Bernie Siegel

Dr. Bernie Siegel, who prefers to be called Bernie, not Dr. Siegel, was born in Brooklyn, NY. He attended Colgate University and Cornell University Medical College. He holds membership in two scholastic honor societies, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated with honors. His surgical training took place at Yale New Haven Hospital, West Haven Veteran’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He retired from practice as an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Yale of general and pediatric surgery in 1989 to speak to patients and their caregivers. In 1978 he originated Exceptional Cancer Patients, a specific form of individual and group therapy utilizing patients’ drawings, dreams, images and feelings. ECaP is based on “carefrontation,” a safe, loving therapeutic confrontation, which facilitates personal lifestyle changes, personal empowerment and healing of the individual’s life. The physical, spiritual and psychological benefits which followed led to his desire to make everyone aware of his or her healing potential. He realized exceptional behavior is what we are all capable of. Bernie, and his wife and coworker Bobbie, live in a suburb of New Haven, Connecticut. They have five children and eight grandchildren. Bernie and Bobbie have co-authored their children, books and articles. Their home with its many children, pets and interests resembled a cross between a family art gallery, museum, zoo and automobile repair shop. It still resembles these things, although the children are trying to improve its appearance in order to avoid embarrassment. In 1986 his first book, Love. Medicine & Miracles was published. This event redirected his life. In 1989 Peace, Love & Healing and in 1993 How To Live Between Office Visits followed. He is currently working on other books with the goal of humanizing medical education and medical care, as well as, empowering patients and teaching survival behavior to enhance immune system competency. Bernie’s realization that we all need help dealing with the difficulties of life, not just the physical ones, led to Bernie writing his fourth book in 1998 Prescriptions for Living. It helps people to become aware of the eternal truths and wisdom of the sages through Bernie’s stories and insights rather than wait a personal disaster. He wants to help people fix their lives before they are broken, and thus not have to become strong at the broken places. Published in 2003 are Help Me To Heal to empower patients and their caregivers and 365 Prescriptions For The Soul, in 2004 a children’s book about how difficulties can become blessings, Smudge Bunny, in 2005 101 Exercises For The Soul and out in the Fall of 2006 a prescriptions for parenting book Love, Magic & Mud Pies. Published in 2008 Buddy’s Candle, for children of all ages, related to dealing with the loss of a loved one, be it a pet or parent, and to be published in 2009 Faith, Hope & Healing with survivor stories and my reflections about what they teach us. Woody Allen once said, “If I had one wish it would be to be somebody else.” Bernie’s wish was to be a few inches taller. His work has been such a growth experience that he is now a few inches taller. His prediction is that in the next decade the role of consciousness, spirituality, non-local healing, body memory, and heart energy will all be explored as scientific subjects. For many, Bernie needs no introduction. He has touched many lives all over our planet. In 1978 he began talking about patient empowerment and the choice to live fully and die in peace. As a physician, who has cared for and counseled innumerable people whose mortality has been threatened by an illness, Bernie embraces a philosophy of living and dying that stands at the forefront of the medical ethics and spiritual issues our society grapples with today. He continues to assist in the breaking of new ground in the field of healing and personally struggling to live the message of kindness and love. Dr. Siegel appeared on the radio show “Healing the Grieving Heart” with Dr. Gloria & Dr. Heidi Horsley to discuss Finding Thanksgiving After Loss.

Articles:

Tips for Bedside Visitors

Tips for Bedside Visitors We know that you don’t need anyone to coach you or instruct you in lovingly reaching out and touching your loved one: holding her hand, putting a (warm or cool) wash cloth on his forehead or giving her a hug. My offering here is to help extend and enhance what you so naturally know how to do in helping your loved one heal. Our excitement about the healing potential of bedside visits came from someone I know who did “bedside ballet” with his mother-in-law shortly after she suffered a stroke. Family members credited this activity with […]

Making the Most of Your Bedside Visits: Tips for Patients

Making the Most of Bedside Visits Whether you are convalescing at home or are in a hospital or other facility right now, there are some simple things you can do with a loved one or companion – that will feel good and also help you to heal. In the hospital setting, you may be in the care of a physical therapist. Such a specialist can help you work wonders on the way towards recovery. But the demands on their time are such that your needs for physical exercise cannot be met by them alone. Time is of the essence here; […]

Can We be Free of Pain?

