It's not about curing the disease, but healing the life; then the physical benefits come.
Bernie SiegelRead
I believe the reason we sleep is not just to allow our body to rest but that it is to allow this inner wisdom to speak to us through symbols. This includes the body or somatic problems as well as psychological ones. Dreams and drawings are useful in diagnosing physical conditions.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Sleep allows us to access our inner wisdom and understand our physical and psychological needs.
In this quote, Bernie Siegel emphasizes the multifaceted purpose of sleep beyond mere physical rest. He suggests that sleep serves as a conduit for our unconscious mind, where dreams and symbols can reveal insights about our physical health and psychological state. This perspective highlights the importance of listening to our inner voice, which may communicate important information through dreams and creative expressions like drawing, thus bridging the gap between mind and body for overall well-being.
Themes
SleepDreamsWisdomInner VoiceHealth
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology class discussing the importance of sleep, this quote could illustrate how dreams relate to our health.
More from Bernie Siegel
All quotes →Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires - disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the time but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way.
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It is astounding how much the immune system is strengthened by reducing daily mental stress levels with either visualization or meditation. The other great tonic for the immune system is love—loving ourselves as well as others.
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I truly feel the best doctors are ones who are criticized by nurses, patients and family. They do not make excuses and learn from their mistakes.
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Part of my evolution has been to learn how painful most people's childhoods are. They grow up not liking themselves, not loving themselves. Ask people if they were lovable the minute they were born, and watch them sit back and have to think about it. One lady said, 'I suppose so.' That's painful.
Bernie SiegelRead
Being a survivor doesn't mean being strong - it's telling people when you need a meal or a ride, company, whatever. It's paying attention to heart wisdom, feelings, not living a role, but having a unique, authentic life, having something to contribute, finding time to love and laugh. All these things are qualities of survivors.
Bernie SiegelRead
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