I was extremely moved by John Graham’s speech today in class. His stories of the little boys he treated were riveting, and I was astounded by his bravery. I am not sure I would ever be able to act logically and professionally when confronted with a little boy missing half his face, or with an arm dismembered. I appreciated the emphasis he placed on respecting other’s experiences and beliefs. Doctor’s should understand that religion plays an important role in the majority of their patient’s lives. Respect is key, and perhaps something that has been lacking in the modern medical practice, where patients are examined by the doctor in a brief period of minutes, and then left isolated in their beds to wallow in fear. It was obviously a very different time in the history of medicine. I doubt whether in today’s world a patient’s family would ever feel comfortable enough with the doctor to grab his hands and pray with him. Graham understands the power of belief, which is what caused him to up and leave medicine, in the pursuit of his spiritual calling. When he describes the presence at the edge of his bed during his conversion episode, he reminds us that this was his experience, and whether or not we believe it, he does, and it has played an essential role in the direction his life took. If doctor’s are going to truly gain the trust of a patient, they must realize that a patient’s beliefs may not coincide with their own, but it is not their place to question those beliefs. Physicians should try to understand the values patients hold closest to their hearts, which will allow them to form a closer bond, and gain the trust of the patient. I believe that medicine is a partnership between he healer and the healee, and both have responsibilities towards each other; the tighter their bond, the better the expected outcomes.
I was also interested by Graham calling into question the very existence of true atheists. His point being, when most people are confronted with a life or death experience, they pray to anything that can possible help to deliver them from suffering. I agree with this reflection, which could be used as evidence for the inherent spirituality of humans. Human spirituality is also supported by the fact that every civilization in history has had a religion. I believe that both of these points substantiate the existence of a vitalistic life force. At our core, we humans reach out in our moments of need to an intangible, mysterious higher power. In many studies, including those of Koenig, a healthy relationship with the divine has been shown to improve clinical outcomes. John Graham believes in his human spirit, and a divine spirit, and he knows he’s right because it is his belief, and is meaningful to his experience. There are more to human than just cogs and gears, if our lives are guided by a higher power. In John Graham’s case, he proudly states he was guided to become a doctor, guided to become a priest, and presumably guided to the reconcile the two.
I greatly appreciated what Dr. Graham had to say about the place for spirituality in medicine. I was fascinated by the captivating stories of his most memorable medical cases and how he recounted various moments of clarity that he had in each of this instances. The manner which he discussed these comments somewhat changed my perception of religion’s role in medicine. Although it was clear that these moments represented a connection with God for Dr. Graham, when he presented them to us I could tell that his purpose was not to convince us of their religious meaning. Rather, as he phrased it, it was something that he experienced and leaving it out of the story would be misrepresenting what transpired that day.
Blind Faith’s opposition to religion’s role in medicine is largely based on the idea that religion can act as a cure and improve health outcomes. However, as Dr. Graham pointed out, religion can benefit health care more generally by creating a more welcoming environment and help the patient fully trust their doctor. Showing concern for people’s spiritual and religious beliefs doesn’t undermine the medical process by brushing aside the mechanistic practices that western medicine is founded on. Instead, I feel that it has the potential to foster a greater understanding of a patient’s perspective and create a close bond the doctor. Dr. Graham’s emotional stories of being reunited with the little boy whose face he fixed at church and of how he attended the wedding of the boy whose arm he reattached show how doctors have the potential to form relationships with patients that literally last a lifetime. Although I’m still not fully convinced of the curative powers of prayer and religion, I believe consideration and discussion of patients spiritual beliefs can help to form better doctor-patient relationships and create a trusting safe setting for treatment.