|
|
Mindful Musings
Copyright © 2009
eMindful
Editor:
Kelley McCabe
Writer:
Richard Mahler
Design:
Alan L. Kosow
Editorial Advisor:
Paul Sugar
Support:
David Lesak
|
|
|
|
 Linda Carlson:
Bringing Mindfulness to Cancer Care
By Richard Mahler
 Linda Carlson knows first-hand about the
healthful power of mindfulness. A facilitator of Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction for more than a decade, the Canadian clinical health
psychologist works almost exclusively with cancer patients and their
families. MBSR courses are offered to these individuals free of
charge with the expectation that they will attend classes, keep
personal "logs," and spend 45 minutes each day engaged in the
personalized mindful yoga, meditation, and body scan practices
emphasized in the eight-week program.
"These participants are much more motivated
than individuals from the general population," observes Carlson,
who teaches through the Psychosocial Resources Department of the Tom
Baker Cancer Centre at the University of Calgary's Foothills Hospital.
"They are really ready to do this." And the enrollees Carlson
teaches are often not the kind of folks one might expect to find
sitting silently for 15 minutes at a stretch with their eyes shut.
A sun-wrinkled Alberta rancher in Stetson hat and
cowboy boots, she says, may embrace mindfulness meditation
enthusiastically after discovering he has prostate cancer. The practice
likely never would have occurred to him otherwise. "These are the
kinds of people I often see in my courses," notes Carlson,
"it's a paradigm shift for them."
So far, about 1500 individuals have gone through the
Cancer Centre program, which is offered multiple times each year and
overseen by the University's Department of Oncology, where Carlson is
an associate professor. She also holds the Enbridge Research Chair in
Psychosocial Oncology, which provides funding to study the MBSR
program. In addition to developing core mindfulness skills among cancer
patients and their caregivers, the Centre provides other ongoing
classes to "alumni" who wish to receive post-course
instruction and support.
(continued below)
|
|
eMindful is
proud to sponsor the:
 National
Institutes of Health
1st Annual Mind/Body Week
September 8-11, 2009
eMindful will
offer CME for several of the NIH offerings. For more details,
email us at info@emindful.com
|
|
Q&A with Amy
Saltzman:
Bringing Mindfulness to Children,
Parents, and Teachers
By Richard Mahler
 Amy Saltzman describes herself as "a holistic
physician, mindfulness teacher, scientist, wife, mother, and devoted
student of transformation." Based in the San Francisco Bay Area,
Dr. Saltzman in recent years has been bringing age-appropriate
mindfulness to students (and their teachers) in the kindergarten
through high school range. Among her offerings is a specialized
curriculum (and CD) that incorporates mindfulness within the term,
"A Still Quiet Place." She is currently conducting two
research studies. One is evaluating the benefits of teaching
mindfulness to child-parent pairs and the other examines the effects of
bringing mindfulness to children in low-income elementary schools. Both
are conducted in collaboration with Stanford University.
Trained as a medical doctor in Internal Medicine, Saltzman is
director of the Association for Mindfulness in Education and a founding
member of the Northern California Advisory Committee on Mindfulness.
Before establishing a private practice in Menlo Park she served on the
Board of Trustees of the American Holistic Medical Association, and as
the first medical director at the integrative Health and Healing Clinic
of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. She offers
presentations and courses for children, youth, parents, educators, and health
care professionals. She also provides individual mindfulness
instruction and holistic medical care to children and adults.
Q: What are you
presenting through eMindful.com?
A: This time
around I am offering a six-week "mindfulness and parenting"
course. It applies the principles of mindfulness to the complex and
sometimes overwhelming realities of parenting, and invites parents to
discover - and then act - from the grace that exists amidst the chaos.
Q: What do you
see as advantages of using the Internet for this purpose?
A: The primary
advantage is being able to offer courses to folks who might otherwise
not be able to participate due to geography or scheduling issues. Also,
this format will inherently facilitate mindful speaking or
"chatting" as well as listening and reading because there
will be pauses in order to allow participants time to both type their
own responses and questions and to read those of others.
|
|
Dr. Doug Welpton: Changing Mindsets
By Richard Mahler
Times are tough. Banks are collapsing, houses
foreclosing, companies going bankrupt, and millions of us are
unemployed. The economy is bad and getting worse. Our assumptions about
what was safe and secure are being put to the ultimate test. One
wonders how to respond.
