The Line Between Medical and Spiritual
It seems in modern times the idea of medicine has taken on a rather narrow meaning.
For instance, when you have a problem in life, it may or may not be "medical", in nature - If there are physical symptoms, such as a headaches or an upset stomach, then, it could be considered within the realm of "medicine". However, if you're confused as to what to do with the job you don't like, then, most would probably argue medicine can't really do anything for you.
This makes sense, on one hand, but the closer I look, the more odd it seems...
This is likely because I'm a little odd, and through my odd eyes, the world appears a little different.
To me, medicine has everything to do with alleviating suffering. That, I believe, most agree with. Somewhere, though, we seem to categorize the types of suffering, some being medically related, others not.
The lines drawn appear to be centered around the idea of concrete, physical structure. That suffering which can be related to a physical issue, such as a broken arm, is much more likely to fall within the purview of medicine. Whereas, a suffering that really can't be traced to a tangible "thing", piece, or part of the body, is likely relegated to some field other than medicine.
This is most evident in the area of suffering related to emotions, thoughts, and feelings. These are drawn into the scope of medicine by rooting them in chemicals in the brain. Without those chemicals linking that suffering to the physical realm, emotional pain is shifted to the care of others who are not "medical" doctors.
At the other end of the spectrum, where there is no physical basis for suffering, we often find issues that are considered more "spiritual" in nature. That term can be quite difficult to define, exactly, but I'd like to offer simply that spiritual suffering has more to do with the greater context of life, the meaning of life, and all the events that occur as part of being here on this planet.
Why we're here, what we're supposed to, who we really are, even, these are more spiritual, in nature, I think. Fulfillment, peace, passion, innate value, these are all sensations or experiences associated with matters of a more spiritual nature.
So the line between spiritual and medical makes some sense. Clearly, your doctor could, likely, do little to help you find your place in life (or, at least, if they do, it's not something they were taught in "medical" school).
I'm here to suggest, though, that all suffering is spiritual, in nature. The line dividing the two is, ultimately, arbitrary.
I think that which separates the two, in practice, is the ability to understand, or perceive, the nature of the suffering in the greater context of life.
For example, one of my biggest critiques of modern medicine is that it so powerfully searches for a single, physical cause of suffering, that, even if it finds one, it often misses the whole point of the search in the first place - the patient that's suffering.
(A close second biggest critique is that requirement for a physical cause. So often, modern medical science has not uncovered such a tangible causative agent, and in such cases the patient is left without an answer, but that's for another time...)
In the first, the search to isolate the root of suffering, almost intentionally, removes any context for that suffering, thus, I'd argue, removing the meaning and usefulness of the search. The problem, on some level, may be fixed, but the reason for it, the purpose of it is completely ignored.
And I don't think that's a surprise to anyone, doctors or their patients. Most probably don't expect the doctor to place knee pain in the greater context of the person's struggle and strife in life...
and I believe that's a huge flaw in medical care, as practiced by so many.
Most of us healthcare professionals talk about getting to the "root" of the problem. We all want to figure out why you're having that knee pain.
Yet, for some reason, the current dominant medical system, draws a line, creates a limit to what "medicine" can do for you. They'll search and search for a cause, even try to catch a disease, such as cancer, "early" in its development, yet there is quite obviously a whole realm of maladies they won't touch (at least until some physical mediator of spiritual experiences can be found, some chemical that, once triggered, will allow you to find your place in the world is discovered, and I would argue such things don't exist in the tangible realm of experience... but I digress).
To me, to my odd eyes, this doesn't make sense. It's a glaring shortcoming of modern medicine. Suffering may be alleviated, but only specific types and only to a certain degree - they can trace the source only so far, and, then, poof, it disappears to their eyes.
The bigger questions, such as the nature of self, it could be argued, is not a matter of medicine, but of philosophy, religion, maybe, or spirituality. I believe, however, the self, its nature, role, drive, etc. is literally the heart of experience and, thus, suffering. All else comes second, is an extension, a reflection, an effect of the self and its happening in life and the world.
To miss this is to limit, right from the start, the ability to see, to understand, to diagnose thoroughly suffering. In the complex chemical soup that is our human bodies no real answers can be found. All searches must end prematurely; all diseases treated incompletely, always merely putting suffering into temporary remission.
There is a source, a cause of your pain, but it is much more... deep than the physical, the surface presentation. It may be treated, medically, but that will only buy you time; suffering will continue, in a myriad of ways, until the root is found, addressed. I think most doctors agree, but not all base their practice of medicine on this understanding.
And this is likely because there is little demand for such thorough investigation. So often, we find ourselves looking for simple, quick fixes. It makes sense that the system of medicine generated by a population with such a mindset is defined, limited, by that very mindset.
I believe, though, most, at some point, come to seek more complete, more fulfilling answers. Be it from persistent physical illness, unaddressed by "medicine", or frankly "spiritual" desires of the true source, we are called to seek and know.
I believe that to be human nature - a period of living at the surface of life, followed by a need to dive into the depths.
The two systems of medicine I study - Chinese medicine and yoga - are both defined by their being the accumulation of medical interactions over thousands of years. They have, thus, experienced the full cycle of human wonderings.
They are, in this way, well matured systems of medicine, complete in their ability to see/understand/diagnose sufferings of all types. They are not restrained by the physicality or philosophy of what bothers you; if you are suffering, they can help.
Both these systems recognize the medical and the spiritual, but they do not see two separate fields. They understand the medical to be the concrete, fully manifest aspect of the spiritual, and they understand spiritual issues as the essence, the heart of medical complaints.
This may seem odd. Perhaps it is, but if it speaks to you, if it quickens your heart, and fuels a need to know more fully, to understand, then seek a practitioner that knows the limits, but crosses that line.
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