In an era when healing has become one of the most popular topics, Explores this subject of vital concern from the point of view of a variety of cultures, traditions and sciences. It draws from many disciplines to offer a powerful perspective on health and healing, disability and disease, doctors and doctoring, Eastern and Western medical theories and treatments and the final step in the healing process: consciously confronting the inevitability of death. The primary focus is on the transformative nature of disease and the metaphorical dimension of healing.