Anyone who is ill has the own Well-being in focus. Recent research shows that altruism can have great healing effects on the person helping. 

"A generous person will flourish; he who lifts up others will himself be lifted up." 

- Bible quote

Altruism and related concepts such as cooperation or reciprocal give and take are generally perceived as typical human characteristics. However, even more highly evolved mammals are capable of this: monkeys immediately stop eating if a group member suffers pain at the same time. Elephants actively care for weak or stressed conspecifics, and dolphins help others when they are caught in a net. 

One thing is certain: humans are also cooperative by nature: 14- to 18-month-old children help others, for example, to reach distant objects or to open a cupboard, without expecting a reward. This willingness to help basically continues throughout life, provided it is not restricted by socioeconomic circumstances. People are thus naturally willing to help others. 

In Mahayana Buddhism, altruism is the highest goal of being. However, it is not a matter of providing quick help in any form, but rather of Compassion in such a way that we are able to free others from your suffering. As an analogy, if someone asks you for directions to the train station, you can explain to them how to get there and thus provide information that is valuable in the short term.

But a Buddha could also describe the path to enlightenment, with all the details that this person needs in his current situation. But one becomes a Buddha only through long training of the mind, which has the goal of turning altruism from a deeply human, but ultimately fleeting "reflex" into a permanent state of being. And because this book is about healing, it is also worth mentioning that a mind so trained by Buddhism transforms any disease. However, as a self-healing method that works quickly, the Buddhist teachings are unfortunately no good. 

Altruism as a healing factor - getting healthy by helping others

Altruism was already studied extensively in the last century. Various studies clearly show that altruistic actions benefit not only the person being helped, but also the helper. Stephen G. Post wrote an article in the American Journal of Behavioral Psychology in 2005 entitled "Altruism, Well-Being & Health," in which he concludes the following:

"There exists a strong correlation between well-being, happiness, health and longevity in people who are compassionate, sympathetic and well-meaning - as long as they don't wear themselves out as a result. It can be said that the emotionally generous person leads a healthier and happier life. Letting go of an ego-centeredness in which you only care about others as long as they are useful to you brings us closer to our true and healthier state of being, just as it is described in all religious and spiritual traditions."

The full article by Stephen G. Post can be found here: https://is.gd/zArWYu

Another interesting topic is altruism, which is born out of one's own suffering. The point here is that someone suffering, for example, from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome will recover more quickly if, on the one hand, they receive emotional care, and on the other hand, they also give care to others. This would confirm what the permanently depressed war veteran Wess said in connection with the "Power of 8 method"This is how he describes his own condition suddenly improving dramatically as a result of focusing on the health of others. There is even a term in English to describe this process: PTG stands for "Post Traumatic Growth", which loosely translated means: 'Strengthening of the personality after trauma'.

This is interesting in that a superficially bad experience can always be seen as an impetus for transformative change, just as many spiritual teachers proclaim.

The key is that we don't put ourselves in a victim role. And altruism is helpful in that it helps to shift the focus from me to others, which frees us from the victim role, at least for a short time, because someone who helps others cannot experience themselves as a victim at the same time. 

For details on "Altruism Born of Suffering," see this article from the American Association of Orthopsychiatry magazine (2008, Vol. 78, No. 3, 267-280) https://is.gd/B1Rdsk

Altruism as a healing power is also the subject of the "Power of 8":
The "Power of 8" Method by Lynne McTaggart
In her 30s, U.S. journalist Lynne McTaggart sought medical treatment for spinal problems and a candida infection. She was confronted with statements such as 'You're a candidate for hip surgery.", or "This is going to be a long and painful road." or, "You have scoliosis, which is unfortunately incurable." All assumptions that, in retrospect, turned out to be wrong....
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