A touch of the heart to light one's way
A touch of the heart to light one’s way
Dr. Jeanette offers wellness/personal advocate/consulting services to provide you with a sounding board about your current health situation and help you formulate solutions that will lead to a more vibrant, higher quality of life. Her professional biography can be found here with additional information on her two other websites: www.drjeanettegallagher.com and www.outoftheboxhealthcare.com. Here is a brief story about Dr. Jeanette and why she provides personalized healthcare advocate services through My Personal Advocate 2.

I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s when life was just life, no fluff, no niceness and there was not really much love going around. People were on the road to success at any cost. As a teen, this outlook on life was drilled into my head daily, and it remained a life focus for me well into my 50’s. But while I was growing up, I had a tender side, a side not shown to many people, and I could feel when others were hurting or upset and observed how they were cared for while in pain. There was no caring, no compassion, no loving touch and no real easing of their pain. They were sure to carry the imprints of their suffering for decades. Throughout my young adult life, I too hit many road blocks that seemed to take me to my knees; medical issues, family and personal issues and losses of all kinds seemed to keep my calendar busy. I, too, did not receive the comfort that I so wished I could help others receive. So, what do you do in these situations? Keep your loving and caring heart in the dark and deny those who need it your tender touch or humble ear?

While working in the dental profession, I was repeatedly told to not interact with the patient other than to provide the services they came to receive. I found this very hard, and one day a woman came in to the office just a few days after her husband had died. I asked her why she felt the need to come when it was so soon after his passing, she said she did not want to disappoint the dentist and cancel her appointment. I gave her a hug, I sat and listened to her speak about her loving husband and then blessed her as she left with tears dripping down her face because someone had listened to her. Within seconds, I was ripped from my dental chair by the dentist and dragged into the office to ‘get a good scolding.’ I was told never to speak with a patient again about their personal life and I was put on probation. Really? Why is giving love and compassion while hearing a person share their heart such a bad thing? I soon left the profession, ending a career of over thirty years.

Yet again, I was chopped off at the knees in Naturopathic school when I was sitting with a woman who was struggling to speak after a stroke and she was sitting just next to me. I could feel her pain and struggle and reached over to just touch her lightly on the shoulder in comfort and acknowledgement that I was here. Within seconds, I was whisked to a private room and told never, ever, was I to reach out and attempt to take away someone’s pain, they needed to “feel their pain fully” and I was on ‘probation’ again. What the heck?

There are many studies about the effect of hand holding while elders are having cataract surgery, some of these effects being reduced need for pain medication, greater patient satisfaction, and comfort for the patient in all medical services being provided. Why are we so afraid of stepping over the line, offering our open heart or sharing our energy with another person who may need a spark to light their own spark? I simply cannot understand this, and I have met resistance throughout my decades in all aspects of healthcare.

Today, as a personal healthcare advocate, I offer my hand, my heart and my compassion for those who are in need and just for the asking, ……………. Just ask.  Schedule your ‘Bend My Ear’ session today.  We talk, you share, I listen and see if my help is perfect for you at this time.