"Diseases cannot be reduced to pathological facts, they constitute other worlds." - Oliver Sacks
Despite great progress in modern medicine, patients are increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with their medical care. As healthcare delivery becomes increasingly corporatized, physicians in the fifteen-minute visit are focused on quick diagnosis and prescription without appreciating the complexity of the patient story. Symptoms that cannot be diagnosed based on a lab finding or procedure are often classified as unimportant or psychosomatic.
Narrative Medicine is a new movement and skill based on the idea that healing is intimately connected to the stories we tell ourselves and our dynamic with others. Narrative Medicine incorporates a person's lived experiences and perspective, creating a relationship between healer and patient that allows for true interchange and out of the box thinking, leading to better care.
In this workshop led by Dr Nadia Marsh, we will discuss the narrative medicine approach and share our stories through writing, as well as practice nonverbal communication and attentive listening. These narrative medicine techniques can be helpful not only for health care professionals and caregivers, but anyone who is ready to draw strength from community, go beyond fixed ways of thinking, and be both vulnerable and supported simultaneously.
Dr. Nadia Marsh is a fellowship-trained Integrative Medicine physician, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care. She currently sees patients at Silver Spring Integrative Medicine (www.silvserspringintegrativemed.com) and has previously held medical faculty positions at Columbia University, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and George Washington School of Medicine. She also initiated and directed the first Integrative Medicine clinic at the Washington DC Veterans Medical Center and is a specialist in providing quality holistic care for older people.
When: Wednesday June 22, 7:30-9 pm
Where: RhizomeDC, 6950 Maple St NW DC
Cost: Suggested donation $10, but pay what you can
Please RSVP via email to info@rhizomedc.org if you plan on attending!