 "It is time to change the way we
see the world," advises Dr. Doug Welpton, M.D. "Some of our
mindsets-which determine how we interpret and respond to everything
that we experience-are out of step with our reality."
That's actually good news, according to Welpton, who believes the
global financial meltdown offers a chance to improve dramatically our
way of relating to one another. "Our mindsets get in the way of
receiving what we want for ourselves," says Welpton, a
psychiatrist who has counseled, taught, and conducted workshops on
relationship topics for some 40 years. The eMindful Medical Director
contends that today's economic challenges can actually strengthen a
couple's connection and deepen their intimacy. By working together to
develop new mindsets that serve a partnership, the two people involved
may build a better, more trusting bond.
"For example, the common mindset is that it is
dangerous to have conversations about money," says Welpton, a
Harvard Medical School graduate and former Tufts University professor
now residing in Florida. "The fear is that there will be
differences that bring up conflict. But I start with the premise that
there will be differences about money between two people in a
relationship. One person may be a spender, for example, and the other a
saver."
Such contrasting values can open up rather than shut
down a conversation about finances that should be ongoing. A couple's
experience of talking about differences can-and should be-positive and
rewarding. To that end, Welpton has developed a set of suggestions,
principles, and techniques for successfully navigating the challenging
and often uncharted waters of volatile subjects like money, sex, and
intimacy. His goal is to share crucial information accrued over a
lifetime of study and counseling sessions.
(continued below)
|
Upcoming Classes
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction for Parents
Instructor: Amy
Saltzman, MD
When: Saturdays
starting April 18-May 23, 2009
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm Eastern Time
For more information: Click here
Body Imagery - Ending Obesity and Eating Disorders
Instructor: Alysa Zalma, MD.
When: Fridays starting April 17 - May 22, 2009
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 pm Eastern Time
For more information: Click here
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP)
Instructor: Lisa Dale Miller, MFT
When: Mondays starting April 20 - June 15, 2009
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm Eastern Time
For more
information: Click here
Mindfulness-Based
Conflict Resolution (MBCR)
Instructor:
Suzanne Matthiessen
When: Thursdays starting May 7 - June 4, 2009
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm Eastern Time
For more information: Click here
|
"Overall," says Carlson, "this work is very
enriching for me." The mother of a new baby, she is now on
maternity leave and won't be conducting MBSR courses until her return
next year. "I really miss the contact," Carlson sighs.
"It's grounding and satisfying."
Beyond her own personal observations and
patient-provided anecdotes, this McGill University graduate has
documented diverse positive outcomes among a high percentage of
participants in her MBSR courses through about a dozen clinical studies
directed by the University of Calgary: "We have compared MBSR with
various other therapeutic interventions, for example, and looked at
self-reported benefits of MBSR course participants."
The results are impressive in their support of
mindfulness-based interventions. Measurable outcomes in the randomized
studies include large decreases in physical and psychological symptoms
of stress and pain, including mood disturbance. "Quality of life
improves for many participants," Carlson points out. "Things
like sleep improve, which is a big area of concern for cancer patients
and their caregivers." Her research looked at endocrine, immune,
and autonomic parameters as well. Blood pressure and heart rates were
among measures assessed pre- and post-intervention, with follow-ups at
six and 12-month intervals. Virtually all indicators responded
favorably among a significant percentage of participants.
Other research found positive psychological
outcomes-sometimes summed up within the category of
"post-traumatic growth"-are also common among attendees. An
enhanced appreciation of life and increased sense of connection with
other people were described, along with a better sense of meaning and
purpose. Although the courses are entirely secular in content,
many participants report an enhanced sense of "spirituality"
attributable to the MBSR experience. Self-reported feelings of
anxiety, depression, stress, and anger were reduced among
participants. Other self-perceived effects of the mindfulness
program at Calgary have included increased self-control, greater
openness to change, and positive personal growth through the shared
experience of coursework. Overall, one may conclude from this body of
research that MBSR has helped patients and their caregivers cope with
the substantial challenges associated with cancer diagnosis, treatment,
and recovery.
The Calgary classes have about 20 participants each
and follow the standard MBSR model developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the
University of Massachusetts Medical School, except that weekly classes
are shortened to 90 minutes each in deference to the chronic fatigue
that is common among cancer patients. Enrollment is limited to those
mobile and robust enough to attend eight classes and a daylong silent
retreat. Carlson, who trained with Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli in
2000, team-teaches her courses with one of several other MBSR
instructors at the Centre.
