HOPE IS THE HEALER

Written by

Brij Sachdeva

Hope is remarkable. It is a miracle. It lives within each of us, costs nothing, and requires only a mindset we can cultivate by believing recovery is possible.

Assurance of a doctor, blessings of a guru, rhetoric influence of a holy place, or it may be any kind of faith that generates certain kind of optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcome, has the capacity to trigger a psychosomatic phenomenon that may lead to the cure of a disease.

Anxious mind of a sick person becomes a battle field for anxiety and hope. The feeling of anxiety becomes an obstacle in the process of healing. The conflict between hope and anxiety creates an uncertain and insecure state of mind. If the hope is enough to destroy the anxiety, a feeling of confidence arises, which aids in healing. If anxiety destroys hope, despair takes the place of both. 

My friend had warts on his face. He had been undergoing treatment for many years. He consulted many doctors, was given various medications, but nothing was working. One day I took him to a temple that was famous for curing warts. There, he performed a ritual of offering a packet of salt and a broom. From the very next day his warts started disappearing on their own. In a week all the warts fell off and his face was completely free of warts. 

One case described by a doctor was of a patient suffering from a rare, very serious cancer, who was given six months to live by the oncologist. When the patient asked his general practitioner whether he knew of any alternative treatment, the latter conceded that whilst he did not know of any, this did not mean that no alternative treatment existed. This gave the patient the resolve he needed and he said, ‘Well, I am going to find something.’ In fact, he found some alternative medical treatment and he came back full of confidence and hope. He survived for another three years.

But it is also true that ill-grounded hopes produce false security which can lead to disappointment and despair. Raising unfounded and unrealistic expectations by concealing the truth can make someone feel optimistic and empowering. Overconfidence happens from feeling that you have the control, but the problem begins when you realise that you don’t. Hope in medical treatment is valid and authoritative only when it is founded on reality and understanding.

Read in Hindi

चिकित्सा और आशावाद