250 thoughts on “Surgery can be Healing (The Patient Surgeon)”

1. “If you are faced with the prospect of having surgery, choose to be part of the plan. See it as an opportunity for healing and be part of that healing” – I love this. How powerful it can be when we choose to be part of something we don’t quite like experiencing so that we don’t have to become a mere recipient or a victim of the situation, but be a participant, making a difference to what we would experience along the way.

2. I love that as you went through this new experience – for you – you chose to be open to the healing and the lessons which were on offer throughout the process, especially the one about surrendering to your vulnerability and accepting support. And I’m sure if there’s a next time, you will have learned the lesson to listen to your doctor’s advice about returning to work! A very valuable lesson indeed.

3. Awesome to feel how we can take an active part in our own healing throughout the process of surgery. I have always tended to feel a failure when I got sick in any way and it is beautifully confirming to feel the surrender in allowing others to support you in your healing journey alongside the responsibility we have to take an active role in the preparation and post operative recovery process.

4. The work of medicine is miraculous and such a blessing for us all. The insight into the body that doctors have and the mastery with the scalpel some have is truly a gift for humanity. The opportunity to take surgeries as a healing, not just a stitch-me-up fix is immense, if we surrender we can heal a great deal of stagnant energy in the body which then leaves us feeling vital and full of life to live our life differently.

5. Illness and disease when truly understood offers us the opportunity to truly heal that which we have allowed to make us unwell, in which surgery can be important part of the healing process. Beautiful to feel the surrender, love and care you held yourself in to the support and maximise the opportunity to deeply heal.

6. Absolutely – it’s an amazing opportunity to discover an even deeper and more nurturing way to care for ourselves – for me it changed a lot in the way I look after myself day-to-day.

7. I had surgery to my nose just over a month ago and I agree it’s a massive healing opportunity. I previously had the same opinion that surgery is to be avoided at all costs but the new way I can breathe now – wow I so appreciate the incredible things our medical system today can do.

8. Very healing indeed Anne Malatt. We hold the ability to heal and help others heal all of the time, not only in our medical world or health profession but all over — every single day, in our every day in the choices that we make.

9. “Care for yourself as deeply as you can, and allow others to care for you.” This is such an important part of the operation and healing process but how often do we fully allow this.

10. “See yourself as part of the process (they can’t operate on you without you!).” – laughed out loud reading this today. Classic – and so true. You are totally part of the process – and an important one.

11. It is easy to see surgery or illness as a failure, yet when we truly connect to what is being offered us it is a great opportunity not only to heal, but to take stock and make any necessary changes we have been avoiding up until now.

12. This is such a valuable offering. Thank you, Anne. What I can feel is how we might hide in fear and anxiety when in truth we try avoiding responsibility. Being loving is actually quite simple and there is space for that in every situation we may encounter in life.

13. Medical treatments, including surgery can be very supportive and healing for our bodies. But supporting ourselves during these times is of equal importance. As you say Anne you playing your part was just as important. Even more than simply turing up and handing your body over to medical staff. We can certainly prepare our bodies, so that they are given a body in its optimum.

14. I have heard of surgery taking place in a way that is not honouring of the patient and their body in the sense that the quality the surgery is done in is rough, hard and not truly loving or caring. It feels super important to make it all about people first and offering them a true quality and care that can support the healing process. It is amazing as a surgeon yourself that you have seen, recognised and now live this for all to benefit from.

15. This great blog shows how much the experience of being a patient can be optimised. If only this would be widely known.

16. Last year I had a very similar experience where I needed minor surgery and even though I naturally had some apprehension and nervousness about it, I did allow myself to surrender to the process and to see it all as a very healing experience and an opportunity to clear, heal and rest my body. I had it at the local hospital and all the staff were amazing and very dedicated. I felt very safe and cared for. My surgeon and anaesthetist were brilliant and I woke up from the surgery like I had had the best deepest sleep with no pain. I am convinced that my approach to the medical care and how I was with myself really affected the quality of the whole experience.

17. I love what you are presenting here Anne – so very refreshing to hear that when we do our part as patients rather than just expecting the medical system to do it all for us, then we get a very different experience.

18. I think the thing about surgery that scares me is that it’s totally out of your control, it’s like your life is totally in someone else hands – the word “surrender” comes to mind. I love how you approached it as you were part of the plan, you made the plan, and you made sure it was as supportive for you as it could possibly be, that’s a super empowering way to approach healing.

19. I love the fact that you chose to be treated by a medical team that you knew personally. Often I find I want to keep my doctors at a distance. This shows me how I compartmentalise my life.

20. This is a great example Anne of how we can prepare ourselves for our operation and to take time afterwards to deeply heal and rest. I can feel the importance of asking for support from others, as it allows the space for the body to truly heal and recover without any stress or pressure.

21. What is a wonderful reminder in this blog is how important it is at times to sit back and receive the support and help from others.

22. And what a healing reading this blog too.. Thanks Anne!

23. I had my first (day) surgery last year and it was an incredible process, and a very healing one. I did make sure that i was very much part of the process, asking for more blankets when I was cold, asking the nurse to slow down so I could receive the information and I was treated with such love and care.

24. There is a great deal that can be said for making sure that you have time to rest and recover after surgery, and accept the help of others, and making sure that you have prepared yourself well in advance of the surgery itself, all the preparation helps with the recovery, and from taking responsibility we get a true healing.

25. It is great that quite a few doctors expand their understanding when they become patients themselves. This really enriches medicine.

26. I have never had surgery, but I have had dental work done – teeth removed etc. And the more I cared for myself before and after the deeper the healing process feels. And this can be with any condition, how we live affects how our body heals.

27. What I can feel is how important it is to accept where we are at, and to surrender to what the body is communicating – and this applies to before, during after a surgery, and any other time – this way of being opens us up to healing being offered.

28. It feels like perhaps too often our power is totally handed over to medicine and fear. Great to bring it back to appreciating we are part of the whole process, and have choices in how we are going to support ourselves and the medical teams to support us.

    1. Especially as this makes us much more powerful because there is a lot we can do ourselves.

29. Beautiful to feel the healing that is available through surgery and also through surrendering to the process and allowing others to support us. A very different way of appreciating all that is on offer when we come to the point of needing surgery and how we can take an active role in the process and contribute greatly to any successful outcome.

30. I am starting to appreciate the love that is present in events in life that I once believed to be bad or wrong. Like an illness or disease that offers the opportunity to become more aware and connected to those around us. And like this – the healing that is surgery. It seems that to understand and appreciate the true grace of love we have to embrace a much bigger picture than we have perhaps allowed previously.

31. Chakra-puncture is a great tool for clearing the effects of anaesthetic. I used to suffer greatly, and now with the support of sessions before and after an operation I have felt immensely better.

32. “The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.”

    I had surgery for the first time a few months ago, and I agree that it was a truly healing time. It was also quite confronting at times, so I agree that the more responsibility you can take for you in it, is very supportive.

    The lady who was ‘checking me in’ was being quite brusque, and I could feel was going through the motions and talking quite quickly. In that moment, with the courage that I could muster, I asked her to stop, to go more slowly and I shared that this is my first surgery and that I have some anxiety around that. Immediately she stopped, slowed down and went through it with a more personal approach.

33. Many of us give our power away to medical professionals. It’s true, they do hold a lot of positional power and knowledge power but then we are the experts of our own bodies! We need to work together as equals, without arrogance (doctors) and without shrinking (us).

    1. That is true and there is also a great benefit in embracing the doctors’ approach and welcoming it.

34. A version of this blog should be on a pamphlet given to patients before surgery, truly great advice on a subject that may seem obvious but is actually quite confronting for people.

35. What a beautiful set of realisations Anne. I can really feel how the ability for surgery to gracefully incise and remove that which is no longer needed is a gracious gift.

