I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Güngör Buzot, author of “I Was Dying…Then I Changed My Mind.” Born in Turkey, Güngör earned her pharmacy degree in Istanbul before becoming a mother of two multilingual children and grandmother to two more. However, her health struggles with prescription drugs persisted for much of her life, until she discovered the healing power of homeopathy. In her book, Güngör shares her personal journey towards regaining her health, providing readers with insights on the transformative power of homeopathy and the importance of taking control of one’s own health. We had a fascinating conversation about her experiences and the lessons she learned along the way. Güngör now splits her time between Maine, USA, Datça, Turkey, and France, where she continues to share her knowledge and insights on the healing power of homeopathy.
1. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Determined, persistent, loyal.
2. During your journey of self-reformation and change, you need consistent support from your surroundings rather than just your inner self. What kind of support did you receive during this process?
I received love from my family, tenderness from friends, and treatment from homeopaths.
3. Our pet animal friends are visible and often reflect as they consume our pain, negative energies, and everything that makes us suffer. Did you ever feel like Ronnie was guarding you with no words but the love of healing?
I will never forget Ronnie’s support for the rest of my life. When my liver attacks started at sunset, I was alone in my room because at that time my daughter, Selen, was bathing, feeding and putting her children to bed. Ronnie would lie on the carpet next to my bed and never take his eyes off me. He was always there when I needed love and affection.
4. Family roots and moral socialization play a significant role in shaping an individual’s ethics. What are some of your family values that you consider to have shaped your self-being rather than just being assets?
Honesty, dignity, benevolence
5. Empathy is expressed throughout this work, “I Was Dying Then I Changed My Mind “ sometimes in words, actions, or by devoting oneself in the service of others. What do you feel your empathic nature did to make your pain worse or heal you throughout your journey.
As I am an empathetic person, I tried to stay away from the news during my treatment. The sad events I heard about increased my pain. Good news as well as bad news caused pain. I was very fragile.
6. You have always indulged yourself in self-perfection in order to please others or tried to put forward your best efforts at risking your own happiness and inner intuition, as quoted in the book: “In those days, I always took great pride in my appearance. I wore matching skirts and jackets, my hair was always perfectly blow-dried without a hair out of place, and my makeup was done to perfection. My nails were well manicured with red nail polish. I always looked immaculate. I sat down opposite the therapist, my head held high, and said, “Everything is fine with my parents, my sisters, my marriage, my children… my life is perfect.” How did you overcome this idea of appeasing others in order to get love ?
When I learned to love myself, I realized that I did not need to make an effort to deserve the love of others. As long as I loved myself, I did not need anyone else to love me.
7. Healing oneself is a multidimensional and interdependent process that involves healing in various areas. How did you manage to heal yourself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically?
For 61 years of my life I have been going to doctors to cure my diseases and they have been trying to cure the sick part of my physical body. Since my training was in this direction, I did not find this method of treatment strange. When I was sixty-one years old, I learned that this method could not work because our body is not an automobile so we can treat its parts. When I discovered homeopathy, I was fascinated by the method of treatment. The homeopath started treating my physical body along with my emotions, my mind and my beliefs. This made sense. Because our body is made up of fifty trillion cells and every cell is interconnected. So the organs are also interconnected. Each of our cells is charged with 1.4 volts of electricity and is connected to our electromagnetic field. We send our thoughts by our mind, and pull them back by our emotions and thus create an electromagnetic field around our body. Healing begins in this electromagnetic field and then manifests in our physical body. Diseases likewise start in the electromagnetic field and then manifest in the physical body.
8. Losing hope is losing connection with the true natural environment, surroundings, and especially the universal calling. What were the different perspectives that kept you having hope in all the battles?
Even though I lost hope and begged my children to be euthanized, I think I had never lost the joy of life, and this power saved me. I have lived my whole life with the philosophy that if there is a problem, there is a solution.
9. “I Was Dying Then I Changed My Mind” has a tremendous quest not just for personal troubles but also outlines the social and larger issues with regard to the conventional medical system. What motivated you to dig into the grayish layers of the conventional medical system?
Sixty-one years of illnesses, drugs, surgeries that started when I was six months old… what else would it take to open my eyes? Even a pharmacist like me, who blindly believes in medical science, has wised up after so much torture.
10. Through the book, we can get amazing insights into your family members, well-wishers, doctors, and parents, as quoted in the book: “ Father worked long hours. He looked after his workers because he respected and valued them and wanted them to be happy.The silk he produced was famous for being very shiny. My father was once asked at the Sericulture Congress in Italy what the secret of this brilliant yarn was. He told them it was manual workmanship. Do you think people’s attitudes these days are missing this sense of togetherness and acknowledgment of others’ actions?
