The End of Healing Lenten Reading & Study Guide 2015 This Lenten Reading & Study Guide to The End of Healing is designed as a Lenten discipline for persons seeking a deeper understanding of the spiritual and faith issues related to health, health care, and true healing. The program can be adapted for use as a daily meditation or study guide and the proposed discussion questions for each week can be rearranged or adapted to meet your individual or group interests. Study groups using this guide should assign one or two leaders to begin each discussion with an opening question. Leaders should encourage participants to share their perspectives, thoughts, and questions and to listen carefully to one another. If the discussion goes too far astray, the leader(s) can gently refocus the group s attention on the opening question. Finally, all should take note of Dr. Sampson s sage advice to his students at the beginning of his class: Read the assigned readings carefully before each seminar; they will guide us on our journey. Learn more about The End of Healing at EndofHealing.com. Get copies of the book for your reading group at your local bookstore, Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. Date Reading(s) Questions for Reflection and Discussion Feb. 18, Ash Wednesday Chap. 1. The Dark Ward At what point does Dr. Don Newman realize he is in a dark place where the straight way is lost? Consider the darkest place or moment in your own life. What clues, signs, or injuries helped you discover your own inner darkness? What have others said or done to encourage you to confront this darkness or to change your path? Feb. 19, Chap. 2. The Choice Exodus 3:1-16 What compels Don to choose to go down the rabbit hole? Is his choice wise or foolish? How does his choice compare to Moses choice to turn aside from his planned path to see the burning bush? To what extent do you have to turn aside from your own way to find your true path? Feb. 20, Friday Chap. 3. The Gates of Hell Why does Dr. Newman dream of the gates of hell at this point in his life? Can one go through the gates of hell without giving up all hope? Have there been moments in your life when you have you confronted an abyss, and if so, what did you do?
Feb. 21, Saturday Chap. 4. Great Scientists Who Couldn t Cure Feb. 22, Sunday Feb. 23, Monday Chap. 5. The Beauty Industry Feb. 24, Tuesday Chap. 6. Institutionalized Gluttony Feb. 25, Weds. Feb. 26, Feb. 27, Friday Chap. 7. The Waste Land Chap. 8. The Arrogant Physician Feb. 28, Saturday Chap. 9. The Marble Hospital Why do the greatest medical scientists of the past 2000 years have so little hope of curing? Why does Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy place the greatest physicians of the past in limbo, which suggests they re neither good nor bad? Where can we find true hope for health & healing? Optional Group Discussion Entering the Underworld. Why do many of our greatest heroes including Jesus of the Bible, Theseus and Orpheus of Greek myth, and Odysseus, Aeneas, and Dante of classical literature journey through the depths of hell? Who, if anyone, should bear the most blame for Susie s death? What is Frances Hunt s greatest need for healing? Do you think Frances has been lured into the pursuit of false beauty? How can we find the courage to turn away from this false pursuit and seek true beauty and health, as Katherine Mansfield did? How do our communities institutionalize gluttony and overindulgence? What can communities do to help people overcome indulgent appetites that draw people from the love of God? Optional Group Discussion A Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness. What does Mrs. Sibyl Bellamy do for Dr. Don Newman? Does Dr. Newman serve as a good healer for Mrs. Bellamy or does she serve as a healer for him? What is our responsibility for good stewardship of our healthcare resources? Are greed and waste two sides of the same coin? What harms can prodigality with healthcare resources cause our families, friends, and neighbors? At what point does Don realize he has become the kind of physician he despises? Why do arrogant physicians make poor healers? How can arrogance prevent one from finding one s true path and doing the work one is called to do? Why does Don s nightmare involve a hospital? Why is the hospital the place where Don first sees the greatest evils in modern healthcare? How does Don s mother s death injure him? What is Don s greatest need for healing? Is his mother correct that he must forgive himself in order to be able to help others?
