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Never go back
Kontroversielle läkaren Bengt Sterns råd till de utbrända
By Mia Odabas
Being burnt out can only be cured by letting go of control. That is the opinion of the controversial doctor, Bengt Stern.
He also claims that someone who is burnt out, should never go back to the profession which caused him to be burnt out in the first place.
“Do you really believe that people really want go back to the environment which made them sick?”
“We have to give up our intellect, to go beyond our understanding to be able to confront the origin of our duties and our anxiety to achieve,” says Dr Bengt Stern.
“There is no difference in curing cancer and mental depression. Cancer is a no to life, mental depression originates in a feeling that we are not good enough, that we have no right to exist and as a consequence are not welcome in this life. The opposite to this is self-esteem.
Is he a bit crazy, this 70 year old doctor Bengt Stern, or is he just ahead of his time? The only sure thing is that he is very controversial.
Colleagues’ hackles rise
His ideas for daily health care make the hackles rise on doctors all around the country.
“Health care costs too much and doesn’t help. It is stuck in a mechanical picture of the world. I want to transfer responsibility for recovery of good health from me, the doctor, to my patient. My greatness as a doctor lies with teaching the patients to treat themselves, not me necessarily knowing best,” says Bengt Stern.
He believes that we can get rid of most common drugs and a large part of health care of the patient participates in the healing process.
“We provide tomorrow’s health care. Even if it takes another 20 30 years before people realise it,” he says.
Bengt Stern does not consider himself to be in the least bit controversial. He gets angry at this statement and believes that he thinks more freely and “more rationally” than others. He mutters that people are ignorant and that they criticise his methods without having found out more about them.
“Why should I think like others when they are wrong all the time?”
Fifteen years of work
For fifteen years Bengt Stern has run and developed his course centre Mullingstorp, outside Norrköping.
He points to the well-trimmed bushes, trees and lawns and to the red houses where 3500 people have taken part in his “Meet yourself courses”. Many participants suffer from serious diseases such as cancer and rheumatism, some are patients for whom ordinary health care has not worked, others are top businessmen.
“We teach people insight,” says Bengt Stern.
People become reconciled with their past and there is nothing religious about that. It is only about integrating understanding and feeling. After a course with us, people begin to understand the meaning of life and the sort of relationships they want to have. You do not know that until you have let go of your rationality.
Unlocking the door
Locking the door to your intellect is a defence mechanism, means Bengt Stern. He and the other course leaders help to break up this defence during the week long course. With the help of theory, a healthy diet and advanced exercises around birth and death, the participants will be able to face parts of themselves that they would rather avoid recognising.
Critics consider that Bengt Stern goes too far with his treatments that he awakens feelings in people, which are not followed up.
Bengt Stern snorts indignantly:
“In the first place, we never let anyone come alone to Mullingstorp. Everyone must come with a close relative or friend so that he will not be alone with his experiences when he comes back home. Moreover, the ratio of course leaders to participants is high, for every 20 participants there are seven course leaders. All exercises are preceded by a thorough theory session and intensive talks. After the courses, we have therapists available all over the country.
Bengt Stern shows us around the course centre. Here we see apparatus that can measure energy flow, stress and poisons in the body to see how the participants are doing. He points to the apparatus and says that “these, together with advance self-knowledge, will replace 80% of health care”.
“Writing a prescription for Losec is like curing the brake problem in a car by smashing the warning lights”.
Self-insight gives results
During our lunch, several course leaders and participants join us. Erling Ophaug is a course leader who once worked in the financial world. He predicts that self-insight is going to show good results.
“Now, when life goes by so quickly, companies’ organisations need people with self-esteem. There will be a great demand of people who take both responsibility and are in touch with their feelings even if the men-in-command still do not yet dare to hire people twice as gifted as themselves.
Civil engineer Mari Överaasen was Managing Director for a consulting company comprising 60 male consultants. Today she is a course leader at Mullingstorp and works with Leadership Training in Norway.
Better leader
Six years ago I was completely burnt out. It took me a year to get back on track. I became a better leader after doing the course here.
As I know myself better, I have more compassion for my colleagues and customers and have improved my ability to develop other people.
Bengt Stern tells us that many people during the courses at Mullingstorp, experience for the first time, an inner peace. Marit Överaasen continues.
“It’s this peace that prevents us becoming burnt out.”
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