I don’t think so. Even though money has destroyed many values, I am sure that the majority of the world’s population still has morals and conscience. Many institutions that have monopolized the world for a few decades are collapsing today. I am hopeful for the future of our world.
11. Your health problems, such as allergies, throat infections, and asthma, began when you were just six months old, and childhood memories have a lasting impact. Can you share any childhood memories that helped you during your worst days?
My health problems did not affect me much when I was a child. I remember more or less the six months I spent in the mountains when I was two and a half years old, but I do not remember any crisis. I think my brain was protecting me so that I would not be unhappy. I used to go out in the trees, I used to walk on the roofs, I used to swim or ride my bike all day in the summer… so I had a free and happy childhood.
12. You have a degree in pharmacy, which has given you an understanding of how medicines can help, but also how they can create addiction. Despite being aware of the consequences, some people are unable to break free from them. As Betsey once said, ‘Why aren’t you crying?’ I realized then that I had not cried in a long time, likely due to the soporific drugs I was taking. The amount of medication I was on had turned me into a robot. How were you able to break free from these addictive drugs and daily medications?
I cannot explain how difficult it was to withdraw from the drugs. It required tremendous willpower, perseverance and determination. I made up my mind to change and heal.
13. Your book “I Was Dying Then I Changed My Mind” is influential not just because it provides the power to introspect but also the ability to explore and believe in practices that are often dismissed by Westerners as primitive treatments. Do you think there is an urgent need to look at primitive medicines and herbs beyond the lens of Western modern science?
Since medical science cannot cure chronic diseases, I think they should look for another solution. Instead of disparaging alternative medicine, they should investigate how it works.
14. The book emphasizes the importance of choices in life, such as learning and accepting oneself, but sometimes choices can also lead to suffering if made to escape fears and problems. Have you ever made hasty choices to escape temporary fears and problems that resulted in more issues?
All my life I have been running from the rain and getting caught in the hail.
15. If your therapist is your well-wisher, then therapy does not end within the confines of their office but takes root inside our minds as well. You have honestly quoted, ‘I have never forgotten something my therapist confessed to me about that first meeting. “The first day I met you,” he said, “when you started describing your ‘perfect’ life to me, I thought, ‘Oh no! She has a lot of problems.’” Would you like to share what you have learned from therapy?
In my therapist’s office, I realized that I mattered. However, outside the office, in my normal life, I have not stopped caring more about others than myself. It was not because I considered myself unimportant or inferior to others, I just did not want to break anyone’s heart. I did not realize that I was saying no to myself when I was saying yes to others. I learned to love myself, which is the most essential emotion for a healthy life, not in my therapist’s office but in my homeopath’s office.
16. Divorcing your husband while having two children to take care of requires a lot of strength and decision-making. How did you find the strength to make that decision, knowing the challenges that awaited you?
I had brought two children into the world. Since their father was irresponsible, I had no choice but to be both mother and father to them. I love my children more than anything and anyone, and this love gave me the strength to raise them on my own.
17. Alain’s interactions are more about universal gratitude towards your selfless service and knowing your true self by loving yourself through the eyes of your loved ones. Do you feel that your bond with Alain is strong because of your emotional and spiritual interconnectedness with each other.
We have been through a lot together and that’s why we have very strong bonds.
18. In the process of healing yourself from physical and emotional turmoil, you also reflected upon the kinds of social constructions that usually put more burden and false images upon us. In your book “I Was Dying Then I Changed My Mind,” you quoted, “I was only forty-four years old. It was not easy to accept aging. I was shaken by hot flashes. Following my doctor’s advice, I started to use estrogen gel right away. Every now and then, I tried to stop the hormone treatment, but when I stopped, I found that I could not live without it. As a result, I could not stop using this hormone for many years.” What advice would you like to give women out there who are in the race of achieving the false perfection created by society?
I have never been afraid of getting old and of society seeing me as old. I have always loved my face and body and I have never changed my appearance with plastic surgery or botox. I do not even dye my hair. If we accept and love ourselves with our flaws, we will be happy as women. The reason I could not stop taking hormones was because I was afraid that I would almost have a heart attack due to severe hot flashes. Otherwise, I did not take hormones to prevent aging. Moreover, these hormones accelerate aging, make you fatter and thicken your waist.