At workshops, I frequently ask people if they would like to be free of pain, emotional and physical. If they say yes, I ask them to take my phone number so they can call me later and cancel the gift. Think about lepers and diabetics with peripheral neuropathy who are losing their limbs because they cannot feel infections or injuries. Then think about our feelings and emotions and how important it is to respond to them. I grew up with a mother whose advice about every problem was always the same, “Do what will make you happy.” She taught me […]

Messages From My Deceased Wife

I cannot deny since my wife died, a little over two years ago, my experiences have been incredible. The first experience was a call from a former patient and mystic two days later. She said had a message from an opera singer that Bobbie was fine and with family again. My wife’s mother was an opera singer. Next, I began finding pennies everywhere. We began calling pennies from Heaven. I knew that my wife was involved somehow. The pennies appeared in places where I saw no pennies an hour before. I found pennies on the floor, in our bed, and […]

Change, the Unwanted Gift

My wife died 10 days before I wrote these words. What I know I have lost is her physical body, and it makes me feel emptier than I have ever been. We were married for 63 years. At the same time, I have the sense that she’s still with me. What do I mean by that? I mean that her humor, beauty, love and spirit are still beside me and will never be lost by me. As many wise authors note, love is immortal and makes all things immortal. The bridge between the land of the living and the land […]

Finding Your Inner Grief Guide

Finding My Inner Grief Guide Many years ago, I attended a workshop to enhance my ability to empower my cancer patients to recover. We were taught about imagery and asked to close our eyes and visualize what the physician described to us. He wanted us to find an inner grief guide. I had no belief in what he discussed, so sat with my eyes open looking at him on the stage. When he looked at me and could see I wasn’t following his directions, I closed my eyes to trick him. That’s when interesting things happened. I am an artist […]

My New Girlfriends: Pets and Grieving

I can’t help but reflect on how caring and wise my family’s animals are. My wife died a little over two years ago, and I have remained at home with our 4-legged children who are wonderful companions. I find that pets and grieving are a good combination. They are caring and, in my case, they try to fill in as much as possible for my wife. My wife and I shared a queen-sized bed for many decades. I have kept it just the way it was when she was lying beside me. I have had so many mystical and wonderful […]

Butterfly Represents Woman After Death

The Journey to Hawaii Several years ago, one of the cancer patients I counseled told me she was going to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where her mother lived. The patient intended to resolve her difficulties with her mother and die there. She accomplished all that she had hoped for and died there feeling loved, complete and at peace with herself. About eighteen months after my patient’s death, my wife Bobbie and I were invited to the island of Kauai to do an outdoor weekend workshop. I was thrilled to go because I love the islands and feeling close to […]

Change: The Unwanted Gift

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly. ” – Richard Bach Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 — To everything there is a season; And a time to every purpose under the sun; A time to get and a time to lose; A time to keep and a time to cast away. My wife died after we were married for 63 years, but at the same time I still have her with me. What do I mean by that? I mean that her humor, beauty, love and spirit are still beside me and will never be lost […]

We Don’t Die. Our Bodies Do.

As someone who has had a near death and past life experience, I know the truth about what we call death. When my wife died 18 months ago, the incredible experiences I had were not surprising to me at all. First, I have a patient who is a mystic and she called after my wife died to tell me a woman who was an opera singer contacted her to tell her Bobbie was fine and back with her family. My wife’s mother was an opera singer. While in bed one night, I heard my wife’s voice and sat up and […]

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