Everyone wants to feel that they have a sense of personal power over their circumstances. Decades of seeing too many patients feeling helpless, sent me in a different direction. That of scientific research in service of dynamic healthcare change to fulfill the medical product’s vision, intention, and mission. This is how Perceiving Wellness Beyond Limitations: Higher Perspectives on Healing Clinicians and the Healthcare Delivery System (Amazon.com) arose. What will the medical community’s legacy be?
Seeing my sister Barbara living with a chronic disease solidified my desire to become a nurse. The magnitude of powerlessness she and our family experienced activated the call to counteract human suffering. This desire led to more than four decades of clinical care and significant nursing roles that provided a practical education of the healthcare delivery system. Each patient encounter and work experience created the space for reciprocal learning.
As charge nurse in a psychiatric hospital, my geriatric and adolescent patients shared their unique stories and struggles. Back then, the degree to which mental health could impact physical health was not fully recognized. As compassionate care continued in intensive care units and long-term care centers, it was apparent that medical conditions affected emotional and mental well-being. Professional experiences expanded in infection control and prevention, employee health, workers’ compensation, and discharge planning. In the insurance industry, clients’ needs were assessed as an RN case manager and utilization review nurse. Chronicling the ordeals and successes of common professional and patient experiences helps inform future care perspectives. As a Reiki Master, a different lens and focus heightened my curiosity about energy and various medical systems. This interest launched a ten-year investigative process into the underpinnings of conventional healthcare systems and my role as a nurse healer. Becoming a legal nurse consultant enabled me to identify and analyze gaps between healthcare and the law. Since retiring from nursing in 2021, I have spent more time with my 14-year-old Golden Retriever George.
Fighting an invisible enemy, has many of us questioning the disruption in our daily lives. We are forced to confront our vulnerability. Concern about our well-being is heightened. However, there are several things we have control over. We can take steps to boost and fortify our immunity. While prudently following the CDC prevention guidelines easy meditation practices from my meditation blog help mitigate stress and safeguard us. Organic vegetables and fruits mitigate free radicals, thus inflammation as they chemically instruct our cells to protect us. Fresh berries, citrus fruits and according to studies, celery juice* can strengthen our immunity.
Maintaining connections with friends, family and faith help re-vitalize you emotionally in any time of isolation. This is a good time to engage in a reciprocal process of reaching out to others in love and assistance. No gesture is too small.
Consider starting a journal in self-expression to deepen your connection with yourself through your inner thoughts and feelings. You may surprise yourself.
You may envision meditation as someone sitting with eyes closed, palms facing up and legs crossed. The lotus position is often used in attaining a deeper connection with oneself and the Universe. However, there are other ways to reduce stress, relieve pain and gain peace. If you are able to sit or lay quietly and use your breathing to guide your body, your mind should respond. Guided meditations found online on You Tube can make it easier. You can chant usual mantras, repeating ohm or aah, or you can understand that mediation takes different forms. Walking, cooking, reading scripture or literature, prayer, engaging in a hobby are all forms of meditation. You can choose the above structured type of mediation or fulfill this deliberation by engaging in a free form way by enjoying things you love. You will be amazed of the thoughts and ideas that will come to you.
Transformational Health Healing Power 