Dear John,

“You should write a book on collaborative medicine.” Swami Kriyananda once gave this advice to Dr. Peter Van Houten, the physician for Ananda Village, and the founder of a national award–winning rural clinic.

Recently we had an inspiring visit with Peter and his wife, Patricia, during which he shared about how he practices medicine "collaboratively” at his clinic. First, there’s the aspect of having practitioners from multiple fields—dentists, behavioral therapists, as well as doctors and nurses—who all work together as a team.

If, for example, a doctor feels that a patient’s physical problems stem from mental health issues, he or she will do a “warm handoff” to a behavioral therapist. Using this method, the follow-through rate of getting treatment and overcoming health challenges is extremely high.

But there’s a deeper aspect to collaborative medicine that has spiritual implications as well. Peter said that the clinic staff tries to form a bond of friendship and respect with each patient. Rather than just proclaiming as a medical expert, “You must take this medicine,” or, “You must stop that habit,” they involve the patient in the process, encouraging them to draw on their own understanding.

Peter said, “Because the patient feels respected and heard, they will often come up with a strategy that I also feel is the right one to take.” Together they come up with solutions in which the patient feels he or she is participating and using their own initiative.

As Peter spoke, I began thinking of how this collaborative approach was an underlying theme in much of what Swami Kriyananda created.

In the “Education for Life” system he founded, the teacher tries to see each student as an individual with unique strengths and weaknesses. Rather than employing the “one size fits all” method of education, an “EFL” teacher works with each child to draw out their own interests and thoughts about how they need to grow and develop. Over decades we’ve seen self-confident, strong, and happy adults emerging from this system.

Exploring another area—learning how to communicate and create harmony with others—Swamiji wrote, “If you really want to communicate with others, seek also to commune with them. Feel their consciousness. Appreciate them for what they are and for what they do, not only for what they say.” We might call this approach “collaborative communication,” in which we don’t talk at another person (especially when we disagree), but listen and remain open to their point of view. Swamiji defined maturity as the ability to tune in to other people’s realities.