Mar. 1, Sunday Luke 4:1-4 Optional Group Discussion The 1st Temptation: Bread. Which character in The End of Healing struggles most with the temptation of earthly desires for things like money, food, and sex? How can healers and those seeking healing best overcome this temptation? Mar. 2, Monday Chap. 10. False Teachers What false teachers work to draw Don away from the true path of healing? Reflect on the false teachers you have encountered in your life how did they draw you astray? Were they aware they were doing so or did they think, like Dr. Faris, that they were showing you the best way? Mar. 3, Tuesday Mar. 4, Weds. Chap. 11. The Plan of Healthcare Hell Mar. 5, Chap. 12. Medical Violence Mar. 6, Friday Mar. 7, Saturday Chap. 13. High- Tech Suicide Chap. 14. Health Care Assassins Do you agree that Dr. Sampson s students will need to work like secret agents on the dark side of medicine in order to improve it? When dealing with evil is it necessary to work on the dark side to do good? Optional Group Discussion Is Dr. Sampson wise to suggest that his students follow the money to discover the true purposes of the healthcare industry? Who was most at fault in Jesica Santillan s death? Are deadly medical errors a necessary and inescapable byproduct of good healthcare or can they be avoided? How well do you think checklists, such as the ones used in the airline industry, would work in the hospital setting? Does Mrs. Pinckney commit medical suicide? Has anyone you know made a medical decision that seemed suicidal? Do any of the providers in the story act in an unethical manner towards Mrs. Pinckney? What do you think you would do if you were in her situation? Was founding father- physician Benjamin Rush correct that To restrict the practice of medicine to only one class of men would constitute the Bastille of medicine? Have American physicians created the very Bastille of medicine Dr. Rush feared? Consider the story of Nurse Ann Tighe. How were she and the people of Thebes, California harmed by medical monopolies? Mar. 8, Sunday Luke 4: 5-8 Optional Group Discussion The 2nd Temptation: Power. Which character in The End of Healing struggles most with the temptation of Power? How can healers best overcome the temptations of power and violence?
Mar. 9, Monday Chap. 15. The Ambulance Chasers Mar. 10, Tuesday Chap. 16. Unnatural Law Makers Mar. 11, Weds. Mar. 12, Mar. 13, Friday Mar. 14, Saturday Mar. 15, Sunday Chap. 17. Insurance Salesmen Book of Acts 2:42-47 Chap. 18. The Drug Pushers Chap. 19. Procedures for Profit Do you think Dr. Jim Kerner committed malpractice? Should he be punished for the adverse outcome the Mertens child experiences? How should families like the Mertens be protected against long- term costs of care for serious injury or illness? Why do you think juries punish healers who care for babies, even for adverse outcomes beyond their control? Consider the case of Solomon Salameh. How much freedom of choice should people have in choosing a care facility? At what point does the regulation of nursing homes become too intrusive? Whose interests should healthcare corporations and government regulators put first? Optional Group Discussion Violence in Healthcare. Dante Alighieri in his Inferno characterizes the worst type of violence as violence against God. What does Dr. Don Newman s experience in Chapters 9-16 suggest are the worst types of violence against human health? In what ways are insurance salesmen like zombies or the living dead? Can modern health insurance achieve anything akin to what early Christian communities achieved by sharing their resources with another in times of difficulty? Dante Alighieri places seducers slightly below usurers in the realm of fraud at the bottom of his Inferno. Why does he consider fraud worse than indulgence or violence? How are doctors and patients seduced into thinking that pills provide the best hope for healing? Are the good- looking drug representatives Don, Frances, and Bruce meet like the seducers of Dante s time? Why did Dr. Walter Freeman continue to perform lobotomies on people after better treatments became available? What happens to healers when they start doing procedures for reasons other than health? Consider occasions when others have taken advantage you for personal gain or when you have taken advantage of others. How can we discern whether our own work or the work of others is truly for good? Optional Group Discussion Fraud in Healthcare. Is pretending to care in healthcare any worse than other types of deception for personal gain? If so, why?
Mar. 16, Monday Chap. 20. Snake Oil Salesmen Mar. 17, Tuesday Chap. 21. Swindler Bureaucrats Why are people so desirous of healing through pills and surgeries? Consider,all the places people seek healing, such as alternative therapies, special diets, exercise regimens, placebos, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, and faith healing. How do you discern between beneficial treatments and snake oil? Where do you think you and your family should place your greatest hope for healing? Is the bureaucrat Fred Yeoman a good steward of America s resources? How does one tell if a person is a good public or corporate administrator or not? What goals do the best administrators serve? Mar. 18, Weds. Luke 4: 9-13 Optional Group Discussion The 3rd Temptation: Miracle. Discuss Jesus third temptation in the Bible. Where can the quest for miracle go wrong? Mar. 19, Mar. 20, Friday Mar. 21, Saturday Mar. 22, Sunday Chap. 22. National Institutes of Sickness John 5:1-14 2 Kings 5:1-15 Chap. 23. White Coat Hypocrites Chap. 24. The Image Makers John 20:24-29 Numbers 21:4-9 John 3:14 Consider Jesus miraculous healing at the pool of Bethesda and Elisha s healing of the Naaman at the river Jordan. Why do Jesus and Elisha ask their patients to participate in their cures and make some real effort? Do the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland honor this healing tradition? Is high- tech research the kind of health research people need most in today s world? What should national health research focus on in order to help our families, friends, and neighbors find true healing? Why does Dr. Don Newman see himself as a hypocrite? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Why do the hypocrites in the picture from Don s old family copy of Dante s Divine Comedy walk around in beautiful gilded cloaks made of lead? How does medical imaging technology make us healthier or unhealthier? How does the desire to see or to know distract us from the path toward better health? Is Don s desire to look beneath France s clothing unhealthy? Is the disciple Thomas desire to see and touch Jesus wounds unhealthy? Optional Group Discussion The Brazen Serpent. Discuss the purpose and use of diagnosis in healing. Consider the ancient symbol of Moses brazen serpent as an allegory for the true path to healing. Does true healing need to begin with recognition of the true cause of one s illness? Why or why not?
