Finding You in Healing the Hidden Self
Discover an astounding story of one woman's brutal life: from starvation, to the Holocaust and the death camps, to marriage and motherhood. An extraordinary story of love and hope for us all in Healing the Hidden Self: A Journey Through a Crisis.
I have found myself in such a complete state of shock that I'm not really sure where I am anymore. I had never heard about this book before until today, but it is still incredibly moving even knowing what happened to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross only after having completed her memoirs posthumously with David Kessler. I had no idea what her life was like and I'm truly shocked by how an individual so brutally tortured can still move forward after having been inflicted with such darkness. What is most moving to me is Kübler-Ross's ability to maintain her faith in God and Love even after her experiences were so beyond repair. The sheer fact that she was able to live through the Holocaust, raise a family, and write this book are all incredible accomplishments in their own right. I'm very glad to have stumbled upon this book while researching Kübler-Ross's life. I'm going to have to read it again soon; I'm a little too emotionally drained right now.
I was so intrigued by this book that I had to put it off for quite some time. It's incredible, an astonishing story of personal discovery and healing, written with compassion and insight as well as with unflinching honesty about what is often called the "dark side" of human beings. It reminded me a lot of Schindler's List and the courage it took for Oskar Schindler to build the factory that saved over 1,000 lives; this book takes us inside the mind of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and the way she overcame her own past in order to lead a full life.
She led a complicated life, with many hardships and several affairs, but she never gives up on her husband or her children; she always looks for the best in people. She's very open in describing how she struggled to find that place of peace where so many other Holocaust victims never arrive, and how she learned to forgive and live for the future rather than maintaining anger about the past, or worse still, letting it dominate one's life.
Kübler-Ross writes in an often poetic way that's deeply evocative both of her childhood (she was raised with very strong Catholic values) as well as the camps themselves. It's hard to believe that she lived such a life, and survived it, but her descriptions of concentration camps and death camps (she was held in both) take the reader right into the heart of the story. I can't help but admire how well she wrote this book despite what many people would consider a major handicap: her dyslexia. She struggled in school as a child, and she writes about how it affected her confidence and self-esteem throughout life. But she learned to overcome it and always emphasized that education is important even for those with disabilities; in fact, she became an advocate for individuals with learning disabilities.
I think that's one of the most touching things about this book: she was able to overcome such obstacles in life and come out on top. She was not only a famous psychiatrist but also a wonderful writer, and I couldn't have imagined a more fitting person to write this book. She had already lived through much death and despair, so when it came time for her to write about how she survived, her experiences were foremost in her mind, and thus the writing becomes very authentic – and sometimes painful - as well as inspirational. My heart goes out to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross for what she had to go through, but I'm also extremely inspired by her strength of character. It's a great example for all of us.
A Stranger in my Arms
'A Stranger in My Arms' is the inspirational story of how a man overcame immense life challenges and achieved the seemingly impossible: his dream of becoming a doctor. This is a must read for anyone who has ever felt they were fighting an uphill battle against fate.
Leroy Jackson was born in the back seat of a car on a long and weary drive through South Africa's rugged undeveloped countryside. He was left with no family or friends, only his father — an unstable, alcoholic surgeon — and his two older sisters.
This unwanted boy was born with a cleft lip that caused him to have a speech impediment. The family soon moved to the cities, but his father continued to drink and disappear on binges. The only positive influence during Leroy's childhood was his strong-willed mother who loved both of her children dearly. She made up for their lack of affection and fatherly attention, but she couldn't stop her husband from becoming verbally and physically abusive as he grew more resentful of having a third child.
Despite all odds, Leroy developed into an intelligent young man with a promising future in medicine. He became an excellent student and later qualified to study medicine abroad — rising above the degrading childhood he experienced at home.
Graduating in the first class of his university, he was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies in England. Even with little money and a class schedule that began before dawn, he worked his way through medical school, eventually earning a position as a research assistant in London.
After meeting and marrying an English woman named Jane, he returned to South Africa with her. He set up practice as an anaesthetist; unfortunately, he was never able to gain enough confidence to perform surgery or take examinations for the doctor's degree that was required for full membership in the International College of Surgeons.
While working in the intensive care unit at Nightingale Hospital, Leroy's passion for medicine grew. He joined a surgical team led by Professor Doggrell and worked with Dr. Morgans, who was a renowned heart surgeon.
Leroy excelled under their guidance, but the financial strain forced him to conduct many procedures on patients who needed only minor surgery. To his surprise, he became quite popular among the public and was referred to as "the celebrity doctor". After saving the life of one of his young patients through surgery, he gained national recognition and fame.
Although he enjoyed his new-found celebrity status, Leroy found himself increasingly unable to deal with the emotional strains of continuous public exposure. He experienced profound anxiety and depression that he finally sought professional treatment.
Leroy also began to suffer from headaches. He consulted a neurosurgeon who diagnosed him with a brain tumour, but after a month of tests and counselling he was declared cured. He learned that the nagging pain had been caused by pressure on the median nerve in his neck at the base of his skull when he slept on his back. After visiting several other doctors, Leroy was eventually given an operation to alleviate his symptoms, which removed some of the pressure on his nerve.
Leroy developed a close friendship with former surgeon Dr. Denton and sometimes spent weekends with him at his farm in rural South Africa for intensive rest and relaxation.
Conclusion:
Leroy's story has a happy ending. After many years of pain, hardship, and setbacks as well as successes, he found himself filled with hope — looking forward to a future with Jane and their two children. He credits his optimistic outlook on life to Dr. Doggrell, who told him that our roots can either lay us low or raise us high. And life is like a rose — the more it is nourished and cared for the better it will grow and blossom, even through unfavourable conditions.
Leroy Jackson retired in 2005 after working as an anaesthetist for 45 years — 34 at Bramcart Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.