Being Human in Medicine: Beyond Hierarchy

decade ago when I was in training to teach the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and preparing to modify the program for physicians I asked my University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness teacher (Florence Meleo-Meyer, the current Director of Oasis) if being a psychologist would be a hindrance when teaching a room full of physicians. Her answer has guided me ever since. Florence replied, “In mindfulness there is no hierarchy.” From that moment on, I let go of various thoughts, such as: “Having not gone through medical training may undermine my credibility. When I co-lead with my colleague, a palliative care doctor, will they turn to him, rather than me, as a teacher?” These thoughts revealed certain insecurities that were, in fact, unwarranted. My clinical and research training, as well as 25 years of clinical and teaching experiences prepared me well to instruct medical students, residents, physicians, and allied health care professionals in Mindful Medical Practice. Another person who influenced my attitude about hierarchy was Paul Jurkowski, a psychiatrist who trained alongside me; he would say, “I need to go now, there is a human being in the waiting room.”