Tuesday, February 24, 2009

laying of hands

When I started blogging, I made a pact with myself that I would not write about school. Sch can be overwhelming etc etc and this was supposed to be a way for me to occasionally get out of that box. That said, sch is such an integral part of my life that I cant simply ignore it in any part of my life. So I decided to share a little insight that occured to me recently.

Medicine can be a very intimate profession. It often requires getting all up in someone's personal space, talking about some very sensitive things and performing procedures and tests that are invasive on many different levels. One of the most powerful things for me at this point is the amount of touch that goes on. I never really thought about my hands other than for their day to day use, and the concept of laying of hands to heal and to comfort seemed restricted to pastors and other such authorities. For me then, the fact that my hands can be used to heal in a physical sense is........almost amazing and slightly disconcerting.

Its a little difficult to explain what I mean. The best I can say is that I seem to have a newfound respect for hands. For the ability to help heal, reassure or at least to comfort. I'm also humbled at the amount of trust that people give me (a lowly first year who's only halfway through the year) when they allow me to touch them and their children.

1 comment:

  1. It is interesting you write this - my exact thoughts...which I couldnt seem to be able to translate into words. As a child, I would always look at the hands of a doctor - and still, for me the hand is the most powerful tool a physician has...and you say it, it has the power to heal and comfort. In the past, spiritual authorities - priests, pastors etc played the role of physicians but now, physicians have been vested that power to lay hands as well. I so totally know what you mean by the idea of invasion of a person's privacy...it so feels wierd...very powerful thoughts here! I like!

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