First, Heal Thyself applies spiritual and psychological principles to one of the most stressful of life's circumstances, that of caring for the ill. By distilling some basic tenets of personal growth and conveying them in easy-to-learn, practical steps, the readers' relationships with themselves, patients, co-workers, and the institutions in which they work will be transformed. They'll see their place in medicine differently and be better able to deal with others in a way that can turn any encounter into a healing situation. First, Heal Thyself was written by a physician and a nurse-two authors integrating three disciplines of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Each author is well-established in their field and is highly experienced in personal and organizational healing. With over thirty years of combined experience in healthcare and healing work, they inject a human prescription for what ails medicine. This is the first book to look at healthcare from the inside out, changing the system by starting with the true essence of healing: relationships. It pioneers the idea that a healer's relationship to others is an extension of their relationship to themselves.