"The main thing that makes this program
different from 'standard' MBSR programs," says Carlson, "is
the intensity of need among our participants. They are facing head-on
the existential piece: the threat and fear of death." Anxiety,
confusion, uncertainty, and physical discomfort are also common
characteristics of this population. About one-third of participating
cancer patients bring to the MBSR course someone from their family.
"That's great," Carlson declares, "because they can
share the experience of the home practice and help motivate each other
to attend the class sessions."
The cancer-oriented mindfulness program in Calgary,
referred to as Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery, draws participants
through self-selection and word-of-mouth as well as referrals by area
doctors and psychologists. It is an unqualified success in the
view of Linda Carlson, who points out that each course is filled
quickly to capacity. "It's a pleasure to help people in this
way," she concludes.
For more information about the Calgary MBSR cancer care program or to
obtain PDF files of research abstracts, go to www.ucalgary.ca/~lcarlso/
|
|
Dr. Doug
Welpton: Changing Mindsets
(continued from above)
"Part of what I'm trying to address," says Welpton, "is
the difference between communicating feelings and thoughts. In general,
men want to be respected for their ideas and thinking, women more for
their feelings. Both genders have masculine and feminine parts of
themselves, but communication between [men and women] is complicated. I
stress the importance of different kinds of energy: the personal versus
the impersonal, emotions versus thoughts."
Strategies for enhancing potentially relationship-building
encounters are outlined in material posted on Welpton's several
websites as well as in his forthcoming book, "Attract Love, Sex,
and Money: Use Your Mind to Get What You Want." One overarching
message is that "one person in a relationship can change it. A
common myth," Welpton says, " is that both parties have to be
working together. Usually one person is more ready than the other to
make a change, yet change can come when that one person acts."
A growing challenge for couples these days is that they don't
have easy models for relationships. The old models no longer work
because the world is different now. "This generation,"
Welpton says, "is pioneering new territory." Women have
become empowered, for one thing, and are a major part of the workforce.
Men no longer play the "sole breadwinner" role."
If each person is trying to be an archetype," he warns,
"they'll run into conflict.
What I'm
addressing is how to make relationships work beyond those outdated
archetypes."
Another significant shift, prompted by modern technology, is how
people find each other, relate, date, and form romantic partnerships.
In some ways, the computer and cellphone-based technology creates more
distractions and people may pull away from one another as a result.
"Social communities," Welpton observes, "are now often
built around websites like Facebook rather than face-to-face contact
with neighbors. We are creating virtual rather than physical
communities. That is helpful in some ways, but more challenging in
others."
Too often, Welpton says, "We use the mindsets inherited from
our parents and our families. However, what worked for them doesn't
necessarily apply in our changing world, or with a partner who was
conditioned by a different mindset. To recognize that you are not
aware of everything you need to know about relationships, and how to
make them work, is a big first step toward advancing your partnership.
Awareness is the beginning of change. Change through new awareness
applies to every aspect of our lives and especially to succeeding with
our relationships."
What many of us have realized during the current economic
downturn, Welpton concludes, is that our assumptions can prove
inappropriate in a fast-changing and uncertain world. Making a
commitment to being mindful of what is really going on-and accepting
that change can be good-are keys to being creative in the face of
adversity. This in turn can lead to improved relationships. "And
the better we relate to the people in our lives," Welpton
concludes, "the more success we will have."
Doug Welpton's websites include www.talk2myheart.com and www.drdougwelpton.com. His
book, Attract Love, Sex, and Money, will be published later in 2009.
 Richard Mahler is a free-lance writer
and editor based in Silver City, New Mexico. In 2000 he received
professional training as a facilitator of Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction and since then he has taught MBSR in California and New
Mexico. The author of "Stillness: Daily Gifts of Solitude"
and 10 other books, Richard's by-line has appeared in Yoga Journal,
Body + Soul, Alternative Medicine, and the Los Angeles Times, among
many other publications. Learn more at www.RichardMahler.com
|
|
Q&A with Amy
Saltzman:
Bringing Mindfulness to Children,
Parents, and Teachers
(continued from above)
Q: How does this
fit in with other mindfulness work you're doing?
A: My passion is
sharing mindfulness and the intimately intertwined skills I have
learned from my transformational life coach over the last 20 years with
children, parents, and teachers. This class is a Web version of a class
I've taught for almost ten years. ... If all goes well I will consider
bringing my child-parent class and my workshop for educators into this
format, too.
