Choosing Wisdom

Dr. Margaret Plews-Ogan is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and director of the UVA Institute for Quality and Patients (IQPS). She is also the lead investigator and director of the UVA Center for Appreciative Practice, a positive culture transformation initiative across the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, the Medical Center, and the Health Services Foundation physician group practice. Dr. Justine Owens is an associate professor in the UVA Department of Medicine and has served on the faculty there for the past twenty-two years. She served as research director for the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies at UVA from 1995 to 1999. She is the author of numerous publications on alternative therapies for pain management. Dr. Natalie May is a faculty member at the UVA Center for Appreciative Practices and also serves as the project director for Call to Health, a new initiative devoted to improving the health of African American women with diabetes.  

Acknowledgments / vii
Part One: Background
Chapter 1: Introduction / 3
Chapter 2: What Is Wisdom? / 11
Chapter 3: Posttraumatic Growth / 27
Part Two: The Path through Adversity
Chapter 4: Acceptance / 43
Chapter 5: Stepping In / 59
Chapter 6: Integration / 77
Chapter 7: New Narrative / 97
Chapter 8: Wisdom / 115
Part Three: What Helps: Sage Advice from the Field
Chapter 9: Finding Community / 137
Chapter 10: Gratitude and Compassion / 151
Chapter 11: Quiet Reflection, Meditation, and Mindfulness / 165
Chapter 12: Doing Something 181
Chapter 13: Spirituality, Forgiveness, and Doing the Right Thing / 197
Chapter 14: Choosing Wisdom / 215
Questions for Reflection and Discussion / 221
References / 229
Index / 241