Physician Health and Well-Being: Forgiveness Can Heal Body, Mind and Soul
By John A. Patterson MD, MSPH, FAAFP, ABIHM
Founding co-chair LMS Physician Wellness Program (2016)
Perhaps the one thing in my life I am most grateful for is forgiving my father.
We had a very painful, distant contentious relationship – characterized by my avoidance of interactions with him. Soon after his diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer, I had the great good fortune of reading the popular book on transactional analysis I’m OK – You’re OK. I will never forget having an aha moment while reading, setting the book down and saying to myself “it wasn’t his fault.” That moment changed our relationship and we both knew it.
Research suggests that cultivating forgiveness can greatly benefit our health – improving sleep, lowering anxiety, depression, stress, cholesterol, blood pressure, overall cardiac risk and pain. These benefits also seem to improve with age. A robust mindfulness curriculum includes the practice of forgiveness.
Below are links to forgiveness content from Johns Hopkins, Mayo, Harvard and Cleveland Clinic, validating the power of forgiveness to heal the body, mind and soul.
Here is a 12 minute guided audio forgiveness practice :
A forgiveness practice to connect with your heart
https://www.mindful.org/a-forgiveness-meditation-to-connect-with-your-heart/
Resources –
Forgiveness: Your Health Depends on It
Johns Hopkins Medicine
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it#:~:text=The%20good%20news:%20Studies%20have,of%20anxiety%2C%20depression%20and%20stress.
Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness
Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/forgiveness/art-20047692
The Power of Forgiveness
Harvard Medical School
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/the-power-of-forgiveness
Resentment: How It Can Creep In and Take Hold
Cleveland Clinic
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-resentment
About the Author–
Dr Patterson spent 30 years in solo family medicine in Estill County/Irvine, Kentucky, where his staff included a mental health counselor and dietitian. He majored in psychology at Vanderbilt and has viewed his entire medical career through that mind body lens, including residencies in family medicine and preventive medicine and a master’s degree in public health. He is certified in family medicine, integrative holistic medicine, mind body medicine, mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga therapy. He is past president of the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians and is on the faculty of U of Rochester Mindful Practice in Medicine and the Center for Mind Body Medicine (Washington, DC). He operates the Mind Body Studio on Southland Drive in Lexington, where he offers individual consultations and group classes for persons with stress-related chronic conditions and burnout prevention for health professionals, teachers, businesses, faith communities and non-profits, emphasizing a mindfulness-based approach to promoting resilience, managing stress, preventing burnout and cultivating compassion. Those with financial hardship simply pay as they are able.
He can be reached through his website at www.mindbodystudio.org
