A whole-person approach to self-care

The word “integrative” is derived from the Latin root integrare, meaning to make whole. While I didn’t realize during my 20 years in the emergency department and intensive care unit, the wholeness of my patients and myself were never the focus. I worked long, strenuous hours, often experiencing untreated vicarious trauma, that I, along with those around me, saw as a badge of honor. We coped by using dark humor and potluck buffets of high-carbohydrate, high-fat, high-salt food. My days off were…