36. To be able to remove something that does not belong in our body or correct something that is not working properly to restore its optimal function (as much as possible) is a supportive correction for our bodies. Why do we not appreciate the profound healing in that that surgery blesses us with – after all, where would the world of today be without surgery?

37. “I truly felt what an amazing effort goes into making sure you have the correct operation and no harm is done.” It sounds so obvious and something we should all be able to assume will happen but I’m sure it must have happened – more than once. How devastating for all involved. It’s awesome you’ve pointed it out Anne for I was taking this part for granted and not appreciating it to the depths it needs.

38. I love that you were provided with a gorgeous opportunity to experience it all from the other side of the fence and then be able to support others through this blog and offer advice in preparing adequately, organising support and bringing responsibility and self care into any surgery to make the most of their opportunity to heal.

39. Beautiful account Anne of what it is like for you as a doctor to then become the patient, how healing and amazing it was that you chose to be aware of this and then change how you are with your own patients as a result.

40. There is much that we can do to prepare ourselves ready for surgery and support ourselves, and when the surgery is complete and we are recovering we need to take our time and be really gentle with ourselves, as every movement we make is either harming or healing.

    1. Very true Sally. The body is in a very precise period of healing at these times and this needs to be honoured in full.

41. I used to think of having surgery as a failure too but something changed in me in the early part of this new millenium and I realised that I could and would, not only take responsibility for why I got ill in the first place but also embrace the possibility of the need for surgery, and that it was nothing to be ashamed of. I have only had to have one surgical procedure since that time but now I truly support others to have surgery if they feel to and would also do so myself. Sometimes a lot of poison cam amass in the body and by removing the mass we remove the accumulated poison.

42. Perfectly written and this is my experience as well. How you are has a direct impact on how things go for you in these and any situation really. Being an active support in the way described in this article absolutely helps you and everyone with what is needing to be done. There is one thing to give yourself over, another to fight and then there is your eyes wide open and being an active part of these moments. In place of walking into something like this and hoping for the best or praying all goes well we can take an active role in how things will be by setting ourselves up like this. It makes sense that how you are prior to an operation will be how you are during and after. I will certainly take more care after reading this, after all you can never have too much care.

43. Very beautiful and inspiring to feel how when we surrender our body and being to heal, every moment offers us the opportunity to choose how we support ourselves with what is needed for us to maximise our healing. This highlights for me how essential our responsibility is in what we are choosing, as this plays an equally important part as to the degree of healing we experience.

44. A great insight that the marvels of surgery and other medical procedures can only go so far. Without our personal commitment and dedication to support ourself in the unfolding that illness and disease prompts there is no true healing.

45. Such sound and practical advice Anne. We really do have the power within us to heal ourselves if we are willing to make the choice to deepen our own self-care, and not be afraid or ashamed to ask for extra help and support when it is needed. And not only can it be a deeper healing for us as individuals, but it is an opportunity to deepen our relationships with all those around us, as you have so beautifully shown here.

46. It makes so much sense to me to have surgery when it suits the client where possible. So often we accept the first appointment without asking ourselves if it is a date and time that supports us and whoever is caring for us or in my case in the past I would consider the carer but not myself! It can make such a difference to our healing.

47. I once had surgery many years ago and it signified all that was wrong and corrupt about aspects of the current medical institutions, albeit there were some lovely people I encountered – the surgery was unnecessary and I was naive and not understanding that such a thing was even possible to happen – counter that with a few years back I had major surgery but approached it with far more responsibility and awareness – the surgeon was astonishing, the hospital staff amazing and the whole process deeply healing and uplifting.. I can see that how we bring ourselves to that point and the responsibility we choose is pivotal in embracing in full the healing on offer and the opportunity to start anew, or whether we continue recklessly as before, and choose to stay disempowered, uncommitted and hell-bent on continuing our same ill momentum.

48. I love this Anne, life presents us with many opportunities to heal including surgery, and as you say we can ‘choose to be part of the plan’, choose to embrace the learning and take the rest needed by our bodies. On my last surgery I felt the huge attention to detail and care offered by the surgery team and how everything had a purpose and a flow with it, and the biggest thing I learned was to surrender and let go; I think that’s one of the things that we can struggle with in surgery, the fact that we are asked to let go, to the point where we are not conscious and afterwards there is a level of care needed to support our recovery and healing. But as you suggest it’s an opportunity for us to stop and take deeper care of ourselves.

49. Thank you Anne. I had a surgery not that long ago and it was exactly such blogs and conversations as this that offered me the understanding of the significance of my own part in the process and the healing offered through the experience. I can vouch for everything you have shared here, not least that the more we surrender to the process and the more responsibility we take “the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery”.

50. “all my relationships have deepened and grown because I have allowed myself to be vulnerable and to be helped” This is such a beautiful reflection of the healing we receive by not trying to ‘go it alone’. .

    1. I can absolutely relate to this Mary. I was only reflecting tonight how every experience and how we deal with it can be used to invite people in or push them away.

51. ‘ Care for yourself as deeply as you can, and allow others to care for you.’ Such sound advice and something we would say is obvious but how deep do we go with this care and do we really surrender to the care from others?

52. It feels more supportive to have things in place before, during and after a medical procedure as best as we can, and not just leave it and see what happens. Speaking up and letting our families know what we need and when we will need it will help to elevate some of the fear of the unknown which often accompanies a hospital visit, along with being more responsible for ourselves – that way we can do our part and the hospital staff can do theirs.

53. Thank you for your sharing Anne, it is great what you share “The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.” Taking responsibility for one’s self is the biggest step to healing.

54. A few years ago I had surgery and like you Anne I found it to be a huge healing. I felt like I was given a stop moment to consider how I had been living before the surgery and then time after the surgery to choose a new way of being. A big part of that was learning to care for myself on a much deeper level.

55. Take good care of the details and the preparation of any event and everything flows in a lovely, harmonious way with no sense of trying or pushing to make it happen.

56. The last sentence in this blog (‘It has been profoundly healing for me to realise that what I do, can heal too’.) is deeply humbling. How many of us honour that how we be and what we do in our day can be healing for ourselves and others? Never discount the very important part we each play in the simpleness of living our life.

57. As in everything it seems that this is a question of relationship. Relationship between the patient and her carers and I include the surgeon as a carer although it’s possible that surgeons don’t see themselves in this way. So taking care of ourselves, what we do, and who we are with and allowing ourselves to be equal whatever our social or professional standing is key.

58. “See yourself as part of the process” I love this Anne, it shows so clearly that its the union of all the people coming together before, during and after the operation that offers true healing. If we don’t play our part then how can any true and sustained healing take place?

59. Before attending Universal Medicine I would not have considered the importance of the timing to have procedures undertaken. I would listen to whoever and ignore me totally but this is changing. The timing has to work for me too and when I do speak up no matter how big or small I may think it is, to regard me in the equation feels so supportive and loving.

60. Surgery is a part of the bigger picture, of us returning to the love that we naturally are, so how lovely to go along with this flow, ‘If you are faced with the prospect of having surgery, choose to be part of the plan. See it as an opportunity for healing and be part of that healing.’

61. How amazing that you chose to go to your work for surgery and have colleagues you work with care for you. To allow yourself to be cared for and nurtured in this way is also deeply healing for those caring for you, through offering a body without any resistance, which comes from the love and care you show to yourself everyday. Beautiful all round.

62. I have just printed this off to give to my Mum who may have to have surgery again. It is healing simply reading this.Thanks Anne.

63. Great advice Anne and there is nothing like experiencing it firsthand to report back, and better still writing about it leading the way how it can be done honouring yourself in full and all who are a part of the process.

64. Surgery is an amazing tool that helps us get rid of what is no longer needed and has to then be tangibly and physically taken out of the body.

65. It brings a flow and simplicity when we take responsibility for our part, prepare and surrender as best as we can. You said it so beautifully; ‘Everything flowed smoothly and I felt I was part of a graceful movement of love.’

66. “Everything flowed smoothly and I felt I was part of a graceful movement of love.”

