If America is going to provide insurance coverage for millions of more people than we do currently and we already can't handle the current load, then how in the world are we going to be able to do that? It seems so clear to me. The model must change and we must adapt to the reality. I think we could do it with a new model of care where the most common medical interaction is not one to one but one to many. Groups. Medical groups. Medical communities. Clans. That's what I learned in Fiji. Care can be delivered within a different model and one more suitable to caring for chronic issues. We can't continue to deliver care in the model we use; it does not work. People need more -- not more technology or more pharmaceuticals -- just more care and attention. Attention to their whole being. Thoughts, beliefs, feelings, longings. These all matter. This cannot be done with cramming in more one on one appointments. We will kill the doctors and our society. It is an entire paradigm shift -- a complete shift of values and priorities. But it is the way we are meant to be; our nature. We are pack animals craving our pack.
This is a picture from the Eucalyptus Grove At UCSD -- my dogs' favorite walk. Upon our return from our adventure, I read this from Buddhist psychologist, Rick Hanson. I really resonate with this aspect of connection. Connecting is in 3 directions -- inside with oneself, with others and with the world. When we strengthen one direction, we simultaneously strengthen our general connection. This is guidance to connect more deeply with the world. What makes you feel connected? I'd like to know. Are we really so separate? The Practice Love the world. Why? Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process): Reptile - Brainstem, focused on AVOIDING harm Mammal - Limbic system, focused on APPROACHING rewards Primate - Cortex, focused on ATTACHING to "us" With a fun use (to me, at least) of animal themes, the first JOT in this series - pet the lizard - was about how to soothe the most ancient structures of the...
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