The Gift Of Giving with Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

MP3 Download

Would you rather live from the heart or live from the intellect?  Inspired by stories from her grandfather, an orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabballah, Rachel Naomi Remen tells with wit and inspiration of her emergence from a socialistic, atheistic upbringing to a life and medical practice filled with grace, mystery and wonder. She advises “We may all need to know less and wonder more.” Remen conveys how strongly we need to acknowledge our own stories, to understand that life is defined by mystery rather than by science and how we can move from “helping” and “fixing” others to serving others. “In this high tech world we place such value on our skills and on our expertise. But our expertise doesn’t make us whole and it doesn’t make the world whole either.   I think our truth, our goodness, our open-heartedness is much more powerful than our expertise.” (hosted by Michael Toms) 

Bio

Rachel Naomi Remen, MD (1938-2026) was a pioneering physician, author, and mind-body medicine teacher. She was Clinical Professor Emeritus of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF and Professor of Family Medicine at Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine. She co-founded the Commonweal Cancer Help Program and founded the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness and she created "The Healer's Art," a curriculum now taught in medical schools nationwide.

Rachel Naomi Remen’s books include:

• Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal (Riverhead Books 1996)
• My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging (Riverhead Books, 2000)

To learn more about Rachel Naomi Remen go to www.rachelremen.com

Topics explored in this dialogue include:

• Honoring your own story and the importance of who you are
• Embracing mystery and wonder 
• The truth behind “service”
• Understanding the darkness in order to recognize the gift of light
• Learn how our blessings matter
• The courage to speak the truth 

Host: Michael Toms       Interview Date: 7/27/2000         Program Number: 2829