    “If you are faced with the prospect of having surgery, choose to be part of the plan.”

    “See yourself as part of the process (they can’t operate on you without you!).”

    These lines in particular stood out from what you have shared with us Anne. They are a loving reminder of how held and supported we are in this world and never ever do we have to harden to put on a brave face and ‘go it alone’. That we live in separation to each other and the great love we are, is just an illusion cast to make us feel isolated and thus identified as an individual fragment that has lost sight of the vast and wondrous Whole it was seeded from and never can cease to be a part of, even if when seemingly living apart (a-part) from this. Every moment is an opportunity to return to the great love we have departed (de-part-ed) from. Thankyou Anne for your wise and loving words that call us back to the Oneness we are.

67. What you shared about being part of the process is profound. How many of us go to the doctor, dentist etc and want them to fix us? Ignoring the fact that we have been a part, through the choices we have made and lived, to why we are going there in the first place.

68. “Listen to your doctor and take their advice.” And as your body is part of the team, listen to what it is telling you and take its advice. Surgery and anesthetic is a shock to the body and we have to give ourselves time to recover and heal.

69. Thank you for the guidance and sharing your experience. Being part of the process form start to finish makes a huge amount of sense.

70. Great blog, thank you for your amazing advice, most people feel surgery is a failure, so they will avoid it at any cost. But with what you share, be part of the process so the whole experience is a healing from beginning till the end. And every choice we make supports the healing process.

71. Very wise and sound advice Anne. Having had several operations since early childhood I agree entirely with what you’ve shared including trusting those who are caring for us whilst at the same time taking responsibility for our part and valuing what we are feeling.

72. I had a lot of ops in my younger age and did not enjoy it at all. I felt helpless and excluded. Now I realize how I gave my power away and did not take ‘my part’ in the game of healing. Taking responsibility is such a blessing – wished that would be taught in school or by growing up….

73. I have recently gone through a surgery operation and can vouch for what you have shared in this blog. From the care and dedication of all the medical team, to the importance of being responsible to ensure you have prepared yourself beforehand and have organised ample care for after the surgery, to the significance of surrendering to the depth of healing being offered not just by the surgery itself, but by the whole process that calls for a stop and reassessment of how we aproach our life. I have thus found the healing is not of just the physical area I was thinking of, but a far wider area of my whole life.

74. “Allow yourself to feel what you feel, but don’t feed any fear.” This one piece of advice in itself is a beauty! Another piece I have heard of in the same vein is something like feel the pain, but don’t become it.

75. Great healing can take place on many levels through illness and surgery, often in ways that we may not totally be aware of at the time, when we choose to surrender to the process, whilst taking responsibility for, and equally playing, our part in it.

76. Anne thank you very much for the great advice you have given us before having an operation – for me this is very useful as I have never had an operation so far. With your tips I feel more confident.

77. Anne, I love what you offer here, that no matter what is happening we can see ourselves as part of the process, that we have our part in it and to take that, after all when we do we support ourselves and the medical staff! And it’s amazing how these events can offer us a much needed stop to take care of us more deeply and to allow ourselves to be supported, and it can often expose how we don’t do this enough in our lives.

78. ‘all my relationships have deepened and grown because I have allowed myself to be vulnerable and to be helped.’ This is powerful. When we become more truly humble in ourselves, we become so much more open to the others in our lives.

79. It has been a revelation to me to realise that illness and disease – and hence surgery are forms of healing. But when we consider how incredible our bodies are and the way they work it starts to make sense. The body is clearly intelligent and knows so precisely what it needs to function in an optimal way eliminating what it does not need along the way. It really is a reflection of harmony and so it is no great surprise that when it becomes sick it is in truth the body’s way of removing disharmony. How amazing our bodies are.

80. When It comes to being a patient and all you learnt I absolutely agree with what is shared. When I had major surgery a few years ago I can say now that this was necessary to bring a stop and opportunity to develop a way to be with myself, not just before and during and in the recovery time but for always afterwards.

81. ‘The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.’ Wise words Anne thank you.

82. Thank you Anne. I have had surgery a few times in my life and totally agree with you, it is definitely a healing. One of the things that really supports when having surgery is to understand the root cause of the illness/disease that has now required surgery. That way we can enter surgery not as victims to an illness/disease but as someone who understands why they have what they have which then enables responsibility to be taken for choices made.

83. Just the other day I was at a hospital where I was told they were running their first operations using robots. But whilst these advances may help us functionally what I sense in what you share Anne is there is a technology we have long ignored, an intelligence that we have overlooked, a sophistication we have skimmed over: this is the quality and approach we bring to life. For if we understand ourselves to be the chief surgeon in our healing, the specialist in every moment, we will see the steps you outline here actually apply to everything. Wow – then what a radical transformation that could come.

84. So much support and information here for anyone considering surgery. This should be in every doctor’s waiting room for patients to read.

85. Great blog Anne! I had major surgery last year and prior to that, had had several smaller tests/ investigative procedures. While not so many years ago I held a huge arrogance for, and mistrust and resistance to the support of Western Medicine, in the last few years since beginning to take responsibility for ‘all’ of my choices in life, I have also come to embrace and appreciate Western Medicine and together with working with esoteric medicine, my experiences with the medical system have been amazing and very much along the lines of what you have described here…

86. An invaluable blog Anne, thankyou. Having recently had surgery myself I too can vouch for the fact it can be a healing. “The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.” I agree with you that “It has been profoundly healing for me to realise that what I do, can heal too.”

87. I too considered surgery as a failure because it was a wake up call that I had let my body go to such and extent that it needs surgery. Accepting surgery as a healing and a way to support my body gives surgery a whole new meaning. I can see from your experience Anne that surrendering to the surgery and allowing it to support you in the healing process is a much better way of approaching surgery.

88. It is easy to let fear dominate when having an operation. Working in the health system I am aware that things do go wrong at times. But what I am learning is that perhaps when this does happen it is a reflection of where all involved are at in their lives. As the patient it is our responsibility to prepare ourselves before during and after and then to surrender and allow those with the expertise to use their skills to do their job, knowing we have done ours.

89. It is revealing how the perspectives on surgery of a surgeon are starkly different in many ways to that of the patient. Understandably they are on different sides of the needles and the tools but it is amazing how different you found the process when you were a patient from when you were a surgeon. Shows that we can take things for granted very easily when we are doing and seeing the same things each day.

90. So often when faced with the prospect of surgery, of embarking on a procedure far beyond our capabilities, we assume an ‘at the mercy of’ or ‘helpless’ view of ourselves. Thank you for blowing this apart Anne, like you say ‘they can’t operate on you without you!’ We really are as much a part of the healing process as the surgeon is assisting us.

91. Really important advice Anne, thank you for sharing. We do quite often worry about having surgery and having had a few small operations done in the past, one worry for me was the anaesthetic. Would I come out of it OK? This stems from a family members parent passing under anaesthetic. I have been really well cared for by the Medical profession in general with love and care.

92. Invaluable advice which I will apply to my life, as well as any surgery I might have in the future. Thank you Anne.

93. Patience is such a beautiful quality in someone. It is so honouring and graceful. However there are also times when a holding back of our expression can be justified as being patient, when this isn’t about being patient at all.

    1. So true Vicky, great point. There is nothing patient about holding back what needs to be let out, by the same token it is most definitely honourable to be patient with ourselves as we take the necessary steps we need to take towards our healing.

94. Working in a salon I often see a lot of women who have had surgery coming in to see our stylists for a wash and blowdry – they often comment on how profound and difficult the healing post surgery can be and the power of being brought to a complete standstill and the awareness that develops of their bodies. It offers an opportunity to reflect and evolve.

95. I appreciate the point you have made that surgery is not only a physical healing, but is also an opportunity for deeper energetic healing and awareness.

96. I feel very inspired by the way you prepared yourself for the surgery – I can feel so much care, love and self-nurturing. We are definitely no victims, we can take responsibility for every single step of the process, we are part of it. Thanks for this awesome sharing.