Q: Amy, you are
a pioneer in bringing mindfulness to children, schoolteachers, and the
classroom setting. Why is this important to you?
A: First, I have
two children: a son age 11, and a daughter age 8. One afternoon in late
2000, when my son was 3 and my 6-month-old daughter had begun to crawl,
my son asked if he could meditate with me. His simple request inspired
me to begin distilling my experiences with mindfulness and coaching
into what are now the child-friendly phrases and playful practices of
the "Still Quiet Place" curriculum.
Around that time both medical research and the daily news began
to document that our children and adolescents are suffering. Some are
suffering from the "normal" daily stress of living in our
fast-paced, accomplishment-driven, media-saturated world and others
from the epidemics of bullying, ADHD, depression, anxiety, obesity,
anorexia, and other self-harming behaviors.
Knowing that in the last 25 years mindfulness had been
scientifically proven to relieve adult stress, depression, anxiety, and
hostility, encouraged me to begin offering these practices to children.
... Over the last eight years it has been heartbreaking, in the best
possible sense, to see them access their natural peace and inner
wisdom, and bring these qualities into their daily lives.
Q: What adaptations
are made in bringing mindfulness to this population?
A: The primary
adaptations for children are that the practices are shorter, and the
language needs to be age-appropriate. Children - and if we are honest,
most adults - don't really know what "awareness" is. Yet
everyone can discover the Still Quiet Place within and learn that it is
a useful place to visit when we are feeling mad,sad, afraid, and
lonely.
Interestingly, the more I teach to children the more I offer the
same approaches to adults. For example, I have found that both adults
and children really enjoy and benefit from what I call "feelings
practice." [This involves] noting the emotion that is present,
noting where the emotion lives in the body, the qualities of the emotion
- Is it heavy or light, warm or cold, still or moving? Does it have
color or sound? - and asking the emotion what response it needs from
them, such as time, space, attention, love, or outward expression.
Q: What are some
of the challenges you face in this endeavor?
A: Many of the
challenges have to do with misperceptions about mindfulness. The basic
definition of mindfulness I use is "paying attention here and now,
with kindness and curiosity." Once we know what we are thinking
and feeling - and this often begins with physical sensations - we can
choose how we act or respond to things in our daily lives. And
then there is the ever-present challenge of funding.
Q: And the
rewards?
A: Nothing comes
close to the joy of watching children discover that the peace and
happiness of the Still Quiet Place is alive inside of them; that it is
a reliable place to visit when they feel angry, hurt, frustrated, or
jealous; and that they can choose how they respond to a particular
difficulty. The kids are funny and honest. They definitely won't hang
with you if they can't find the truth of what is being offered.
Q: Where do you
see mindfulness going in the classroom?
A: My long-term
vision is that mindfulness will be offered in schools across the
country and throughout the world as a foundation for learning and, more
importantly, as a way of acting with kindness and compassion toward
ourselves and in the rippling circles of our lives, homes, classrooms,
schools, local communities and the planet as a whole.
Q: How does
mindfulness influence your work as a holistic physician?
A: First, it
allows me to give open-hearted attention to the person in front of me.
Noting my thoughts and feelings as we interact allows me to gather
information that is not explicitly covered in the spoken conversation
or in what one patient fondly referred to as my intake
"book." I also teach mindfulness to interested patients as
one of the foundational tools for creating optimal health and
well-being.
Q: What else is
Amy Saltzman up to these days?
A: My current
passion is sharing the joys and benefits of mindfulness and the Still
Quiet Place with children, parents and teachers. I am director of the
Association for Mindfulness in Education, which hosts conferences,
promotes research, and supports the creation of high-quality school
programs. Through the Clinically Applied Affective Neurosciences lab at
Stanford University, I'm actively engaged in research designed to
scientifically assess the effects of offering mindfulness to children
and parents. I am preparing to offer a workshop in a Web-based format
for educators and health-care professionals who want to offer
mindfulness to children. I'm in the process of recording a Still Quiet
Place CD for teens And I am b-r-e-a-t-h-i-n-g, loving my work, and loving
my kids (almost all the time).
Learn more about
Dr. Amy Saltzman and her mindfulness work via www.stillquietplace.com or www.mindfulnesseducation.org
(click here to go to the top of the newsletter)
|
|
|
|
|
