A Tale of Two Surgeries

In this post, I share a short story about two athletes who played college football.

Healing from an injury that requires surgery can be like undoing knots. Photo of two footballs in the sunset by Raymond Petrik at Unsplash.

I have worked with students of mindbody arts in many settings. In medical settings, I have worked with students who have needed surgery to address their health situations. Surgery is a serious thing, and I want to share some thoughts about it. As I have said before, I share these kinds of things as an educator with the intention of sharing useful information. I am not a doctor, and what I say and write here does not constitute medical advice. That said, the intention to share a mindbody perspective is meant to help you think about health in a larger context and to encourage a “whole person” perspective when considering procedures or health practices that sometimes may include surgery. The truth is: Having a mindbody practice, especially one where you regulate your emotions and refrain from negative thoughts about future catastrophe, can help your mind and body accept healing methods, including surgery, so that you heal in a constructive and natural way. A mindbody practice is not meant to replace the need for surgery, but it can help you marshal your resources, your thoughts and actions, to promote healing and steer your whole life toward wellbeing.

Do you cut it out or try to untie it?

This is a  paraphrasing of the words of French writer/philosopher, Joseph Joubert who said:

“Never cut what you can untie.”

I admit my bias as a teacher of mindbody arts is to try to untie things that might otherwise be cut. I call this avoiding a knife to solve the problem. Knives and cutting certainly have their place. When you think of that story about the Gordian Knot cut by Alexander the Great, the lesson is that sometimes cutting something is a useful solution.

The highly abbreviated story of the Gordian Knot goes like this. An oracle had declared that any man who could unravel the elaborate knots at the gate of the city was destined to become ruler of all of Asia. The knot was described by a Roman historian as made up of "several knots all so tightly entangled that it was impossible to see how they were fastened." Alexander the Great wanted to untie the knot but struggled to do so. Some sources say that he drew his sword and sliced it in half with a single stroke, and the knot was completely undone. This is considered a brilliant but brutal solution that disregards the disentangling process and supports the idea that only the outcome matters. Other sources say Alexander the Great pulled the linchpin from the pole where the knot was tied, and then pulled on the two exposed ends of the cord. He successfully untied the knot without having to cut through it and fulfilled the oracle’s prophecy.

I like both versions of this story because they are great analogies for a health crisis and its many potential solutions. Sometimes surgery is the solution that can cut through the symptoms so you can be done with the ailment once and for all. It is like getting to the bottom of the problem and then being able to move on with your life. Examples include removing tumors or dead tissue and obstructions which can save lives in emergencies. In some cases, of course, surgery is not necessary.

Because I respect the practice of medicine of all kinds, both Western and Eastern, I believe surgery is a valid option in the pursuit of health and wellbeing. But surgery has risks, because it often means doing something invasive: cutting the skin, the fascia, maneuvering around the nerves to get to the organs and sometimes deliberately breaking or cutting bones. In addition, there are also risks involved in going under anesthesia, taking days off work and dedicating time for the surgical wounds to heal, which means guarding against infections. Finally, after invasive procedures the body needs to regain strength through special physical therapy exercises. It all takes time and commitment. During this special time of surgery and recovery, the body and healing become the focus of attention. You can do things to support the healing or sabotage the healing, perhaps inadvertently. The analogy of untying of knots is appropriate: a surgery requires patience and trust in the surgeons, the medicine, the therapies, trust in your own family and support systems. Most important of all, a decision to have surgery also requires a trust in yourself and your abilities to recover. Having a positive attitude and a sincere belief that what you do matters can make a big difference.

A Tale of Two Surgeries

I have sometimes worked with athletes who got injured playing sports. Manuel (not his real name) found the mindbody practices especially useful after injuring his back during training as a football player in college. After the injury, seemingly innocent, he experienced unresolved pain that lasted more than a year and gradually he lost the socializing and the confidence from playing with his football team. Three years into his chronic pain journey, he was in my classes, and we worked together to introduce mindbody practices into his health routines. Nothing big. But Manuel was consistent in doing practice before bedtime. A friend of his, also a football player, had also sustained a similar injury in his low back. In both cases, the pain disrupted their young lives, kept them from playing football, and made them sad. Manuel practiced simple breathing and relaxation for eight months or so. In particular, it was the Caring Breath exercise (see the 2-minute video below, download a PDF of a mini-practice based on the Caring Breath here), which I have taught to many people. Manuel made the practice his own and started visualizing that he was throwing the football during the actual movements as he practiced at night.

Manuel’s friend did not practice like this.

After those eight months of consistent nightly practice, Manuel saw a new doctor who put forth the possibility of surgery to address the injury in his low back. Manuel got a second opinion, because he dreamed of being free of back pain. Though, he was also scared of not having a good outcome, he decided to have the surgery. Around that same time, his friend, who had also gotten injured around the same time, had gone through the surgery for a very similar back injury. So, the two friends basically had surgery around the same time in the same area of the body. What happened? Manuel’s pain resolved: He healed up nicely and resumed playing football. What happened to his friend who had the surgery but did not practice mindbody arts? The surgery gave Manuel’s friend temporary hope, but, after the physical therapy and rehabilitation period, the pain in his low back remained.  

Sadly, Manuel’s friend was back to square one.

Useful Metaphors and Sensible Next steps

If you think of ailments and conditions as knots or puzzles of some kind in the body, then the Gordian Knot story tells how you can work with them. The above stories of the two athletes speaks of finding solutions to problems requires patience, energy, and creative thought. Manuel spoke of that time he was practicing mindbody arts before bedtime regularly as the time he was “getting his head right.” He put a poster of his football team on the wall in his bedroom that read:

“The comeback is stronger than the setback.”

I cheered Manuel on. It felt like he was disentangling himself from the thinking, the behaviors, the environment that created the knot in the first place. Witnessing Manuel like this, I thought of that famous line of Lao Tzu in the Tao te Ching, verse 15, in Ursula K. Le Guin’s translation:

“Who can by stillness, little by little

make what is troubled grow clear?”

 I like the imagery of untying the knot that is somehow holding a situation in place. This takes time, and it may mean taking a dispassionate look at contributing factors, including what you yourself are doing to keep a situation in place. This is not to place blame, but to encourage you take responsibility for finding solutions that truly work for you. You can be troubled and still pass safely through a tough period when your life and health situation can be like muddy water, which, little by little, can become clear.