97. Thank you Anne for this reflection. I too have underestimated the healing that can happen as part of medical care – either giving or receiving. Having had a medical procedure this year I was able to reflect tonight on how powerful this was for me. A big part of this was feeling the love that was on offer from all those who chose to be part of my care. Feeling these people and their commitment to assisting people with healing is beautiful, even if they do not fully realise the magnitude of what they brought at the time.

98. This time as I re read your beautiful blog Anne, I realised the enormity of the trust and surrender that is required of patients, to put themselves in such a vulnerable position as anaesthetised surgery. It is huge and a testament to the trust we place in our medical professionals. I love too that you ask us as patients to bring another level of self responsibility to our part in the whole proceedings and to care for ourselves as deeply as we can to make it a truly healing experience.

    1. It is a huge amount of surrender to allow ourselves to have a general anaesthetic. How we feel about this can often be symbolic of how much we are willing to surrender in other areas of our life…an interesting point to ponder!

99. Thank you Anne for sharing, I love these words “care for yourself as deeply as you can and allow others to care for you”.

100. Incredible piece of writing Anne. It should be part of the forms to be filled out prior to surgery – a tick to acknowledge ‘you have read the responsibility and opportunity you as a patient play in the process of your overall healing and procedure’. It highlights to me the power we give away to surgeons and doctors when it comes to our illnesses. The timidness and ‘less’ we can feel as patients. It is our body, and it is so very important to bring that on equal terms to the whole process and ask and speak up at any time. Awesome and thank you Anne.

101. Thank you for sharing Anne and for the great advice. Taking the responsibility for our own part of our healing is tremendously inspiring and very self-loving.

102. I love this Anne…”If you are faced with the prospect of having surgery, choose to be part of the plan. See it as an opportunity for healing and be part of that healing”.. this is a huge part of healing and great medicine for the body.

103. Your advice is timely and deeply appreciated Anne. The magic of God has placed you in my lap this morning, how glorious. Thank you.

104. I love Anne how you have written “Choose to be part of the surgery – the plan”. Often any surgery equates with being on the other side. Your perspective has shown me that playing your part in surrendering the body to the healing feels like a deeper level of healthy rehabilitation.

105. Anne I loved reading this, I felt deeply held with the loving advice you embraced us with. It was so beautiful to feel the care in your words and wisdom in your sharing and to feel how supportive and healing to the body it can be when esoteric and western medicine is combined.

106. Thank you so much Anne for your honest blog. All the wonderful and very informing advices you gave for a good preparation to have a surgery helped me a lot to be not so afraid because until now I had never had one. I hope I will not have one in the future but if I will I will follow your advices especial “listen to your doctor and take their advice” because I am also a person who would avoid it.

107. Everyone coming together in full responsibility and awareness help in the healing.

108. Through my short life, still being 20. I have never been seriously ill. But if the situation were ever to come up this blog provides very practical tips which, I will take with me.
     Thank you Anne

109. I found it a lovely experience being in hospital even though I was unwell, I enjoyed the space and rest it provided. Time to really stop and reflect. Our nurses are amazing with the care and consideration that they provide us with.

110. ‘The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.’ I love this comment Anne as it speaks to me of every situation in life, especially at times of crisis like surgery when we might let the crisis seem more important than our relationship with ourselves and thus abandon the love, care and attention that we would otherwise bring.

111. Thank you Anne, I love what you shared here. When we allow ourself to surrender to what needs to be done medically, I can feel there is amazingly great opportunity to heal.

112. What you’re offering here Anne is invaluable and having had several operations myself have found that if I accept and surrender to the process, whilst at the same time taking responsibility for my part in it and accept the healing opportunity on offer, the outcome is vastly improved.

113. ‘The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.”- thanks Anne for such wonderful advice.

114. I am touched Anne, by the importance of all the tiny details around the surgery have as you mentioned the annoying necessary paperwork. I have never considered this to be part of the healing.

115. I enjoyed this blog Anne and It contains sound advice for anyone who is having surgery. Remembering it is our body which is being operated on and therefore we can take responsibility for understanding the whole process and ensuring we ask and ask again if anything isn’t clear.

116. Taking responsibility for our own surgery and having an equal say feels radically different and very supportive when compared to the way we tend to just sign ourselves over to ‘those in charge’. It really is a team effort and I can feel by what you share Anne that the more open and trusting we are with others and ourselves, the more we allow the healing to occur.

117. Anne your experience confirms what I have read recently about the importance of patients being actively involved in their medical treatments. It seems that when we see ourselves simply as being at the receiving end of a procedure then the outcome seems less assured and yet people have shared that when they became involved with what was happening this seemed in some way to influence the outcome more favourably.

118. Thank you Anne, for sharing this experience. It is always very humbling to be on the other side of the table.

119. Love reading about this experience Anne! It does feel like such a huge blessing being on the other side of the action. How amazing to now have the full rounded picture and be able to fully appreciate your part in the process.
     It’s almost as though all surgeons and medical staff should have a go on the table as part of the training…I see no volunteers….but maybe if you share your story they’ll jump on??

120. Anne thank you for writing this blog, I will be having surgery in the near future and the information and advice you have shared here are really helpful.

121. Anne you raise some great points to be aware of when having surgery. It is all too easy to hand over the surgery to the doctor’s and nurses and forget that we are part of the process … “The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.”

122. Your openness to healing and learning more about life is gorgeous, I can feel you write with a humble equality which is precious.

123. I have never had surgery or any dealings with hospitals other than giving birth, and I found the staff amazing in that they really only had my best interests at heart and the babies of course. It is a very vulnerable feeling not knowing what is going on and I can imagine there is as you have described Anne immeasurable opportunities to heal when you allow that to be the case.

124. Thanks for sharing Anne, I have found also in situations at the hospital, particularly with my Mum who is in her later stages of Bowel Cancer how the Drs and nurses can focus on me and I have had to ‘direct’ them to talk to Mum which I found interesting. Things do change when you are there with the people and yourself rather then giving your power away and ‘going along with everything’.

125. Anne, I did have a smile as I read your blog in imagining the side of you experiencing being a patient instead of the doctor – but I also realise the seriousness of your message here. We are such a vital component in our own healing. Working in the health system I have found that the true value of partnership between medical staff and patients can’t be over estimated.

126. Wow, surgery is so empowering when seen in this way. That is not a procedure to ‘fix me up’ but rather a deeply healing process that must be honoured and held with all the care and love we can bring to it.

127. Thank you Anne for sharing your experience of being a patient surgeon. This is a very powerful description of how the benefits of conventional medicine in surgery when combined with the self-care and self-nurturing presented by Serge Benhayon offer a deep and true healing.

128. Thank-you Anne for the invaluable advise you have been willing to share from your own experience of being in both roles of a surgeon and a patient. It gives understanding of the responsibility we have as patients for the part we can play before and after our surgery procedure.

129. Anne the loving honesty expressed here washed over me so beautifully in what you have shared. “Care for yourself as deeply as you can, and allow others to care for you.” There is so much strength in being vulnerable and it is just gorgeous to read how you allowed yourself to be with that. Thank you.

130. Thank you Anne for sharing this and for the very supportive advice in this blog. I have surgery soon, so this is very helpful. I’m also focusing on honouring how I feel in the lead up to the surgery and feeling deep appreciation for all the wonderful care I will receive from the medical professionals. I’ve also been working on understanding the energy that affects this area of my body and allowing myself full acceptance as I work through related issues, and simply love and understand myself, and how I got here and where I want to go to next.