19. These medications not only denied you of your free will to live, but also made you continuously demand them, ultimately taking away your social life and interactions, and filling your mind with negative thoughts. Do you think the lack of social life was the reason for your negative mindset?
My illness challenges did not fill me with negative thoughts, despite all my illness I was a happy and cheerful person and my social life was very active. It was only when I started taking high doses of drugs for about a year that I went into my shell. Otherwise I have always had a lot of friends who loved me so much and I loved them as well.
20. When you contemplated dying with euthanasia and setting yourself free from the continuous suffering and problems, what was the state of your mind that led to such thoughts?
There was nothing wrong with my mind. I just wanted to get rid of the constant and severe suffering. If my mind was broken I would have committed suicide.
21. You have been engaged in a consistent struggle against the darkest days and stand by the ray of hope, but what shattered your hope for living and love was the loss of your nephew. These losses are undefinable and cannot be measured or compared. How did you overcome this feeling of loss and guilt?
Losing my nephew was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I did not feel guilty about it. In time I accepted his death. There was nothing else to do.
22. Homeopathy has taught you significant lessons and made you aware of the dynamic nature of one’s body and holistic understanding through interactions with Dr. Andre Saine. “I was Dying Then I Changed My Mind” stated that the principle of “like cures like” is on which homeopathic medications and remedies are based. Would you like to elaborate on the biggest difference between homeopathy and conventional medicine systems?
Homeopathy is a gentle treatment that is not harsh on the body. By asking questions about the functioning of your body, the homeopath determines your energy at that moment and gives you the same energy as a remedy. Whereas conventional medicine wages war against diseases, andhits our bodies with the most powerful weapons. Our body, our organs are not our enemies. Instead of trying to kill diseases, we need to ask our organs why they are sick. Diseases exist to give us messages. Anita Moorjani’s quote is meaningful. “Cancer did not kill me. I was killing myself, cancer saved my life,” she says.
23. You have also delved into the readings of great works like “Do You Really Need a Pill” by Jennifer Jacobs, “The Biology of Belief” by Dr. Lipton, and many documentaries as well. What was the intuition behind such intensive reading and sharing of hidden insights of modern medical science with the world?
In my book, I wrote about my life with an open heart, and I suggest to people with chronic illnesses, who are told that there is no cure, that there may be a cure for their illnesses and that they should search for it. The books I mentioned gave me the important information I needed to further understand my own healing process.
24. Another key element of the book is that it states how the understanding of one’s mind can change our own perceptions about oneself as stated in the book “In other words, mind and matter interact, and our subjective mind has an effect on the objective world. Dr. Dispenza says that to change our reality, we must change our minds because our minds influence the external world.” Do you think subjective understanding of what is pain is more essential than trying to cure it immediately?
I think any understanding of our mind helps us further our healing of pain. Self awareness and the ability to change our thoughts and feeling is critical to how we influence our external world. While this is not an easy process, it leads us to liberation from illness.
25. This whole book is embedded with learning is expressed in three parts which are full of mixed emotions from happiness, joy, sadness, fear, stress, forgiveness, learning through others and importantly breaking self-built locked chains around us. Which parts of your book are your body, soul, and mind?
All parts of my book express my body, soul, and mind.
26. You have also spent your life traveling across different countries like the USA, Turkey, Datca, and France which has given you a wider perspective of time and life. What are the biggest lessons you have learned as a traveler?
To respect the differences between people and understand what we have in common at the same time.
27. Do you have other writers in the family?
Yes. My daughter, Selen Özarslan Aktar wrote a book called; Guide to Ecological Living.
28. What advice would you give to aspiring writers, particularly those who may be struggling to find their own voice or develop their own unique style?
Never give up on your dreams. Love yourself and be authentic, the right path will open in front of you.
29. Can you share any upcoming projects or works in progress that you’re excited about?
I hope to reach as wide an audience as possible and will make appearances on radio shows, podcasts etc. Check her website more details gungorbuzot.com
For readers interested in Güngör Buzot’s book “I Was Dying…Then I Changed My Mind,” it is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats. In this book, Buzot shares her personal journey towards regaining her health through the healing power of homeopathy. She offers readers valuable insights on the transformative effects of this alternative medicine and the importance of taking control of one’s own health. Buzot’s writing is candid and reflective, providing a unique perspective on the struggles and triumphs of overcoming health challenges. The book has been well-received, with readers praising Buzot’s approachable writing style and the valuable insights it provides. Whether you are interested in alternative medicine, or are seeking inspiration on your own journey towards wellness, “I Was Dying…Then I Changed My Mind” is a must-read.
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