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ative. This patient taught me that consideration of the mind-body link is obligatory in the case of every patient, no matter how cut-and-dried their course seems to be.
    “I certainly felt that I had cured this woman, and was proud of my self at her six-week checkup. It took the two of us years to learn that although she had been ‘cured’ by surgery, she was not healed by it.
    “Looking back on her first visit with me, which I remember vividly, and her subsequent course, there were many, many clues to a much larger picture that I was unable to see at the time. On her initial office visit, she was sitting on the examination table while still wearing her panty hose. Not only did she have trouble getting undressed for the exam, she also had a great deal of difficulty even getting her body in the examination position. Once she was there, I found that placing the speculum in her vagina was nearly impossible because of her extreme anxiety and muscle tension. Since then my patients have continued to help me see the big picture, for each of them. I know that you can ‘cure’ many patients without acknowledging the mind-body link, but I also know that you will ‘heal’ very few.” 22
    One of my own patients had an abnormal Pap smear. She already knew that simply removing the abnormal cells from her cervix (“cur ing”) would not address the underlying energy imbalance in her body that was at the root of the abnormality. She began working in her jour nal every morning with the intention of affirming her inherent ability to be whole and healthy. At the same time, she became receptive to what was necessary for her healing. She meditated on what this symptom was trying to teach her so that she could release any patterns that no longer served her. After she had been engaged in this inner healing work for several weeks, she uncovered a key belief that she felt was im portant to her. This belief was that the abnormal cervical cells were a punishment for her sexuality. Having discovered and named this belief, she proceeded to schedule standard medical therapy so that her healing and her curing would be in partnership. On her way to the ap pointment to have laser treatment for this condition, she experienced a wave of forgiveness toward herself and her sexuality that moved her to tears. She even felt a shift take place in her body. When she was examined at the office, all traces of the abnormality had gone, and she didn’t require the surgery. She is very grateful for the physical cure, as well as the psychological and emotional healing that took place.
    In this society, when a physician acknowledges a woman’s innate healing ability, she or he often seems to be saying that the patient caused her illness to begin with. But our illnesses aren’t based on simple cause and effect. It is simplistic and potentially harmful to believe that we consciously and intentionally create illness or any other painful life circumstance. Our illnesses often exist to get our attention and get us back on track. Feeling that we are to blame keeps us stuck and unable to move forward in our healing. The part of us that “creates an illness” is not a conscious part of us, but it can be affected by our consciousness once we put our healing process to work. When it comes to taking responsibility, there is a balance. We must learn to take responsibility for the things we caused or are perpetuating. On the other hand, it is equally important to let go of responsibility for those things that have nothing to do with us.
    Many physicians, however, equate taking responsibility for illness with being to blame for it. Our culture in general assumes that taking responsibility means you are to blame. At the opposite extreme, other physicians feel that since their patients didn’t cause their disease, they should not be overly involved in their own treatment. It is important that you have a doctor or health practitioner whose beliefs can reinforce your healing.