Chapter Beth DuPree

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=125 BGCOLOR="#BFBF00" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="05b467d1dwoxjb.png"> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="275207d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="125" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=189 style="border-right: 1px solid #CCCCCC;" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WovenWord Press"><B>home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id89.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="new from the press/Mother Blessings/Jour"><B>new from the press</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="catalog"><B>catalog</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="how to order this book"><B>how to order</B></A><B> </B><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="how to order this book"><B>books</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="who we are"><B>who we are</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="links"><B>links</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="contact"><B>contact </B></A></div> <div> <B>    </B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=355 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFF99" TEXT="#080000"> <div>               </div> <div>                      </div> <div>      <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>c h a p t e r   s a m p l e</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Healing Consciousness:</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>               A Doctor's Journey to Healing</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>    </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>                                  -Beth Baughman DuPree, MD</B></I></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I></div> <div> Introduction</div> <bR> <bR> <div> The air is crisp and damp. The screen door slams shut behind me. </div> <div> Somehow the same coffee I have been</div> <div> drinking every morning for years tastes better. The stillness</div> <div> and serenity are deafening. The only sounds I hear</div> <div> are those created by cicadas and birds. This has become</div> <div> my morning song and I begin to breathe in unison with</div> <div> nature. The lush green grass is covered with dew and my</div> <div> feet are drenched but the wet feels invigorating. The</div> <div> stroll to the garden is peaceful. As I approach the pond,</div> <div> the bullfrog awakens to bellow good morning.</div> <div> I was missing this link for some time, not realizing</div> <div> that I needed to be connected to Mother Earth and to</div> <div> nature in order to nurture my soul. Somehow I was</div> <div> guided to this land, a piece of timeless history that could</div> <div> rejuvenate my spirit after a long day’s work. I have been</div> <div> gifted as a caregiver, yet failed to give care to a most</div> <div> important person in my life—me. If I am not well and</div> <div> cared for, I will be unable to care for others, and I’ll be</div> <div> useless as I try to guide my patients to wellness and</div> <div> healing.</div> <bR> <div> We now live on a farm we call home. My children,</div> <div> Tom and Dean, have adjusted to the move and my husband</div> <div> Joe is seeing the benefits of it for our whole family.</div> <div> When I came upon this property, my family and friends</div> <div> thought I was certifiable for even considering a move</div> <div> from our comfortable modern home to an antique</div> <div> dwelling. How could we possibly find the time to restore</div> <div> this property when we are already busy? The buildings</div> <div> are all in need of repair. They have been standing for</div> <div> nearly three hundred years and will probably keep</div> <div> standing until we get around to repairing all of the disorders</div> <div> and squeaking complaints they have.We are all</div> <div> playing a role in the restoration of our new home.</div> <div> The perennial garden needs love and attention, as</div> <div> does the entire property. I choose not to focus on the</div> <div> list of things that are broken and need repair; instead I</div> <div> choose to focus on what is right and healing and perfect</div> <div> about this place. As I do with my patients, I see the wellness</div> <div> in the land and the buildings.We will tend to the</div> <div> “disease” of the property just as I do with my patients,</div> <div> healing one person at a time, always focusing on what is</div> <div> healthy about each individual.</div> <div> My heart warms as I drive down the tree-lined</div> <div> driveway and find my husband sitting with our two sons</div> <div> fishing at the edge of our neighbor’s pond. What would</div> <div> have been a weekend adventure is now an after school</div> <div> bonus. It is a different way of life than we have known</div> <div> as a family.We are working together on projects and seeing</div> <div> the magnificent changes that we can manifest with</div> <div> our own hands. I am in awe of the beauty that has been</div> <div> preserved on this amazing piece of land in historic Bucks</div> <div> County and I find myself continually asking, “How did I</div> <div> arrive at this destination?”