Here's what some members of the San Francisco Bay Area group have to say about the power of meeting with fellow physicians in the Finding Meaning in Medicine format:
"At the monthly meetings I learn about LISTENING, for these evenings are opportunities to listen — to spoken words and to the meanings behind them. This leads me to new approaches to my patient interactions and to my work with other MDs. I often experience new perspectives on my own thoughts and come to powerful insights. The sessions offer a safe place to dialogue, to help me identify those aspects of medicine that are truly enjoyable and fulfilling rather than getting stuck in the negativity which seems to be so common. I feel a sense of family, a very functional one. Many of us are in pain — emotional and spiritual. We have limited opportunities to explore the meaning of this pain in safety, with others who speak a common language and have similar experiences. We do need to share our feelings and thoughts in some venue so that we don't implode. We become a resource base for each other, both personally and professionally."
Matt Z., Orthopedic Surgeon
"After nearly 20 years in solo family practice I had no idea how isolated parts of my life had become ... until I joined an FMM group. I've since felt so buoyed up in my work that I won't miss any opportunity to meet and share stories with my FMM colleagues. They offer reflections that let me know that the values I hold in my heart are true and that the quality of my caring matters. Thank you, ISHI!"
Martin R., Family Physician
"I have attended these monthly meetings since their beginning. While the group has matured and changed, my reason for attending remains the same: this group is one of the few formal activities I participate in that feels like it is entirely for me. The collegiality of sharing with other physicians is a privilege. These FMM meetings are where I feel most equal to the others in the room. I feel so very much the same as my colleagues, and at the same time, so very valued as an individual. Everyone in the room seems to leave inspired by the feeling that we are 'enough' just as we are ... that who we are as human beings matters, in our work with patients and in our own lives."
Mike R., Internist
"The monthly evening sessions continue to resonate with meaning for me. This time with the group allows me a safe place and context in which to be known as a professional person exploring new meanings in my life and work. Sharing some recent stories of my own, hearing the other's stories and reflections, showed me my own deep connection to being a physician. Such an experience among like-minded physicians could hardly be more significant yet so rare among my usual professional companions. I only wish I could attend more frequently, but the drive is long (three hours). The prospect of starting an FMM group near home is very exciting. Thanks for the help!"
Brad M., Internist
"Two weeks ago we had a festive gathering to mark the first year of our monthly FMM conversations! We've covered such topics as Inner medicine, Compassion, Forgiveness and Mistakes, Mystery, Gratitude, Anger, Integrity and Service .... One spouse at our gathering remarked that they had begun to plan their vacations around the meeting schedule, and she was happy that her husband belonged to this group because he is a spiritual person and had had no way to express or explore that aspect of himself. Sixteen physicians from the community and university have participated, 8-10 at each FMM meeting the past several months ... we are all growing in the value of the listening/being heard experience!"
Betty M., Physiatrist
"I love to go to these meetings because I get to connect with other physicians at a much deeper level than the usual 'socially acceptable' banter that goes on at work. I feel that I am nurtured and encouraged to grow in ways that were never really addressed in my training. I feel safe with these like-minded physicians and free to explore the more fragile issues of life, pain, suffering, death and fear of failure ... things I used to believe were forbidden to discuss. These meetings, these relationships also give me confidence and encouragement to share more openly with my patients ... to empathize more deeply with their struggles, pain, suffering and losses, (and even with my own!)."
Barb P., Obstetrician-Gynecologist
