Richard Mollica, MD: author of Healing Invisible Wounds and Plenary Speaker at Dare to Transform

[Helga West]

Recently, we had a thought-provoking dialogue with Richard Mollica about the nature of healing and Dr. Mollica’s newest projects seeking to bring what he has learned about healing in the refugee population to other audiences, and in exchange, to learn more about their experiences as well. Dr. Mollica is working on a new book on the “healing environment” and is most interested in dialoging with people about two key questions. The first has to do with “healing forces” that Mollica believes have not been well described. The second has to do with how memories of loved ones have helped people in their own recovery. So, we thought we’d pose Dr. Mollica’s questions directly to you for reflection and on-going dialog.

1. Can you share with me the impact of empathy and the divine in healing (that is, where a spirit force has aided recovery)? I’m looking for stories where these forces have aided recovery. (For instance, some people in their healing try to find a real or imagined place where they were maximally loved as a child or young person.)

2. Do you have any examples where the wisdom or memories of the father/mother or other loved ones have helped in recovery?

Please share your stories here and also with Dr. Mollica at [e-mail].

[Beth Filson]

It is very exciting to see this line of enquiry. How incredible to be able to talk about the divine (D?) in healing without getting labeled psychotic. I'd like to offer that we may be able to relate this question to the experience many of us have had with what we've been taught to call, "dissociation." If we did not have that word, (and I do dislike it because it diminishes my experience and wastes my insight by placing it in the context of symptomology) how would we explain that experience? I think the experience of turning away from the physical self due to trauma is where the spiritual and the Divine rest for many of us, perhaps. I've never been asked to describe that world, and it feels quite sacred to me. Tell Mollica he's on to something!
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