</div> <bR> <div> Although I consider myself a spontaneous individual,</div> <div> I do take the time to make rational logical decisions. As a</div> <div> surgeon, that is considered mandatory. I have lived a</div> <div> rather planned life, knowing where I was headed all the</div> <div> time. In the past I would set my sight on a goal or a destination,</div> <div> and make it happen. This is no different than most</div> <div> other driven individuals in the world. I had a great college</div> <div> experience. It was a time to mature, become educated and</div> <div> heal the loss of my only brother. After college I was</div> <div> accepted to medical school, where I met and married my</div> <div> husband Joe as I prepared for my future as a surgeon. I</div> <div> then matched into a great surgical residency program that</div> <div> taught me the skills I needed to be a general surgeon. I</div> <div> only had a four-month window in which I could deliver a</div> <div> child and still complete the program on time. I was able</div> <div> to make that work, too. I found a beautiful area in which</div> <div> to practice surgery and raise a family. For many years it</div> <div> seemed as though I was always working toward an undisclosed</div> <div> destination. I was working at a frenetic pace and</div> <div> was nearly spinning out of control, trying to be everything</div> <div> to everyone who needed me.</div> <div> <I>It took my beautiful children, friends, and my amazing patients</I></div> <div> <I>to teach me that it is truly the journey in life that is so magnificent.</I></div> <div> Once I was able to slow down the constant chatter</div> <div> in my head, I could actually enjoy that which was right</div> <div> in front of me. As a result I have become a better mother,</div> <div> a better wife, a better friend and, as a physician, a better</div> <div> healer. In order to appreciate the life that I was living,</div> <div> I needed to change in so many ways, yet preserve and</div> <div> nurture those aspects of myself that really make my</div> <div> heart sing.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Change is one of the only constants in our lives. </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Diotima-Roman" >It can also</FONT></div> <div> be one of the most difficult things to accept, particularly</div> <div> when something unexpected comes upon us. Even</div> <div> when we are given time to prepare for change, the actual</div> <div> change can be very difficult to accept. Witnessing the</div> <div> effects our move to a farm had on my young sons—</div> <div> changing schools and having to make new friends—gave</div> <div> me a better perspective on this process. I was the one</div> <div> who really wanted to make this change in our lifestyle.</div> <div> Although they were afraid of the change, they began to</div> <div> trust my intuition and judgment.</div> <div> This process also happens with my patients. When</div> <div> someone is diagnosed with a disease that is beyond</div> <div> their control, they must learn to adapt. As I have seen</div> <div> my children blossom in their new environment and</div> <div> grow to love the changes in their lives, I know that the</div> <div> changes I have made in the way I choose to treat my</div> <div> patients also have been the correct ones. Breast cancer,</div> <div> like any disease, brings about change that is seldom</div> <div> anticipated and never desired. My goal as a doctor and</div> <div> healer is to ease my patient’s passage through this</div> <div> process of change.</div> <bR> <div> Creating a new and better existence may not seem</div> <div> to go along with a diagnosis of cancer, yet the level of</div> <div> adversity cancer brings allows for tremendous growth in</div> <div> positive ways. Helping to eliminate the fear that surrounds</div> <div> the disease is often the most daunting task. Not</div> <div> only do patients manifest this fear, but also the spouse,</div> <div> parents, caregivers, and children involved. Fear has the</div> <div> ability to paralyze even the strongest human beings.</div> <div> Alleviating the fear is often more challenging than treating</div> <div> the physical cancer. Adversity can be the greatest</div> <div> teacher the universe can throw at us. If we are unable or</div> <div> unwilling to be open to change, we will miss the opportunity</div> <div> to grow and to experience the wonders of truly</div> <div> <I>living</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Diotima-Roman" >. I have never been afraid of change, but now I welcome</FONT></div> <div> it as yet another opportunity to grow as a spiritual</div> <div> being.</div> <bR> <div> As physicians, the role we play in our patients’</div> <div> process of dealing with and recovering from disease is</div> <div> greater than many of us realize. Somewhere along the</div> <div> way there has been a “disconnect” in the relationship</div> <div> between doctors and patients. I have been working diligently</div> <div> on myself to reconnect with that healing art we</div> <div> call medicine. I have had some amazing teachers along</div> <div> my path and continue to be open to what the universe</div> <div> has in store for me. I have no fear, just loving intention</div> <div> as I do what I do. Others may not understand my methods,</div> <div> but the results I see in my patients tell me that I am</div> <div> truly on the correct path.