Mar. 23, Monday Chap. 25. The Sick Care Business Mar. 24, Tuesday Chap. 26. False Healthcare Counselors Mar. 25, Weds. Mar. 26, Mar. 27, Friday Mar. 28, Saturday Mar. 29, Sunday Chap. 27. The Lobbyists Chap. 28. Politicians Spreading Disease and Discord Chap. 29. The Alchemist Mar. 30, Monday Chap. 30. Counterfeit Care Why do Americans place their greatest hope for healing (and most of their resources devoted to healing) in hospitals? Is this faith in hospitals justified? How does your own experience influence your answer? In what ways does Senator Josten s choice of Aaron Burr as his hero cause him to emulate or imitate him? Reflect on your own heroes and opportunities for peacemaking at work and in your community do the heroes you emulate encourage you to be a force for drama or peace? Optional Group Discussion The End of Healing. What is the true end of healing? How can our representatives, health professionals, and the U.S. healthcare system better serve that end? Which lobbyists at the healthcare industry gala represent the true needs of patients? Who should lobby for the true needs of patients and where and how should they lobby? Should our elected representatives attend fancy parties hosted by those seeking to influence legislation? Who is in control of the healthcare system? Do you agree with Dr. Sampson s answer that he gives in the Crypt under the nation s capitol? Why or why not? Who, if anyone, should decide our nation s values and priorities for health and healing? How does President Lender attempt to work as an alchemist in Don s life? Does he succeed in turning iron into gold in Don s eyes? Reflect on your personal experience and consider those in your life who have acted as alchemists, attempting to make what was bad appear to be good. Optional Group Discussion The 3rd Temptation: Miracle. Which character in The End of Healing struggles most with the temptation of Miracle? How can healers and those seeking healing best overcome the temptation to foster false hope or participate in fraud? Why does Dr. Mallock, the Florence New American Hospital ER Director, become a counterfeiter? Why are healers sometimes tempted to provide counterfeit care? Consider times in your life when you have been the recipient of counterfeit care and the effect that had on you. Reflect on times when you may have provided counterfeit care to others.
Mar. 31, Tuesday Chap. 31. Industrial Giants Whose Time is Past Apr. 1, Weds. Chap. 32. Traitors to Family Apr. 2, Chap. 33. Traitors to Country April 3, Good Chap. 34. The Betrayer Friday Revealed April 4, Saturday April 5, Easter Sunday Do you find Dr. Sampson s allegory of the Room of the Giants an apt image of the American healthcare system? Why does Dr. Sampson choose to use an allegory or parable to tell the truth about healthcare? Optional Group Discussion Treachery. Why is treachery the worst kind of fraud? What does it mean to be a traitor? Which characters in The End of Healing do things that could be considered traitorous? What is Dr. Bruce Markum s greatest need for healing? What does Dr. Don Newman do to betray his beloved teacher and why does he betray him? What parallels do you see between biblical figures and the characters in The End of Healing? Is Dr. Sampson correct when he tells his students, But I was wrong to call you to war, even a war against medical errors and waste of healthcare resources? How is Dr. Sampson s health system seminar series like Jesus forty days and forty nights in the wilderness? How does Don Newman s vision transform him? What is it about his realization that gives him new hope and power? Why does he find the vision so powerful? Do you think the effects on him will be lasting? Have you had a similar experience, and if so, how did it change you? Is Dr. Don Newman the kind of healer we need most in today s world? What can we do to find the right kind of healers for our selves and our families? How can we be transformed in order to help heal others? Want to go deeper and learn more about The End of Healing? Below are some free resources: Find materials for further study at EndofHealing.com/study Share your story at EndofHealing.com/share- your- story to help others learn how to reclaim their health and healthcare resources Sign up for our email list at Endofhealing.com/the- end- of- healing to learn about upcoming events in your area