Hope and Healing Research

Dr. Hedaya was recently interviewed by the Integrative Medicine Clinician’s Journal. He was asked about the role of hope in the healing process. This is his response:

“Hope is critical in all healing. A book written by Jerome Frank Persuasion and Healing, deals with this topic very effectively. Hopelessness is one of the cardinal features of depression (as is helplessness). Hope and depression are inversely correlated. Hope assists healing and can in and of itself cause healing, but there are many situations (e.g., pernicious anemia leading to panic and depression) which cannot be treated with hope. They require some detective work and targeted treatments. Hope can keep the patient engaged in the process of healing.”

Amazon's description captures the book's essence well: "This popular study of "psychological healing"treats topics ranging from religious revivalism and magical healing to contemporary psychotherapies, from the role of the shaman in non-industrialized societies to the traditional mental hospital. Jerome and Julia Frank (who are father and daughter) contend that these therapies share common elements that improve the "morale"of sufferers. And in combating the "demoralizing meaning"that people attach to their experiences, the authors argue, many therapies are surprisingly similar to rhetoric (the art of persuasion) and to hermeneutics (the study of meanings)."

Integrative Medicine Clinician's Journal

Source: IMCJ