Happy, Blessed Spring! Well, it's been a whole lot longer than I ever planned in making my next post to you. Life has a way of showing up and shifting the best laid plans of mice and women.
My first two posts were about things and people, near and dear to my heart. Those things and people are still near and dear, and they continue to teach and inform me in ways I never thought possible.
My last post to you was about my sister and her journey with a brain tumor. In that post I shared a bit of what she was doing to address the tumor, and what I was doing to stay in balance.
Within a few days of my making that post she finally received authorization to begin treatment. That treatment began with seven and a half weeks of radiation therapy, daily, with weekends off, until she completed her treatments a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
Since that time she has been dealing with the side effects of high doses of radiation to the brain. Things like swelling, forgetfulness, extreme sleepiness, double and triple vision, exhaustion. The last time I talked with her she was still waiting to be approved for her retirement and for disability benefits that she has paid for for over fifteen years.
If you sense frustration in my words, you would be right.
How does this link to the path of a healer . . . because life is a teacher, and there is something to be learned and maybe, something we can do to make a difference in the healing of others, and in our own life balance and well-being. I shared with you in my last post that I was doing all kinds of wonderful things to remain in balance and to care for myself, but the long and the short of it was that I was still doing too much, caring too much (yes it is possible to do that - it's called OverCare) and I had a mini meltdown for a couple of weeks. I could not eat and lost a lot of weight, all I could think about was doing enough to help her.
I was doing everything I knew how to do to offer her care from a distance. She lives in Texas, I live in Wisconsin. I told myself in the back of my mind somewhere that as her big sister, and as a healer, that if I prayed enough, worked with non-local healing enough, that I could somehow make a difference and help her. Perhaps I did help her. I know that she loved the care I was able to offer. Care packages I sent, many phone calls I made, but in the end, it is not up to me. And that was a huge aha for me when I finally got it.
Lots of things came into play in all of this. Our family history, my role as a healer, mother, wife, etc.. The thing that turned the corner for me was going out and getting the care for myself that I was working so hard to give to her.
I worked with an amazing energy healer in my area and she helped to ground me and make it clear to me what I was carrying, and that I had a choice and the ability to shift it and let it go. She was the final key after completing two years of personal work with another amazing healer. Grounding it into physicality and working with my chakra's (more on chakra's and grounding in another post) was the final piece. I was not giving up on my sister or her healing in letting go. Just letting go of the idea that I had to be the one to fix it.
That day was a turning point in my life, on many levels, and it shaped who I am as a healer, as much as my sister's journey has done the same for me.
I'm now studying with that energy healer, learning her ways and wisdom and it is a gift I am bringing into my own family, as well as a gift I will be able to offer to my clients.
And that leads me to the next part of my post. As part of my path as a women and healer I have been asking myself this question for many years, more so recently, and it seems like in the collective wisdom of things, perhaps in the wisdom of women, in the divine feminine, there might be an answer . . .
What is the question?
In a country where the people who often need health care (or wellness services) the most, can not afford them, and often forgo care, what kind of a solution can we create?
I've talked with so many people in the health and wellness fields in the past couple of years and it is clear (as if it was not obvious) that the system does not work. As I shared previously, my sister has health care benefits and it still took her almost four months to get authorization to begin treatment. Did those four months of insurance hoop jumping make a difference in her outcome? I don't know if we will ever know that for sure. Could it have? What do you think?
I had a conversation with a friend and fellow health care provider today and the same subject came up. How do we meet the needs of the people who need it the most, and still manage to support our own families? Here's one example, Working Class Acupuncture . The model comes from an acupuncture practice based in Portland, Oregon. Someone shared this model with me a while back and in the midst of busy life I placed it in a folder and relegated it to the back of my mind.
The model involves delivering acupuncture in a group setting to clients. The model works and works well. Another example, The Integrator Blog offers News, Reports, Opinion, and Networking for the Business, Education, Policy, and Practice of Integrative Medicine, CAM, and Integrated Health Care. John Weeks is the Publisher/Editor. He profiles some wonderful activities in this arena and there is much there to be inspired by.
So how do we apply these models to our work? How do we meet the needs of people who will often not bother to go to the doctor until it takes an emergency room visit because they do not have insurance, or the money they would use for a copay needs to go to pay for something for one of their kids?
The Working Class Acupuncture (WCA) model works because it's delivered to a group. Go to the WCA website to learn more. There are other models profiled at The Integrator Blog.
Can a massage therapist deliver this model? A medical doctor? A psychologist or a physical therapist? We traditionally see these professions offering their services to one person at a time. Or do we . . .
