Disease and aging are natural parts of life. We can’t keep our patients free from illness or forever young.
But we can help them respond to challenging life events with grace.
When Ram Dass, PhD, experienced a life-changing stroke, he focused on the grace his experience brought him. He found kindness from strangers, and used the difficult adjustment as a springboard to change his outlook on life.
In this short video, Ram Dass shares about his transformative experience. Take a look now – it’s only 2 and a half minutes.
Click here to learn more from Ram Dass.
For more of Ram Dass’ lessons, check out our How to Apply Mindfulness to Your Clinical Work series.
Also, you can check out another blog with Ram Dass, “Expanding our Capacity to Love Others (and Ourselves) through Mindfulness.“
How have you or your patients found grace during difficult times? Please share your stories in the comments below.
Ram Dass is such a beautiful soul and his teachings are quite profound. I started learning about him around 2011 and have always been fascinated by his words of wisdom. I recently made a post about his most inspiring quotes if anyone would like to read. I’ll put the link below for anyone interested. Love and Blessings – Jalai Lama
I was very impressed with Ram Dass’ ability to speak despite his stroke.
I also found Joan Borysenko’s description of the Bubble of Light technique to use to maintain loving presence while also keeping awareness that the client’s problems are the client’s to be very helpful in my work. Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
Mary Krug
Hello Ram .. When I saw your video I knew I had to connect with you. It was nice that you accepted your stroke with “grace” and I am not discussing that at all. What I do want to share
however, is that I too consider myself to be a spiritual teacher and the knowledge I wish to share
with you is this. I would like you to question the reasons that brought that stroke to you. What
I teach is something the rest of the world has not come to grips with … illnesses are punishments
for bad thoughts and I have taught myself to be free of all limitations through the knowledge in
my book MasterMind. I “attracted” diabetes to me for it was God’s way of leading me to the path of enlightenment where he gave me the knowledge (contained in my book) which set me free of illnesses etc. He has shown the way and now I can think of no other work that brings more fulfillment to my life than to help all the people of the world understand their relationships to food and illnesses.
Please do read my MasterMind … it is God’s gift to mankind and is very very powerful .. for thru it
you will speak directly with him as I do.
God Bless ………..Roda
I called Ram Dass shortly after his stroke to discuss (to the best of my recollection) the experience of time stopping. He was not available for a new project, but he was quite interested. So we talked for a while. He was having great difficulty speaking whole words – and even more putting together whole statements. After we hung up, I realized that the last few minutes of our conversation he had been talking normally. I believe his body forgot for a moment that it was debilitated.
I mention this as an example of how much motivation trumps technique. I had a neighbor here in senior housing who put a sign on her door. It said:
THE CURE FOR BOREDOM IS CURIOSITY
THERE IS NO CURE FOR CURIOSITY
In my own life, I watch the triage in my aging brain. My reflexes, judgement and attention span are ten times better driving a car than riding a bike or walking. The combination of placing a high value on my mobility, and of having made the challenges of driving into a lifelong game, channels significant extra energy to that part of my CNS that attends my driving – even as walking, urinating and remembering appointments are slipping out of control.
Think of the kids who get kicked out of school because they “lack the ability to learn.” Put them in front of an exciting game. They’ll learn the game in a half-hour and beat you playing it.
All of us who are healers and helpers tend to be “goody two-shoes” in our character. I’m watching the Olympics and wondering about those manipulative coaches who’s tactics evoke miraculous abilities from their students. Clearly there’s a lot to be said against their methods – but perhaps there are things to be learned.
or………..copied from another speaker…..it is an evolutionary catalyst. Are we then catapaulted into a higher vibration? Eventually, I think and possibly going beyond a lifetime’s schedule of experiences so to speak.
As always, Ram Dass is amazing. As a philosopher and hospice RN, my advice is to turn to Socrates who said, “Practice dying.” Ram Das’s teachings are invaluable.
So many spiritual teachers and wizards on the planet right now!
Dear Ruth,
Adversity has been my best teacher. Having suffered a debilitating illness has transformed my life entirely. I am better able to serve others who suffer from chronic Lyme Disease. As I work to heal myself, I am simultaneously healing others.
It has been seven years since I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I feel graced by it now rather than cursed. Ram Dass is right on.
Warm thanks,
Mary Jane Heppe
Hood River, Oregon
Ruth,
This short videp by Ram is great! It fits in so well with and supports what I am learning on my quest to understand more about the real causes of disease and the most effective way to free ourselves from their undesriable consequences.
I am a physicain in private practive who has found spirituality to be a very important part of my patient’s lives and a powerful factor in their illnesse and healing. I wish I could listen to many of the webinars, but unfortunately, this is just not practical with my work schedule. I am sure this is true of many others. Isn’t there some way you could make this series available to those of us that can’t listen at the time they are aired?
Thanks,
Chuck Gebhardt, MD