131. Thanks Anne… it is lovely how experiences like this can be transformed from what was once a quite terrifying ordeal to , as you say, a wonderful experience. I had an operation recently, woke up feeling extraordinarily clear, and then a wonderful eye-doctor friend of mine just happened to be passing by my bed right when I woke up and held my hand for a little while … miracles do happen. ☺

132. Being through many surgeries, I found such a difference between the first one, where I was in fear of what would happen and subsequent ones where I prepared myself, took the time to be loving and nurturing and allowed the process to unfold, realising there was a healing in the surgery for me. Before the anaesthetic took effect, I did gentle breathing, bringing myself together, knowing I would be looked after by the surgeon and all the other people in the room. I then glided into unconsciousness in this way, my body fully accepting what was about to occur. This made a huge difference in how I was when I awoke and in my recovery. Chakra-puncture helped to clear the effects of the anaesthetic from my body afterwards, once I left hospital. I feel great appreciation for western medicine that helps us and for complementary medicine that supports us in our healing process.

     1. Thank you Anne for your helpful advice and sharing your personal experience.

133. A wonderful blog Anne, as it really allows one to feel the openness and love with which you approached your operation. It is a moment that for most brings a lot of apprehension as we dip into the unknown of what may happen, whereas your blog allows one to feel the love and time that is invested in each operation by the doctors and nurses and all involved in the process. It also makes me aware that I too have a responsibility in the procedure and this is empowering as it makes me an integral part of the healing.

     1. This is such a great blog to read at this time as I prepare for surgery in a few months time. We have a date set well in advance and I have been able to arrange time off work beforehand so that I can prepare. It is blogs like these that have inspired me to take care of myself in preparation so that my body is ready and well rested, when the time comes.

134. Amazing blog that really shows the importance that the patient plays in the healing of themselves. And thanks Anne for showing us that we can take extra precautions and responsibilities before going into surgery and coming out! It would be good to experience surgery from the other side, like you did. It might even give the surgeons a deeper look in how they as a practitioner can support the patient even more.

     1. Thank you Anne and Harry. I agree Harry, the deeper the support for a patient the sooner they recover. The support comes from every area – from the surgeon to the visiting family. My wife has been through numerous surgeries and felt greatly supported by my massage and love.

135. Thank you Anne Malatt to bring this to the fore from you being a professional surgeon. What I get from your sharing is that by these kind of testimonial we become slowly aware of the fact that Western Medicine is a great gift to humanity and that we have to reassess the true service it is bringing to us. When we introduce our own responsibility in the process of our healing, Western Medicine can be healing instead of only providing us with a cure to the illnesses and diseases we bring to it.

136. Great advice Anne. The more we take responsibility and engage with the whole process the greater the opportunity for healing. People (patients) often feel disempowered in the medical system but you have shown simple ways such as choosing the timing of the surgery, that allow us to be involved in our own care and give ourselves the best chance of healing.

137. Anne, thank you for sharing the graceful way you conduct yourself. I have never heard of someone welcoming the surgery before. You participate in the process with neither giving away to it, nor wanting to control it. You find out all you need to know and ask questions, but don’t worry or fear or let it take over your life. It is such a refreshing attitude, no wonder it went well. The advice you give at the end is just fantastic, and much needed.

138. There is so much more to the choices we make every day, particularly when the choice has be made to have a surgical procedure. Taking the time to be active in the process by choosing the time, asking questions, putting in place the things that support you allow for a very loving experience. Thank you Anne for bringing more awareness to the powerful role we play in our own healing.

139. It is so profound to have a list of advice so clear and solid. If ever I do need surgery I will consult this list, it just feels so tried and tested, practical and loving.

140. Beautiful Anne. You seemed to let go and allow the bigger plan to unfold. You supported yourself and your responsibility to yourself was inspiring. ‘Everything flowed smoothly and I felt I was part of a graceful movement of love.’ Thank you for sharing how it was for you as a patient. Understanding both sides of the experience is powerful.

141. Thank you for sharing your story Anne. I had an operation recently and it too was an amazing experience. The staff were wonderful, my surgeon and anaethetist were excellent and I felt truly cared for. It is a very different experience being the patient and allowing and asking for support during the recovery process. Much healing can take place if we allow.

142. Dear Anne, thank you for your beautiful account on how simple and healing surgery can be. I absolute agree with you and underline everything you have said. I too had major surgery not that long ago and what had supported me most was to connect with the people involved and have things prepared in the way and people with and around me that made me feel supported and at ease.

143. Anne, thank you for showing how healing can occur when having surgery. I loved reading how you went about taking great care of your self pre, during and post surgery. Great inspiration. The way the staff cared for you was a reflection as to how you had cared for yourself.
     This blog would be great if all patients received this type of information at their first preadmission appointment and there possibly would be a more positive outcome (like Anne’s) instead of the complications that can occur post surgery.

144. Anne, I love what you write here about Surgery being not only a physical healing but also providing a profound personal healing as well. In my experience every medical intervention or surgery that I have had, has also offered me profound life changing healing, such that I now don’t see it as any less of a healing modality as an esoteric healing session. Your experience as a surgeon and a patient is invaluable in bringing awareness to the energetic healing that occurs during surgery.

145. A wonderful article Anne that shows how we can be so much more in the equation in terms of our own health care. I remember my last surgery, which I put off so long that it had caused more damage, making the surgery more invasive. I flew home in the afternoon after my morning surgery, and a day or so later spent a day at a sporting event with one of my children. I felt terrible but remember thinking I should just pick up and carry on with everything I had been doing. When a nurse called to check on me I was told I should have rested for three or four days!
     Since I have come to learn from Serge Benhayon about self love and self care, I am amazed to think I did not even contemplate asking about recuperation time or what to expect after the surgery. At that time in my life a positive mental attitude was prevalent for me and it was championed to just get on with it no matter how the body feels. I know now if I am to experience another surgery I know I will be a very different experience.

146. Anne what you have shared has opened my eyes to true opportunity having surgery offers a person. I feel your suggestions can be applied to anything to do with any health issues that present, as taking responsibility and supporting ourselves are vitally important, from a having a cold to dealing with cancer.

147. Thank you Anne for sharing your wisdom of how healing the experience of surgery can be. What a wonderfully supportive inclusion in a pre-surgery advice pack it would be. It would certainly assist the patient’s healing. The learning that you had from this surgery was inspiring and the one line that really stood out for me was: “all my relationships have deepened and grown because I have allowed myself to be vulnerable and to be helped”. Your healing was definitely on more levels than just the result of the surgery!

148. This is awesome sharing Anne, a must read for anyone who is having surgery. Words of wisdom you offer here. Having had surgery myself several years ago, I too had a similar experience of what you have shared (albeit I am NOT a surgeon). I have only now realised having read your blog, that I took part in my healing with the surgery by being fully responsible and involved the process and allowed myself to surrender to what was taking place as well as letting others look after me in my recovery. It felt empowering and there was so much love that was reflected to me by the doctors, nurses, staff, family and friends.

149. I love how you paint the picture of going into surgery. I have worked in theatre and always notice the care that goes into making sure each patient is so cared for and gets exactly what they came in for. It is a real pleasure to watch it in action. I love your advice, just look after yourself deeply, let yourself be looked after, take time off, play an active role in what is decided. All very important. Thanks Anne.

150. Thanks Anne for sharing your most revealing account of your surgery, through your eyes as a surgeon being the patient. Choosing the responsibility of being present in your body is always a healing, taking that to surgery is where we see miracles compared to the norm.

151. I’ve found that an important part of the process is to express. Most patients start the day of surgery with anxiousness and fear, so simply stating this to your nurse or doctor really helps to shift the anxiety, maybe not allow it to go completely but it does diffuse it and you regain some sense of yourself.
     As an anesthetic/recovery nurse it’s something I’m acutely aware of, so will often ask the question to break up the anxious hold this energy has over a patient. Sometimes it’s a few tears or simply stating the fact of how they feel, then at the point of expressing their truth, it breaks the configuration of fear held in the body to present a more relaxed body for the surgery.
     Anne, thank you for your blog, some great advice and it shows that it is possible to have amazing surgery.

