Lewis Mehl-Madrona stood on the stage of Dibden Center on April 17 looking relaxed in a crisp white dress shirt. He had a captivating humbleness about him and his soft voice reverberated peacefully through the space. Mehl-Madrona had come to speak about his concepts of illness and healing. He had also come to discuss how he has infused his traditional allopathic medical training with the lessons of his Native American elders.
Mehl-Madrona was unpretentious and began by dispensing anecdotes about his past. He began, “When I was three years old – well I don’t remember, but this is what my mother tells me anyway – that when I was three years old I told her I was going to Stanford Medical School.” He paused, absorbing the laughter that followed all of his quips. “I am so honored to be here tonight,” he said. “I invite each and every one of you to dialogue with me. Please, I don’t just want to be up here talking the whole time.”
Mehl-Madrona is a man of his word. He entered Stanford Medical School in 1973. After graduation, he finished his training programs in family medicine and psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He is American Board certified in these specialties and has held faculty positions at institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
In 2005 he relocated to Canada, and currently holds an Associate Professor post at Saskatchewan University College of Medicine.
Despite these impeccable credits to his name, (as well as a 40-plus page list of credentials that are listed on his interactive website: mehlmadrona.mysite.com), Mehl-Madrona still refers to his greatest literary achievements as his “little books.” He has written three, the first of which was “Coyote Medicine: Lessons from Native America” (Firestone, New York, 1998). In “Coyote Medicine,” Mehl-Madrona recounts his story of growing up in a poor, rural Native American community in South Eastern Kentucky. He is of Scottish and Cherokee descent. In spite of being brought up in an imperfect environment – as he puts it: growing up with a wicked stepfather – it is evident that he has extracted value and a sense of purpose from his origins.
During his speech he asked if anyone had heard of his hometown. “Anyone ever been there?” he asked casually as a sly smile crept across his face. “There are more junk cars than people.”
“Coyote Medicine” is the story of how Mehl-Madrona gradually realized that traditional Western medicine could not satisfy the needs of all people. During his talk, he recounted the first time he realized that allopathic medicine wasn’t the final answer. It was while he was studying at Stanford that one his professors told him that life is a gradual process toward death and decay. Simply put, Mehl-Madrona did not subscribe to this naturalistic approach to life. He realized that he believed that universal forces are not necessarily working against us. This moment of epiphany combined with other issues regarding Western medicine caused him to delve back into his roots because, after all, he said, “I come from people that know healing.”
Mehl-Madrona’s second book, “Coyote Healing: Miracles from Native America” (Bear and Company, Rochester, VT, 2003) explores different principles and concepts of healing as well as experiences of traditional aboriginal healers. His
third book, “Coyote Wisdom: The Healing Power of Story” (Bear and Company, Rochester, VT, 2005) explores the power of narrative and stories in regards to healing. His upcoming book, “Narrative Medicine: A Storied Approach to Health and Healing” (Bear and Company, Rochester, VT in press), expands upon the importance of story within the context of healing. Specifically this book explores different systems of healing from a cross-section of cultures from around the globe.
Mehl-Madrona’s strong belief in the power of story was apparent throughout his talk. He relayed many personal as well as work-related tales that demonstrated his belief that healing and story are interconnected and inextricably correlated with one another. He stated his beliefs in a deliberate way, but it was clear that he values and appreciates the lessons of other cultures as well. Mehl-Madrona relayed to the audience that he believes the world would be a vastly better place if people gathered together periodically, in small or large groups, to tell their stories and listen to the stories of others. He believes that through this exchange of narrative, people can heal and aid in furthering the wellness of others.
“Every illness has a spirit and a consciousness,” he said.
Mehl-Madrona explained eloquently that only by following the path or history of an illness can we arrive at its source; and it is only through this journey that we can truly heal ourselves. He peppered in stories of his own experiences aiding people on this path to wellness. In some instances he helped the person enter an altered state to converse with his or her illness; in other cases he simply functioned as a listener.
Mehl-Madrona is quick to incorporate the teachings of other cultures into his own life-lessons. He stated that the Buddhists believe that every illness has intelligence. “What if we could get to know our ailments?” he asked, smiling, as he did through the majority of his appearance. He asked: What if we could work with our illnesses and not against them? What if we could collaborate with our impediments? Because, as he stated, “When you’re against something, you give it strength.” Clearly, he believes, if we all adhered to these practices, we would be a healthier culture. Mehl-Madrona is the first to admit that there is no one answer for any two individual people. “Healing is what works,” he said.
Although his beliefs don’t always coincide with those of the Western medical community, Mehl-Madrona recognizes that through collaborations between all the various types of treatment, each path to healing will improve. He addressed this disconnect by stating, “In Western medicine we like to put things in little boxes, little diagnoses. It makes us feel that the universe is in order.”
It is evident that Mehl-Madrona continues to thrive on the quest for more answers, chiefly for the solutions that Western medicine has yet to provide. He offered an adage to guide the audience along its path to healing and wellness: Every journey begins with one footstep; every field begins with one seed.
Mehl-Madrona finished his address to the JSC community with a message of optimism and caring - that we would all leave this room tonight feeling a little better than we did coming in.