In an emergency room setting we see a large room that accommodates several patients at the same time. Sometimes separated by curtains, sometimes by walls, and they generally are cared for by one or two doctors (and some wonderful nurses) at most. Everyone receives care (though sometimes slowly - there are bugs with the model) everyone is cared for, medicated, billed, and sent on their way. Most chiropractors have several treatment rooms that they move in, room to room and can see several patients in the course of a couple of hours. I've seen the same thing in physical therapy clinic where the therapists have patients set up on stations around a large gym like therapy room and they move from patient to patient.
Professionals who choose group work as a part of their practice can also address the therapeutic needs of the many in this way.
The triage model of the old TV show M.A.S.H. comes to mind. Adapting that.
In the indigenous traditions, a community comes together when someone needs care. A healing (however that happens) takes place through the power of community and ceremony. These events often include a sweat (where the person is well enough to be able to participate) prayer, storytelling, and attendance by many people in support of the healee. Often family members, and many members of the community.
In Narrative Medicine, Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, Ph.D insists that we are made up of stories. He says, "Stories involve a whole person in a historical context, and in a whole environment." Lewis teaches us to learn our own story and use it to heal ourselves and to appreciate our soul's path. Likewise, as I've shared here before, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D speaks to the same thing in her work "Women Who Run With The Wolves".
I attended a one day training earlier this year with Lewis (as people who know and care for him refer to him) who is of Cherokee and Scottish ancestry. He is a wonderful and powerful teacher and his work inspired me to do something that I had wanted to do for a long time, create a healing circle. Lewis came in January through the invitation of a wonderful community member who organized the event and made it possible. Lewis encouraged us to begin a circle in our community. Together, this women who organized the event and I, with other members of our local community, drew the elements of our healing circle together. March 8th, 2008 we had our first healing circle. A group of people came together, shared stories and, and experienced healing in the way that worked for them. It's possible to make a difference in small steps, and it's another example of group healing.
I co-lead a local WyseWomen Circle community each month and something similar happens in that community too.
Another question to ask, with all of the professionals I cited above in the medical models, do any of them, or the institutions who run them (in the case of hospitals or medical offices) pass the savings on to their patients? Are they too busy hoop jumping to do that? Are there any savings for them in the way they work the model? Or are they too busy hoop jumping with insurance providers (and sometimes losing sight of patients needs in the process) to see the possibilities? Have they even thought about how they could do this?
I've looked at non-profits as a model and there are likewise so many hoops to jump through there that you can end up becoming an administrator instead of a wellness professional. I prefer devoting my time to my clients, thank you.
The WCA model works, and reaches the working class citizen because it does just that. It only does a particular kind of acupuncture. One that can be delivered well in a group setting. They do not work with insurance so there is no overhead that goes along with paying someone to administer all of the paperwork that goes into insurance billing. No waiting for claims to be paid. No requirements to meet for insurance companies. No headaches related to filing. They are able to work directly with the patient and pass the savings on to them. And the client receives healing.
At the time of the writing of the e-book they were seeing an average of 70 patients per week. If I do the math right (calculators come in handy) $15.00 x 70 comes out to $1050.00 per week. And she did not sell her soul to do it. There are some clients that can not even afford that fifteen dollars, and that is where Pro Bono can come in. But many more can manage that fifteen dollars than not.
How do we work with these models? How can we adapt them to work in our settings? We know our clients and patients would benefit from our services. In some cases they really need our services. What we can offer in the way of help or services could potentially help to heal the whole family by assisting that one person. How do we address these needs and keep our business doors open? And one step further, offer programs and services that are actually preventative Wellcare models.
In this process we also nurture ourselves. We might be able to slow down. I seem to recall a conversation today where the speed with which we are moving as healers came up. We are often moving so fast trying to do so much, that we leave ourselves out of the mix. And then who are we good for. How are we modeling for our clients and patients . . .
Which leads me back to the beginning. It's a new season, Spring you see, and I'm wondering, just like the new shoots and leaves waiting to burst forth, what fertile ways can we come up with to create a model that meets the needs of the many, and supports our own healing, living life joyfully path . . .
Blessings,
Nellie
Disclaimer:
Please Note, the information and services provided by or through WyseWomen LLC, WyseWomen.com, WyseWomen the Blog, Magdalene Abbey, and Nellie P. Moore are not to be used to treat or diagnose any condition, disease, client, patient, or individual. The ideas, information and services provided are not intended to be a substitute for consult or treatment with a qualified physician, therapist, or other qualified helping professional.
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