152. Thank you Anne for your great article and I can attest to what you say about preparing the body adequately before and caring deeply following any surgery. I would like to add here that on one occasion I found the deep caring of the surgeon (yourself in this instance) and the assistants very supportive, arising a deeper trust in the entire situation. I feel if I had had the awareness way back when I had my first several surgeries, that much of the healing was dependent on my taking responsibility for the loving preparation of my body, followed by deep caring and understanding that it was okay to be vulnerable enough to be able to ask for assistance even with the smallest of things, the healing process would have been more proficient, true and complete. Much water has passed under the proverbial bridge since my first surgeries and I have learned much about taking responsibility for not only the ‘healing of the wound’ but the ‘true healing of the root cause’ thanks to the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.

153. Yes, taking your part of responsibility in the process of surgery will greatly influence the outcome. Having worked at a hospital for many years, I was always stunned if again a patient who wanted to check in the day before surgery found his way into my office and was not even able to tell me what kind of surgery would be performed: “the doctor said that surgery is necessary, why should I know what will be done if I cannot escape it anyway”. More often than not, it would be these same patients who suffered complications during or after surgery whilst the patients who approached there surgery with preparation and responsibility usually had a very easy and simple time at the hospital.

154. Some great advice here Anne, planning our surgery supports the healing process. I know in the past when I have done this, everything runs smoothly, there are no complications and and I have almost enjoyed the procedure as I have been looked after so well.

155. This is such a beautifully supportive blog for people to read – no matter what side of the operating table they are on. Anne thank you – this shows how important the patient is in this healing process and how much they can support themselves. Totally inspiring to read how much true care and love you received.

156. Great practical advice in dealing with any medical procedure.

157. How amazing that you had the opportunity to be ‘on the other side of the table’ (or rather, on the table). Not only did you receive a healing but you got to accept the beautiful healing that you bring to every one of your patients.

158. A very simple and practical approach.

159. What a great humbling post Anne, love the way you share from both sides, and agree that counting ourselves as part of the surgery process as opposed to an ‘object or body being worked on’ offers great support and responsibility in the self-care and healing process.

160. This is powerful stuff and even more so coming from a woman who has experienced both sides of the situation. We often think as patients that we are powerless because we see the professionals involved as knowing more than us. Yes they in many ways do know more on the technical/skill, procedural and biological levels and rightly so but we also have an authority and that is of knowing our own bodies having lived in them 24/7 🙂 for a long time. I loved what Anne wrote here “Choose to be part of the plan” Choosing to be part of the plan rather than feeling we are subject to it feels amazing. I have also had surgery in recent years in which I played a much more active role than in the past in how it all went. I found that the surgeons and the anaesthetists really enjoyed explaining things to me and I could feel them relax because I was taking responsibility for myself and not placing the huge weight of expectation on them to ‘deliver’. Surrendering to allowing time for the deep rest the body needs afterwards is also supportive of a swifter healing process

161. This is so beautifully shared. A valuable blog in that you express from your lived experience and wisdom from a being a patient and from being a surgeon. What you present feels so true; how we are with ourselves when we approach surgery (before, during and after the surgery) is an equally important factor for healing to take place. Thank you Anne for highlighting this truth.

162. What would it be like to allow yourself to be vulnerable and helped? This really struck a chord with me, as I would find this quite challenging to allow myself to be this. As a nurse I am usually the one my family look to for guidance, especially on medical issues. What a gift for them to be able to care for and support me if that situation arose. Thank you Anne for sharing your experience – it is relevant to many of us on so many levels.

163. The advice that you give here should be widely disseminated as your own experience highlights so clearly its benefits.

164. Thank you Anne, I love the way you express going into surgery as if it was all new to you too, even though you have been on the other side of the scalpel many times. The responsibility each of us need to take for our healing with our preparation, treatment and recovery processes is important for a truly healing outcome.

165. Beautiful article Anne. It doesn’t actually hurt for all healthcare workers to have an appreciation of the hospital experience from the view of the hospital trolley or bed!

166. What a difference it makes in life when we know we are loved and when we love ourselves enough to make those loving choices for ourselves, Thank you Anne, a lovely blog.

167. I’ve just had two wisdom teeth removed, so whilst not a complicated operation, I too have really spaced-out my recovery period and allowed others to support me. I absolutely see how our level of responsibility directly correlates to the healing opportunity of surgery and other types of medical intervention.

168. Thanks Anna! I love reading your articles. I think it’s awesome that you allowed yourself the vulnerability of being a patient at your own place of work. I’m sure very few people would take that on for fear of feeling less. Go you for accepting all the love that was coming your way, and still allowing yourself to learn from the experience without any perfection. I love that you are so honest about the little things you do that perhaps are not the best for you, like going back to work a little too early and not asking questions when you felt tool. You keep it real, and relatable and that in itself is healing for all….at least me!

169. It is very inspiring to read how surgery is in fact a potentially very close cooperation between the team and the patient rather than something that one endures and gets over and done with. I wonder whether recovery rates would skyrocket if this area was given more attention.

170. I love this article because it illustrates that surgery doesn’t have to be the scary ordeal that we can perceive it to be. Making those truly loving choices in the preparation for it – and listening to and honouring all that you feel shifts the terrain tremendously…Thank you for this sharing Anne.

171. To read this, heals an old wound that I carried from a kidney surgery. Back then I was fighting against the doctors and everything went wrong. So I kept a fear of surgery in me. This now gives me a perspective of how different a surgery can be, if I accept and respect western medicine and its wonderful services.

     1. This is true for me also Felix. I had a great fear of the medical system that came from a lack of trust that was born from an ‘us and them’ mentality. After an arduous fight with the doctors (I was pretty stubborn), my first daughter was born by caesarean instead of my planned home birth and I was devastated. I lay on the operating table and thought that I was giving up. But then a wonderful thing happened…I realised that I was not giving up at all, I was surrendering and with that came the awareness that no one was fighting me, they were helping me and I was only fighting myself. Letting that one go gave me more relief than birthing my baby! There is so much love and so much help at hand if only we choose to accept it.

172. I found it very interesting Anne to get the Doctor/patient perspective on surgery, having had a few operations in my life, tonsils and appendix in my youth and a few small procedures in my adult years. I don’t remember feeling afraid – maybe a little nervous – but always assumed I would come through the operations and naturally heal, which I did. Part of the reason for this is that I put my trust in the Doctor and Nurses even though many times I didn’t know the Doctor very well, and I am glad I did that. It seems to make a lot of sense that our attitude does help with our healing experience.

173. I really enjoyed reading of your experience Anne – it does show how our healing process naturally starts to take place when we are gentle and tender with ourselves, supported and keeping informed as to the intended procedure and keep the doors of communication open with the professional people involved. I had a small procedure not long ago – for the first time ever no hot flushes of anxiousness or nerves jingling but a feeling of calm throughout the procedure – the nurses even commented on “how relaxed” I was and wanted what ever I was taking so that they could feel the same. Leaving the hospital that day was a part of my healing – the rest I felt was up to me.

174. A great blog Anne, I remember years ago I had surgery and I didn’t prepare for my recovery time very well. I reacted to the healing process taking longer than I anticipated, the fact was I hadn’t asked for any support at this time. By being impatient I was not listening to what my body needed, it was calling for me to be more gentle and tender with myself and I was avoiding the opportunity to go deeper. Reflecting on my past experience and reading your blog, I know I would make more loving choices for my recovery if I needed surgery again. I would ask for support and allow my body the deep rest it so deserves.

175. Hi Anne. Thank you for your insight into your experience. I know it has made me realise what my ideas about surgery were and how in the past when I have had surgery that I haven’t been part of the team and definitely treated the whole situation as a failure and something that should be avoided at all costs.

