Into the Heart of the Mountain

Eye Film Museum, Amsterdam

Our quick trip to Amsterdam was a like a dream. We were there for only 2.5 days for the opening of a film about the Nomads Clinic and Roshi Joan Halifax by Dutch documentary filmmaker Annegré Bosman. The Nomads Clinic was started by Roshi Joan 40 years ago to bring medical care to people in the high mountains of Nepal and Tibet and at the same time, a pilgrimage for Western and Nepali clinicians involved. I started with the Nomads Clinic in 2016 when I was a burnt out Emergency Medicine doc in New York City. It has been an endeavor that has changed my life and eventually gave me much inspiration for this book.

The documentary was filmed in the fall of 2019, the last time we were able to serve in the high mountains of Humla Nepal prior to the pandemic. Seeing the incredible scenary of the Himalayas, our dear Nepali friends, the villagers and nomadic people of Humla on the huge silver screen was a bit like having an out of body experience. We did that?! A vivid yet distant memory. A visceral dream. Especially after these past 3 years of the pandemic, with the world and many of our lives so changed, with the crisis in the US medical system so much more apparent and the climate crisis more and more palpable. This film is a dose of the stark yet breathtaking realities and gives wise hope with women voices in the forefront.

Here is an article in Dutch about Nomads Clinic, Roshi Joan’s teachings and a small bit about my contribution in the film.

Via Google translate:

“Being present instead of making better

One of the stories that touches me most is that of Wendy Lau, doctor and student of Joan Halifax, who emotionally tells how she got stuck in Western medicine, where emotions and connection with the patient are often seen as enemies of the profession. Full of fire and vision, Lau talks about how doctors need to learn that it's not just about 'what to do' with a patient, but 'how to do it' is just as important.

It is an important message in the film: Western medicine – with all its science – has lost the art of healing with its cold, emotionless approach. Lau argues that we need to learn to stand side by side with the patient again, instead of just focusing on "making things better." Recognizing what is there with an open mind, and taking action from there – Glassman's three dharmas in practice.”

This is really what drove me to write this book. Many of us in the world of Western medicine have lost our sense of meaning because of the realities of the system right now. But practicing medicine is still one of the most meaningful paths out there and I feel that we can find our way back.

And huge congratulations to Annegré Bosman! The challenges of filming this trip in the rugged high altitude, completely offgrid, with only Ramona van Gennep at her side was a tremendous feat. Then post-production and editing and all of it through the pandemic…. wow.

Annegré Bosman, Wendy Lau and Joan Halifax at the premiere. Photo: Babeth VanLoo.