Question for Bernie:
In 1988, I was diagnosed and treated for lung cancer. I joined a support group and learned of you. We were encouraged to get your book, Love, Medicine and Miracles. I did and we went to see you at Loyola University I think it was.
I carried your book with me to my chemo treatments and live by your book. I have given one to each person I have met who has cancer. Now my son has esophageal cancer and I have ordered one for him.
God Bless you, Dr. Siegel. You gave me so much encouragement, and I pray that it helps my son as well.
Bernie’s Answer:
I can be the coach, but the other part of the equation is that people have to show up for practice.
Men think too much, and they can lose the desire to live when they can’t work or do something.
Get him into relationships of some kind with living things—these can be pets or plants—but something to be responsible for and to care for.
Also, have him read another of my books—The Art of Healing: Uncovering Your Inner Wisdom and Potential for Self-Healing. It will help him to connect mind-body interaction, and there are 60 drawings by people to help explain it all.
Remind him of his potential, and to visualize what he desires.
Peace, love, and healing,
Bernie
Question for Bernie:
I have a very close friend struggling with deep depression. He had an aneurysm in May and almost died. He has given up on life.
I’m trying to help him. He’s such a great person and deserves so much better. Funny, he’s always had a lot of anger. Now there’s nothing but hopelessness.
Bernie’s Answer:
Ask him what he would want to do if he had 15 minutes to live. Best answer would be to buy a quart of chocolate ice cream and eat it, instead of calling people to say goodbye.
So, ask him, “What is your chocolate ice cream?” I have so many stories about people who were ready to die but didn’t.
What people chose to do varied depending on what they defined as their version of chocolate ice cream, but in each case, seemed to result in giving that person a second chance at life. One person moved to Colorado in order to “die in the mountains,” but started to recover. Another bought a house on the ocean to sit and meditate until the “end,” but also began to see his health improve. Others bought a dog and/or made sure to build a lot of laughter into their lives.
The common denominator was eliminating enough stress to recharge their bodies, minds, and souls with renewed interest in living life to the fullest.
Peace, love, and healing,
Bernie