The Art of Healing is a long-awaited follow-up to his classic, Love, Medicine, and Miracles, which updates Siegel’s insights into the healing power of drawing, dreams and intuition.

In 1979, Bernie Siegel, a successful surgeon, took a class from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross that focused on crayon drawing for healing, especially with patients facing life-threatening disease. Siegel incorporated these techniques—many of which were laughed at by others in the medical community. But his Exceptional Cancer Patients’ “carefrontation” protocol facilitated healings, often deemed miraculous, and attracted attention. The use of drawing in Bernie’s practice soon proved to be just as effective as many healing modalities and complementary to all treatment options. In the process often healed families, too.

“Dr. Bernie” shared the fact that while patients might need antibiotics, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, their bodies also want to heal. This innate propensity could be aided by unconventional practices, including drawing. Why? Drawing produces symbols often representing the subconscious. Siegel shows how to interpret drawings to help with everything from why we are sick to treatment decisions and communications with loved ones. All those facing ill-health, and those caring for them, personally and professionally, will welcome the hands-on, patient-proven practices offered here.

“We are grateful these days to find a physician who understands the difference between practicing medicine and healing, who values the role of the human psyche in both its pathologizing and healing forms. Dr. Siegel’s Art of healing is aptly named, for healing is an art, and healing encompasses the whole person through respecting the dynamic power of the psyche to harm or heal any of us.” —James Hollis, author of What Matters Most

“When we combine the art of healing with the science of curing, modern medicine becomes whole. Thanks, Bernie, for showing the way.” —Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind