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Ed Cohen | Exploring the Path to Healing and Transformation | K&C 25

Kindness & Compassion Podcast

Release Date: 09/22/2023

Ed Cohen | Exploring the Path to Healing and Transformation | K&C 25 show art Ed Cohen | Exploring the Path to Healing and Transformation | K&C 25

Kindness & Compassion Podcast

Are you looking for a fresh perspective on healthcare and healing? In this episode, we delve into the historical shift in medicine's focus from healing as the primary goal to the modern emphasis on diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and billing. Dr. Cohen argues that true healing is a biological phenomenon inherent in all living organisms, emphasizing the importance of supporting individuals in enhancing their overall well-being. The distinction between healing and curing is a central theme, highlighting the transformative power of embracing life's journey, scars, challenges, and all. Dr. Cohen...

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Kindness & Compassion Podcast

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More Episodes

Are you looking for a fresh perspective on healthcare and healing? In this episode, we delve into the historical shift in medicine's focus from healing as the primary goal to the modern emphasis on diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and billing. Dr. Cohen argues that true healing is a biological phenomenon inherent in all living organisms, emphasizing the importance of supporting individuals in enhancing their overall well-being.

The distinction between healing and curing is a central theme, highlighting the transformative power of embracing life's journey, scars, challenges, and all. Dr. Cohen challenges the traditional definition of healing and discusses the limitations of the current healthcare system, particularly regarding access to care and the financial burdens it imposes. Tune in and discover a new way of approaching your own well-being.

About Ed Cohen

At thirteen, Ed Cohen was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease—a chronic, incurable condition that nearly killed him in his early twenties. At his diagnosis, his doctors told him that the best he could hope for was periods of remission. Unfortunately, they did not mention healing as a possibility.

In his book, On Learning to Heal, Cohen draws on fifty years of living with Crohn’s to consider how Western medical practices turn from an “art of healing” toward a “science of medicine” deeply affects both medical practitioners and their patients. He demonstrates that although medical sciences provide many seemingly miraculous therapies, it is not solely the way to enhance healing. Exploring his own path to healing, he argues that learning to heal requires us to desire and value healing as a vital possibility.

As a therapeutic process, Ed's practice, Healing Counsel, encourages us to embrace the potential for healing embedded in even our most traumatic experiences. From his sessions, people can expect to gain clearer insights about the intelligence that illnesses often reveal and to develop strategies for cultivating more healing relations to their “self” and to the world. Healing Counsel seeks to reframe illnesses and other challenges that are thrown our way as invitations for healing, thereby broadening our repertoire for living unconstrained and with greater grace.

His practice emerges from the skills and resources that he has developed while living and thriving with Crohn’s disease. Over the last 40 years or so, this experience has challenged him not just to desire to heal, but also to recognize that healing is a value.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode