Was it a black and white world, we would be able to stay comfortably within the limits and boundaries of whatever modality or protocol were trained in. It doesnt matter whether its medicine or any other profession. Certain rules have been written before we arrived, and were expected to follow them.

Yet, no matter how broad or narrow the rules or regulations, there are always situations where what is dictates unusual or even contrary approaches to the accepted pathways. This is not only true in emergency situations; it applies to everything.

In many ways, this is the stuff that innovation and creativity are made of. How often do we come up with something new because everything that we did know simply wasnt up to the task?

In an environment where the stakes are life and death, however, thinking out of the box is not just an option; it often becomes a necessity. And there are always people standing by ready to tell you how wrong you were to do what you did, no matter what you did. Sadly so, this happens sometimes even after youve accomplished a great amount of good.

Anything that disrupts the status quo is often interpreted as a threat. But the reality is, after a while there may be enough people who try out the alternative approach and find that it is viable. In that case, word spreads, others try it and before too long, the previously outcast approach becomes part of the mainstream Next thing you know, what was once renegade has morphed into the status quo.

Most practitioners in the healing arts recognize, after repeated exposure to the unknown, that healing will use anything and anyone at its disposal to effect change. It is always in the process of teaching us how to work with it. In the process, healing illuminates paths to reach it that were formerly in the darkness. Sometimes, those paths fly in the face of the currently accepted.

In high-tension occupations, those called upon to make the most difficult choices cannot help but notice that everything changes. Repeated exposure to the inconsistencies of mores and directives and the limits of arbitrary and time-limited rules and regulations leads one to understand that there are only shades of gray, and they better get used to working with that.

Healers recognize that as agents of change, they are often called upon to make their own judgments, some of which fly in the face of mainstream acceptability.

What that means to healers is, besides needing to be clear on what are the acceptable parameters within which they work, they must also be able to have room to quickly make decisions based on the unique circumstances they are facing.

More often with healers than most, I would suspect, they are called upon to make their own choices in critical situations. That often means taking action based on what they can personally live with, rather than based on what is acceptable, what they can get by with, or what they can get away with.

A part of this learning curve involves getting to accept that every action comes from choice, and every choice carries with it consequences. Breaking it down further, consequences come in three forms; real, imagined, and natural.

If you choose to rob a bank, for example, a real consequence would be getting caught and ending up in jail. An imagined consequence would be youd get raped while inside. A natural consequence would be the possibility that, by taking the risk, youd be separated from your wife and kids for a long, long time and run an even higher risk of losing them.

Which of these consequences presents the most vivid picture to work with as you come to make a choice?

None of this matters much when the moment rolls upon you so fiercely that you only have an instant to take action. Thats why a standard operating procedure of being aware of the choices you make, and cultivating the art of making them consciously (while recognizing the potential consequences attached to them), prepares you to act within a crisis situation in a way that both honors the moment and your own value system.

The healer knows these situations will arise. They are inevitable. On one level, there is no way to be prepared. On another level, the more attuned you are to a thought process that recognizes natural consequences, the easier it is to be clear on what consequences you are able to live with as you do your work.

Russ Reina

Russ has been involved in the healing arts since 1969. As one of the first ambulance paramedics in the country he began to explore the difference between being a healer and being what he calls a "flesh mechanic." His path has taken him through alternative modalities of healing, including working and living with a Lakota medicine family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (SD).

His experience also has included over 20 years in performance arts, including movie writing and production, stand-up comedy, improvisation, acting and singing/songwriting. Today, he lives on the island of Maui, produces sacred art and offers counseling and workshops.

His emphasis is on working with healers. Russ has a special interest in crisis intervention and counseling having to do with serious life changes.

He supports himself and counseling through sales of his art work, which can be found at his web sites. Please take a few minutes to explore the fascinating world of the healing arts there.

"There is a most powerful gift that one person can give to another," says Russ. "It is permission and encouragement, in whatever form it takes, for the other to be as wholly themselves as they are capable of becoming. It is also the most powerful gift one can give to oneself.

We all do this at some time or another in our lives. Therefore, each of us are healers, for the act of healing is the act of assisting in bringing about wholeness. The only difference between a healer and anyone else is that the healer actively looks for opportunities to do the work. Look for opportunities; becoming a healer is that simple."