The first of two essays about my journey into consciousness and action – by Tom Courl I’m not supposed to get a heart attack! That was my reaction when I found out that I failed my stress test. I was 55 years old. It was February of this past year. At the time, I was mostly dwelling on the possibility…
By Adam Rindfleisch, M.D. In the past year, the Veterans Administration (VA) has been receiving a fair amount of negative press. It is tough to work in the VA right now. Morale is pretty low. And it is always challenging to be a Veteran – Veterans are one of the groups most in need of support of their health needs. …
By: Zoë Hack Keller I am passionate about the connection between food and health. I can’t say I’ve always been a foodie, or paid attention to its connection to the body, but as I have opened my eyes to the healing potential of food, my world has shifted. This shift started in my childhood where I was raised on a…
By Adam Rindfleisch, MD Last month, I described a few of the many aspects of shamanism. People always want to know what to expect during a journeying experience. Truly, each one is unique. That said, hearing about others’ experiences can be helpful, and I sometimes am asked to give an example. I would like to share with you a…
By David L. Thomas, Jr. When my mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 23 years ago, she could not believe it and neither could I. She had felt a lump under her arm for a while but did not really think that someone as “healthy” as she could contract that dread disease. After all, she ate healthful meals of…
by Annie Robinson, M.S. Narrative Medicine They carried steaming cups of deli coffee, worn shoulder bags stuffed with papers and snacks and sweaters, bright yellow Metrocards, and buzzing cell phones. They carried worry lines on their foreheads. They carried stress and fatigue from work. They carried regret about how little time they were able to spend with their families this week….
By Adam Rindfleisch, MD If they don’t take time to explore, people passing through my old stomping grounds in southeastern Idaho might not fully grasp the beauty of the Lost River Valley. The Rocky Mountains rise straight up from the high sagebrush desert and the lava flows. There are countless places to explore. In fact, mountains are so numerous and…
By Bill Manahan, MD I was recently talking to my friend, Jim, about the International Integrators Immersion Retreat taking place next March (2015) at the Quaker Retreat Center in Ben Lomond, California. He asked me why we were doing it, and why at my age I was taking the time and energy to help make it happen. I reminded Jim…
By Kathryn Hayward, MD co-founder of International Integrators The image that life’s journey involves a flowing river appeals to me. We start upstream and travel downstream, encountering crystal clear calm pools, gentle and placid currents, warm eddies, whitewater rapids,waterfalls, ice, boulders, fallen trees, muck, rusty cans, old tires, and pollution. We greet some creatures, and dodge others: fish, amphibians, insects,…