Connection Is The Best Medicine: with Dr. Rana Awdish

It’s OK That You’re Not OK with Megan Devine

Ever wonder what doctors say about their patients when they think no one can hear?

Dr. Rana Awdish doesn’t have to wonder - as a patient, she overheard a lot of distressing things. Her experience led her to change how medical providers speak about - and to - their patients, spreading compassion through communication (which we know is a mission dear to my heart). Listen in to hear Dr. Awdish’s take on the pressure on healthcare workers, too.

Content note: mention of life-threatening illness, pregnancy loss, medical industry

In this episode we cover:

• The “two educations” of Dr. Awdish - med school and a life threatening illness
• Why miscommunication is such a dangerous medical practice
• Being present is only the first step - validation is where the real healing begins
• Why compassionate communication helps doctors - maybe even more than it helps patients
• The very cool CLEAR program - using trained actors to help doctors & medical providers learn how to connect with patients going through some of the hardest times of their lives

We're re-releasing some of our favorite episodes from the first 3 seasons. This episode was originally recorded in 2022.

Looking for a creative exploration of grief? Check out the best selling Writing Your Grief course here.

About our guest:

Dr. Rana Awdish is a critical care physician operating on the front lines during COVID-19 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Her own serious illness in 2008 has informed her belief in the power of compassion, sacred listening, and community. As medical director of the Care Experience for the Henry Ford Healthcare System, she is training staff to practice empathy in critical care. Find her at ranaawdishmd.com

About Megan:

Psychotherapist Megan Devine is one of today’s leading experts on grief, from life-altering losses to the everyday grief that we don’t call grief. Get the best-selling book on grief in over a decade, It’s Ok that You’re Not OK, wherever you get books. Find Megan @refugeingrief

Additional resources:

Read Dr. Awdish’s book - In Shock: My journey from death to recovery and the redemptive power of hope

Read “Restoration in the Aftermath” and ”The Shape of the Shore” from Dr. Awdish

Creative Writing as a Medical Instrument - paper by Jay Baruch, cited by Dr. Awdish

Want to talk with Megan directly? Join our patreon community for live monthly Q&A grief clinics: your questions, answered. Want to speak to her privately? Apply for a 1:1 grief consultation here.

Check out Megan’s best-selling books - It’s OK That You're Not OK and How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed

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