Conversation with Bill Hoopes, Spiritual Director

I feel strongly that good deep healing requires attention not just to mind and body, but especially to spirit. For whatever reason, traditional medicine usually doesn't address this, whether it be because of orientation or lack of training or lack of time.  As I began to consciously incorporate spirit into the mind-body-spirit equation I found few examples of what it looked like in everyday life. I began to ask other practitioners about their experiences related to the mind-body-spirit equation, both personally and professionally.  One of those practitioners was Bill Hoopes. Bill is a spiritual director and retired pastor.  He also had bariatric surgery a few years ago which allowed him to explore the spiritual aspects of healing. As I listened to his story, I realized it offered the perfect tale of mind-body-spirit coming together for the healing and management of a chronic disease. I invited Bill to record a conversation with me about his journey via zoom to share with others. Enjoy!

Special note: If weight management and/or bariatric surgery aren’t part of your health journey, know that there is something here for everyone. Weight management is considered a chronic disease by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), just like diabetes, depression heart disease and hypertension. As a chronic disease, it shares a lot of the same issues of self-management that most of us deal with that have other chronic illnesses.

Conversation with Bill Hoopes, Spiritual Director