From Doctor to Healer: The Transformative Journey [Hardcover]

Gloria St. John (Author), Robbie Davis-Floyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

"A fine resource for medical students, doctors, and medical educators."--Bernie Siegel, M.D. "The path one takes from being a doctor to embracing the fullness of our heritage as healers always leads right back to our own hearts. This book describes the journeys and the terrain in all its many facets."--Christiane Northrup, M.D., author, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom "A valuable map of the complex medical revolution that is slowly affecting us all."--David Hess, coauthor, Women Confront Cancer Why would a successful physician who has undergone seven years of rigorous Western medical training learn to practice homeopathy or Chinese medicine? From Doctor to Healer answers this question as it traces the transformational journeys of physicians who move across the philosophical spectrum of American medicine from doctor to healer. Robbie Davis-Floyd and Gloria St. John conducted extensive interviews to discover how and why physicians make the move to alternative medicine, what sparks this shift, and what beliefs they abandon or embrace in the process. After outlining the basic models of American health care--the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic paradigms--the authors follow the thoughts and experiences of forty physicians as they expand their horizons in order to offer more effective patient care. The book focuses on the radical shift from one end of the spectrum to the other--from the technocratic approach to holism--made by most of the interviewees. Because many American physicians resist such a drastic change, the authors also address the less radical transition to humanism--a movement toward compassionate care arising from within the medical system. Robbie Davis-Floyd is a Research Fellow at the University of Texas, Austin, and a medical anthropologist. She is the author of Birth as an American Rite of Passage and coeditor of Childbirth and Authoritative Knowledge: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, and Cyborg Babies: From Techno-Sex to Techno-Tots. Gloria St. John has been involved in the business end of health care for twenty-five years and has served as Executive Director of the MetaPhysicians. She is the editor of a homeopathic journal and is presently studying homeopathy.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; 1 edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813525195
• ISBN-13: 978-0813525198
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,808,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading for all physicians., December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: From Doctor to Healer: The Transformative Journey (Paperback)

"From Doctor to Healer" should be required reading for every medical student and physician. It is a classic text that clearly and concisely defines the paradigm shift that is occurring in medicine. The authors describe the characteristics of the old paradigm - "technomedicine" - and those who practice it; the bridging "humanistic" medicine with its distinguishing features; and the new paradigm of "holistic" medicine with its defining attributes. In the process of their superb illumination of the ways in which these types of medical practice differ, the authors use heart-rending and evocative interviews and comments from physicians who are stuck within the old paradigm, those who are making the shift, and those who have been through the transformation and have survived in their profession. The book is invaluable for physicians who are feeling isolated and confused about the imbalances they feel in their professional lives. The stories of other physicians who have had the same feelings and experiences, suffered the same wounds, felt completely alone in their anguish and longing for a different way to practice, will comfort and encourage readers to continue on their own paths to transformation within their profession. Patients who are seeking to understand their physicians, or looking to find a physician who is ready to be a partner in their healing process will be greatly assisted in their search by the information and insights in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who has any contact with the medical profession.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Doctor to Healer, July 8, 2007

By 

L. Hollow (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Doctor to Healer: The Transformative Journey (Paperback)

This book changed my professional life in a very positive direction. I had many realizations and have begun to study several different forms of alternative healing as a result of the content in this book. Very affirming and life changing for me. I also enjoyed the way it was written with quotes from other physicians and healers.
I highly recommend this book and purchased another copy to lend out to others.