176. I had a similar experience Anne for a minor procedure some years ago that required a general anaesthetic.
     I had never been in hospital before, never broken a bone or even had stitches. So even though I am medically trained and been in operating theatres I felt a level of anxiousness about the whole process. I choose a surgeon I felt in safe hands with and asked the questions that supported me to understand what I needed to bring to the table as the patient. I too was able to choose the timing of the surgery to coincide with a time where I would be able to have a couple of days off prior to the op and a week off afterwards. The whole process was lovely, I had prepared myself well and felt oddly calm and surrendered, which was reflected in a very low resting pulse rate and low blood pressure when I was checked in at the hospital (much to the charge nurses distress I told her I was in meditation and she smiled and nodded in a knowing fashion).
     As I waited for surgery the staff were attentive and checked over and over to ensure I was me and what op I was having before taking me to the ante-ward and wrapping me in warm blankets. Soon I was with the anaesthetist and the surgical team quietly buzzed in the background as they gathered to attend to me.
     I woke form the operation feeling like I had had the best and deepest most healing sleep and was very bright and alert. I needed no pain killers and healed rapidly. The surgeon was surprised how quickly my surgical wound healed and commented that process is in the hands of the patient and it is how the patient is that dictates the outcome. (A wise man.)
     I did not resist my surgery, I embraced the opportunity to heal and rest and let my body do the rest and it was one of the most powerful experiences of my life.

177. The part that really stuck with me here was “what I do, can heal too”. Healing is not a one-sided affair but requires multiple forms of care to heal an ill. While I have yet to experience any type of surgical operation that line can apply to other areas of life be it sleeping, diet, work. Thank you for the reminder that how I choose to live does affect my health.

178. Thanks for the great advice Anne. I too have only had surgery once – many years ago – and I felt truly supported the whole time. I allowed myself to be taken to and from the surgery, and when I was there. I simply surrendered and trusted. Afterwards I rested completely for three days, as I was asked to, and I never looked back.

179. Taking responsibility in your own healing means that being part of what is going to happen to your own body. The numerous points clearly stated here are so important; “choosing the timing”, “asking questions until you understand” and “making sure you trust the doctor you are entrusting your life to”. Sometimes when we are faced with a possibility of “surgery”, we may go into a kind of “panic mode” and may forget (or overlook) these fundamental things. A very supportive and helpful article for us all.

180. Thank you Anne for sharing your experience. I only had surgery once, a curettage after a miscarriage. When I look back now, it feels like I was not really there with myself throughout this experience, I did not ask myself what I needed, how I wanted to support myself or be supported by those involved or by my husband. Of course this was also a reflection of how I lived at the time and I have learned to care for myself. Asking others for support is still a challenge, your blog is a great reminder that this is at least as important.

181. Thank you Anne for your sharing. Great practical advice showing ways in which we can be lovingly responsible for any healing requiring surgery.

182. Reading the account of having surgery from a surgeon is powerful. I myself have had several surgeries. I had a cesarean, which is pretty interesting to be awake for a surgery and get to observe it all. When I was wheeled into the theatre, I connected with the doctors and nurses who were there and I felt like I was surrounded by a band of angels there to help me heal.

183. It is so true what you are saying here Anne about how surgery can be a healing.

     When I was younger I had to have surgery and it was terrible. I was a very young student nurse at the time and went to see the surgeon on my own. I did not have a clue as to what he was telling me and I was afraid to ask questions in case I looked stupid. When I woke up from surgery I was devastated to see the huge scars that I had on my body.

     Fast forward many years where I have had eye surgery. It was completely different and a truly healing experience. I chose the surgeon that I wanted, I waited until I was ready to have the surgery, I spoke with the surgeon at length about the surgery and what to expect, I had healings before the surgery so that I could address the way that I had been living that got me to a place where I now needed eye surgery. The surgery itself was just fantastic. Everything went very smoothly and I felt so different afterwards. I also allowed myself to have a lot of support afterwards so that I could rest. Each and every one of these things were a healing in itself.

     Thanks to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for showing me that every situation can be a healing if we choose.

184. Anne, this is really a great sharing for us all because sooner or later all of us will need some sort of surgery as the body ages. I really take on board your comments about choosing to be part of the plan and to see the surgery as part of healing but to not allow yourself to go into emotional fear based overdrive. Thank you!

     1. I had surgery a few years ago. I had resisted for some time, while I explored what I felt might be the reasons for my condition, and when I finally said yes, the surgeon asked: “how about tomorrow, I’ve had a cancellation”. For me, that was great; I knew and trusted him, knew exactly what the operation entailed, even down to the music he played whilst operating, and was able to organise time off and support. There was no fear, I remember laughing and joking with the anaesthetists. Afterwards, I rested, and did as I was asked. I wasn’t about to impair the wonderful work the surgeon had done! I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to undergo surgery again, and Anne’s article is a great resource for anyone contemplating it.

185. This is the kind of information would be great for all people who are about to have surgery to read. So real and so supportive.

     1. I agree Vicky. To hand over your body, and control of it, to someone else is huge. Taking responsibility for as much as you can, before and after surgery, getting involved with the healing process, and resting properly is so important. We need to honour the surgeons work. We wouldn’t buy a new Iphone and use it before the batteries were properly charged, would we.

186. I would be packing it if I were to have surgery, so it’s amazing to hear how much of a role you can play in your own healing within the surgery. I thought you were given a time, date, be there or be square type of situation.

     1. Yes, and there is very little research on what may be a very important component of healing – what are you doing as a patient to support your treatment?

        1. Christoph that is a great project idea. I know when I went into Surgery there was no real advice on how to prepare before just don’t eat X hours before the anaesthetic and then rest for a day or so after. There is most certainly a lot more that we can choose to do to aid in our pre and post healing.

187. Thank you Anne,
     I can feel how healing your experience was and how profoundly helpful for anyone it can be to read what you have learned and shared.

     I feel especially moved by the self empowerment you describe in being an active part of everything that is happening to you. This is what I’m working on in all areas of my life!

188. Anne, your blog feels so loving and beautiful and you are an inspiration for all surgeons no doubt. For you surgeons to be able to do such fabulous work, you need us patients to do our part which is love ourselves and surrender to the healing offered. Gorgeous !

189. Thank you Anne for your honest and inspiring blog. It’s great to get the perspective of a surgeon being operated on as you can now inspire a lot of patients to be more involved in their healing and also inspire the staff to see it more than just ‘annoying paperwork’.

190. Thank you for your care in sharing so others can benefit from your advice.

191. Beautiful honesty Anne and so refreshing coming from a doctor. It leads me to think that if only every medical professional had a turn at being a patient then maybe they would approach their jobs and their patients a bit differently?

192. Anne it’s a whole new perspective you bring to surgery from it being about being fixed and going back on the treadmill of life to using the time to heal and step forward with a new foundation. It takes it from being a nuisance to being a lovely time to care for ourselves.

193. Perhaps it should be part of the training for a surgeon to be a patient patient undergoing surgery! I have been in an operating theatre on many occasions and it does require a deep trust with all the medical staff. I have always been treated with the greatest care and love and an understanding that I am very much part of the team.

194. I love your advice to be part of the plan for your surgery. It could be all to easy to just let it happen to you but the way you describe your story here, taking a role in how you approached the operation allowed you to get the most healing you possibly could from the surgery.

195. This blog has inspired me to stop and appreciate how important all the details are for us when we are in the care of someone else, or a team of people providing a service. And how this can apply to any situation, whether it is making a coffee in a cafe, teaching in a class room, or preforming surgery. Every situation has the potential to be something very important to someone else, and we can respect that, in whatever position we hold in society.
     Thank you Anne.

196. This is an inspiring read from the learning and humility which shines through the words – thank you Anne

197. I really enjoyed reading this blog it was factual as well as having such a strong sense of balance and absence of fear. As Susan commented if I ever have surgery I will revisit this blog during the preparations. Thank you Anne.

198. So lovely to read from a surgeons perspective concerning being a patient. I can appreciate why surgery can be part of healing. Thank you for sharing.

