ABSTRACT
Rachel Naomi Remen – a cancer specialist and therapist – sees ‘the practice of medicine as a spiritual path’. She is a pioneer of the holistic and more spiritual approach to healthcare, especially in life-threatening diseases such as cancer, and has counselled those with chronic and terminal illness for over 20 years. She herself has been a long-term sufferer from Crohn’s disease. Her books on her clinical experiences, and her philosophy of life, include Kitchen Table Wisdom: stories that heal (1996) and My Grandfather’s Blessings: stories of strength, refuge and belonging (2000). She is a clinical professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