</div> <bR> <div> Western medicine (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation),</div> <div> is in my right hand as I treat women and men with</div> <div> breast disease. Modern technology has given us the ability</div> <div> to eradicate cancer from the body in some cases. Eastern</div> <div> healing modalities (Reiki, yoga, massage, meditation, guided</div> <div> imagery, diet, and wellness) are in my left hand. They</div> <div> complete the mind, body, spirit connection. Both hands</div> <div> work in concert to orchestrate the healing process.</div> <div> If we rely solely on what the West has to offer and</div> <div> use two right hands in our approach to treat disease,</div> <div> there is dis-coordination. They do not join together naturally</div> <div> and we may cure a patient’s disease yet leave them</div> <div> an empty shell. If we rely solely on Eastern modalities,</div> <div> often referred to as “alternative,” and discount the wonderful</div> <div> gifts Western medicine has to offer, we may miss</div> <div> an opportunity to cure the physical body of its disease.</div> <div> As a team, the right and left hand can do much to create</div> <div> and manifest healing and wellness. The marriage of</div> <div> Eastern and Western medicine can lead to magnificent</div> <div> results. They enhance or complement one another.</div> <div> Therefore, I choose to refer to Eastern healing modalities</div> <div> as <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Diotima-Italic" ><I>complementary </I></FONT>as opposed to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Diotima-Italic" ><I>alternative</I></FONT>, as they are a</div> <div> complement to Western medicine not a replacement for</div> <div> it.</div> <bR> <div> I am privileged to experience the healing process, on</div> <div> a daily basis. I tell my patients that the Universe has</div> <div> many ways in which to communicate with us. When I</div> <div> give a patient a diagnosis of cancer, it seems to them</div> <div> that the Universe has chosen to scream. As human</div> <div> beings, we tend to react to a scream differently than we</div> <div> react to a whisper. Facing a life-threatening illness, my</div> <div> patients make changes in their day-to-day lives they may</div> <div> have otherwise put off to a later date. They quickly learn</div> <div> to honor themselves and distance themselves from situations</div> <div> and people who do not enhance their wellbeing.</div> <div> Many of us are guilty of tolerating situations in our lives</div> <div> that are unhealthy for us.</div> <bR> <div> When I have the great fortune to give a benign diagnosis</div> <div> (that the results are not cancer), I remind my</div> <div> patients that the Universe has just given them a whisper,</div> <div> and they should evaluate things in their lives they would</div> <div> have changed had I told them they had cancer. Every</div> <div> woman or man who has a breast biopsy has a time when</div> <div> they think, “What will I do differently if I have cancer?”</div> <div> I have chosen to listen to the whispers in my life.</div> <div> When we begin to listen to the whispers in our lives,</div> <div> there will be no need for screaming. I hope patients,</div> <div> doctors, and all human beings might begin to awaken to</div> <div> their greatest gifts and find true happiness and love in</div> <div> every aspect of their lives through embracing The</div> <div> Healing Consciousness.</div> <bR> <div> The Healing Consciousness is awareness, found deep</div> <div> within<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FF0103" FACE="Diotima-Roman" > </FONT>ourselves, where we embrace the eternal nature</div> <div> of our souls and release all fear of death. Embracing this</div> <div> awareness, we are free to experience the present</div> <div> moment fully. Illness and disease teach us to embrace</div> <div> the moment and live the journey to the fullest for no</div> <div> one is guaranteed tomorrow.</div> <bR> <div> <B>_______________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Author Beth DuPree">about the author</A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id191.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter Beth DuPree">sample book chapter</A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="catalog">catalog</A></div> <div>                   </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>                                           <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="how to order this book">How to Order this Book</A> </div> <bR> <div>   </div> <div> The Healing Consciousness</div> <div> Beth Baughman DuPree, MD</div> <div> 320 pgs.  $22.00  ISBN: 0976667843</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>                                                                             </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>