The one thing that will keep mind-body medicine out of the mud
As trailblazing as it may seem, the field of mind-body medicine appears to be stuck in the mud, still trying to extract itself from the...
Blog
In addition to the articles I've had published in the Christian Science periodicals, I've also written for a number of online outlets, including KevinMD, Communities Digital News, and American Public Media's 'On Being' blog. Here's just a selection...
A letter to my goddaughter on the occasion of her First Communion
Dear Isabella, What a joy it was to watch you taking part in your first Holy Communion. Everything about the event – the music, the...
Expanding our definition of ‘spiritual competence’
The first thing I remember as I regained consciousness, lying in a hospital emergency room, was hearing a nurse ask my mom if I was...
Where Does Wisdom Come From?
“It’s interesting to be in San Francisco, to be near Silicon Valley, [where] we get so titillated by the idea of our machines becoming...
A Patient’s Perspective on the Importance of Teaching Spiritual Competencies to Medical Students
The following talk was presented by Eric Nelson at the April 2017 Stanford Medicine X | ED, an academic medical conference hosted by...
The Difference Between Placebos and Prayer
“The difference between placebos and prayer,” said Dr. Harold Koenig during a workshop he was giving at Duke University’s Center for...
How To Know If You’re Being Lied To
Even if you’re not much of a Bible reader, you’ve likely heard the story. God creates Adam, and out of Adam he creates Eve. He tells them...
Honest Politicians Begin With Honest Voters
Just before the 2012 presidential election, researchers from the University of Notre Dame determined that the less people lie, the better...
Explaining My Religion to My Nonreligious Friends
Although I have no scientific evidence to back me up, I’d say a good number of religious people, as engaged and compassionate as they may...
How To Heal Hate
It’s ironic, perhaps, that an essential element in healing hate was articulated so simply, so profoundly, by someone who had just been...