Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
My experiences with the seriously ill convince me that the will to live, or its surrender, can affect the number of our days and breaths. Not every time or for everyone, but clearly for some. This is less profound in the era of modern medicine because medical interventions can play such a dramatically determinant role. However, the effect of the will is, nonetheless, real and deserves attention and respect. Murray Trelease puts it well: "It is not that human will changes reality, but that it is a part of the reality of life and needs to be reckoned with.” The intuition of the terminally ill needs to be cultivated, recognized, honored and empowered.
Well-intended modern medicine is quick to disregard the intuition and disenfranchise the will of the individual. It must be recognized that modern medicine often seeks to optimize treatment with only survival in mind. It can blindly disregard the patients who, with consternation, must endure the long-term side effects of being “optimized “. Completing the bell lap well, with celebration, a good baton pass, personal healing and many blessings is not the commission of most modern physicians; they are not the Dragon slayers. There comes a time when trusting your intuition is more important than trusting your physician’s advice, no matter how expert and well-intentioned it is. There is a time to decline their good intentions. Figuring the timing out is your job. No one offers much help in this arena..............
The gap between the possible and the certain has widened, and in that gap the Dragon flourishes.........
Addressing the death issue can be accomplished well and completely without surrendering a single hope or effort for cure and more easily if done before it is staring you in the face...............
Don't let the intoxicating hopes of modern medicine dissuade you from doing the necessary work in confronting the certainty of death. Yes, you can put off thinking about it, but at a cost which allows the Dragon room to roam. Instead, let me help you size up everything that you are up against, face it, deal with it, and overcome it, which will catapult you into what I hope will be a long and wonderful backstretch.......see CANCER'S BELL LAP & THE DRAGON BEHIND THE DOOR
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