199. Thank you Anne, this is such an empowering blog to read. Thank you.

200. Thanks Anne, this is really great practical advice and wisdom. I also love how you said – “The more responsibility you can take for the situation you are in, the more can be healed before, during and after the surgery.”

201. Thank you for sharing your experience and for your advice particularly “If you are faced with the prospect of having surgery, choose to be part of the plan. See it as an opportunity for healing and be part of that healing. As much as possible, choose the timing so that it works for you, so that you can prepare for it beforehand and rest afterwards.” or get a second opinion if you need to. I would have loved to have had this advice before I had surgery where I felt powerless and at the mercy of others. I agree with what others have said this information should be available in a leaflet for all, in every country.

202. Hi Anne thanks so much for all this sound advice, I’ll keep it in mind if I ever need surgery.

203. I loved reading this article Anne, when you listen to people who are about to have an operation there is often a lot of fear of the unknown, which does not help. Understanding and preparing for the procedure before, during and after makes sense that it would aid in the healing process, as you are playing your part and not looking at it from the point of somethings been done to you.

204. If I ever need to have surgery, I will read this article again, it is so practical and inspiring. Being an active and willing part of the whole process makes complete sense to me.

205. Absolutely agree Anne, to see ourselves as part of the process and to ask questions until you feel everything is understood, are really important elements to undergoing surgery. I know when I had an operation almost 20 years ago, I felt I trusted the surgeon and staff however I also realise that by telling myself I trusted them, it excused me from asking the questions or taking responsibility in my part of the process. After the surgery my body went into a lot of shock, not simply from having a major gland removed but my feeling is that quite possibly my lack of engagement with myself and the process contributed to my body’s reaction. With preparation and getting to know the surgeon, aneasthetist and staff, understand the process and ask about what to expect, I could have have allowed the procedure to feel more understood and gradually prepare my body for what was about to happen, rather than find my body in shock afterwards.

206. Thank you Anne for laying out how to make surgery a supportive healing experience for ourselves and showing the importance of having an integral part in it through carefully planning the day, asking all the questions needed and accepting the help and care of others.

207. What a privilege to have this very human, practical and wise advice given to us by someone who happens to be a surgeon, but which is based on her first hand experience as a patient.

208. Thank you Anne for sharing with us your profound common sense. A must for every doctor!

209. This is a beautiful message about life Anne, in seeing ourselves and including ourselves as part of the process. I really enjoyed reading how you surrendered to the process and lovingly placed yourself in the loving arms of others – letting others care for you. This feels like a poignant moment.

210. Dear Anne, thank you for the advice of how to prepare for surgery. If I ever have to have any surgery I will certainly make use of it and I will also share where it feels appropriate.

211. Dear Anne, thank you for presenting surgery so clearly and simply for us from both perspectives. This is pure gold! I am reminded of another blog I read recently which made a similar point – that if we are present and loving with ourselves at every stage of the medical process as well as with the staff caring for us, this really helps to set us up for a smooth and unproblematic hospital stay.

212. It’s really beautiful to hear how it is being a patient from a professional surgeon. Up to this point I have never needed surgery, but if I ever do I will remember your words. I can apply deeper self-care though, in visits to the doctor and healing in other ways.

213. Anne, thank you what a great article with super tips – I love how you allowed yourself to be vulnerable and how you talk so clearly about being an active part of the process super important. I did this for my last surgery a few years back and it made such a difference and reading you blog now I can feel an even deeper level of care is possible.

214. Thank you Anne. This article is great advice to anyone who is preparing for surgery.

215. Thank you Anne Malatt for sharing deeply about your own experience. Coming from you as a surgeon this is a really profound article and I wish everyone could read it before they have surgery.
     What touched me was when you said surgery is not a sign of failure as this is exactly how I felt when I got a tumour and had to have major surgery.
     You have covered Everything about having surgery and I know next time if ever I had to have surgery, things would be different.

216. Hi Anne, I loved re-reading your blog. I remember when I first read it in 2012, it inspired me to prepare myself for a blood test I had to do at the time. And since then I have been preparing myself differently to blood tests. I used to just take it for granted as just something I had to do. Now I am more caring about the day, time of the blood test and also allow myself some resting time afterwards.

217. Thank you Anne for this sharing. I too experienced a great healing before, during and after surgery and learnt how its so important to be part of and fully engage in the process which was all part of my self care. I found with this and taking care of and supported myself in every way I could let my body could get on with its job and healed physically very quickly. It would be fantastic to have this info on hand for all pre op patients!

218. this is lovely, I really loved the part about being vulnerable with the staff.

219. …..that is practical awesome sharing, and changes the perspective of being a passive patient to participating in your healing process which is a two way process, the healing support you receive from the surgeon and staff and the support you have given yourself…………

220. I was intrigued by what you had found out from anaesthetists about pre op food/liquid intake rules. Most seem to go on about at least 12 hours for food and 6-8 for liquid. I always felt it was a bit too much (for liquid) also considering that most surgeries do not start dead on time – mostly late, so one ends up with no water for way too long. However the NHS site in UK agrees with your finding and clearly states on their website: “The amount of time that you have to fast for (go without food or drink) before you have your operation will depend on the procedure that you are having. However, it is usually between 6-8 hours for food, and two hours for fluids.”

     Very useful to know – thanks for the enlightenment Anne.

221. Hi Anne, this is an amazing shared advice of how to go into surgery. This should be made part of the pamphlet that is the prerequisite for every patient to read before surgery!

     1. Great point Judith – although Anne might have already created a pamphlet, it’s such great idea to expand this and share with other surgeons and their patients – everywhere!

     2. I agree Judith. This is a fantastic idea and to share with surgeons patients everywhere.

222. Wow what wonderful tips, thank you

223. Pingback: The Im-patient Doctor « Medicine and Serge Benhayon

224. It was wonder-full to know how you allowed yourself to be vulnerable being a patient but at the same time lovingly prepared yourself- emotionally, physically and spiritually for the operation. This ensured healing all around.

225. This is beautiful Anne, coming from a patient and a surgeon – two in one 🙂

226. HI Anne,
     Thank you for the lovely reminder!

227. Thankyou Anne

228. Thank you Anne for providing a fresh perspective on surgery and the part that we can play in it either for ourselves, or by supporting another.

     1. Very well said Rod, i used to see Surgery or Doctors as the people to fix me – to solve my problems. With the presentations by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine it is very empowering to start to develop a different relationship with the medical profession one of support from them but one that I know takes my equal choice in how I choose or not choose to live.

229. Thank you Anne, you write about your experience with such beauty and openness. I also have had surgeries and know the true value of being very present with yourself and very much a part of the experience. It can be truly healing experience on many levels if we go into it with this awareness and do our part rather than be the ‘victim’.
     This is a great education for us all.

230. I so appreciated reading all that you have expressed in this blog Anne – especially your words concerning filling in the endless forms and how they are actually part of the bigger picture so that all is available to the hospital staff to be able to do the very best for the patient. Until I found Universal Medicine the very sight of a form (I taught at University) would send me into a frenzy. Since Unimed I am a patient form filler and now your words have added a new depth of understanding so that I will also be a loving form filler. I know you said a lot more than just this in your blog, but that was a moment of joy for me – thank you!

231. Having had an extreme phobia to everything medical I recently overcame my fear to have a much-needed operation. Like you Anne I dedicated myself to the preparation, taking time to rest and nourish my body before the op and have everything prepared and in place (meals, someone to clean the house, support from friends etc) so that after the op I could focus on what I needed to do – and that was nothing but rest and heal! And because of this dedication, preparation and the incredible care from the surgeon and nurses my experience was amazing and truly healing.

232. Truely valuable insight into a field you already knew inside-out. Thank you for writing it in a way that can be passed on to those who have surgery ahead of them.

233. Thanks for sharing your experience and advice from the viewpoint of a patient with ‘insider’ information, Anne. How wonderful for you and all your future patients that you now know surgery truly provides a profound opportunity for healing.

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