into the efficacy of prayer, and he
shares stories of mystical experiences, things that seem to defy
rational explanation, suggesting there's often more to healing than just
the material or psychological.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
And the biblical story of God is.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
The potter, Yes, constantly molding and remaking us. It offers
a powerful message in this context, keep trying, keep working
on yourself, keep growing. The only unforgivable, sin Segul suggests,
is giving up hope, giving up on life. It's a
call to continuous self creation and resilience.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
So if we take all of these profound insights and
stories from peace, love and healing, what does this all
mean for living our lives today, right now? How do
we apply this Well?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Fundamentally, it means embracing our uniqueness, living authentically, showing our
true colors, as he puts it, like the maple leaf,
exactly like the maple leaf that conforms in summer but
reveals its distinct, brilliant beauty in the fall, just before
letting go. Or think of Jenny Justice's famous poem warning
when I am an old woman, I shall wear purple right,
live boldly, Live boldly, genuinely. It's a call to commit
(23:38):
fully to love and life, to choose our unique path
and display our true self without apology and are the
practical steps he suggests, Yes, for those seeking something concrete,
Segel recommends keeping a daily journal, just recording feelings and dreams.
It sounds simple, but it's a way to connect with
that inner self and interestingly, research actually shows journaling can
(23:59):
boost the immune system.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Really yeah, It's a simple, yet scientifically supported way to
connect with that inner wisdom.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
And there you have it, the incredible journey through doctor
Bernie Siegel's Peace, Love, and Healing. It's really a story
not just about medical insights, but about profound personal transformation,
isn't it.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Absolutely It's about how Siegel himself, through listening deeply to
his patient's courageous stories, learn to redefine what healing truly means.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
We've seen how emotions, belief, dreams, our sense of purpose.
These aren't just abstract concepts floating around. There are powerful
physiological forces with real tangible effects on our health.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
The book profoundly encourages you, the listener, to start listening
to your body, to express your true self, and to
remember that love, love for yourself and for others is
probably the most potent medicine we have available.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So as you reflect on this deep dive today, maybe
consider this, What unspoken messages might your body be sending
you right now that you haven't yet heard. What true
colors are you ready perhaps to reveal to the world
to truly live and heal?
Speaker 2 (25:03):
Because the choice to live a healed life, a life
full of self, love and purpose. Will that choice is
always yours. Begin to acknowledge that inner wisdom, trust it,
and let it guide you.
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