This is the pre-program staff meeting yesterday in Jacmel, Haiti, where the Center is training 130 care providers in our Initial Mind-Body Medicine program. Initial and advanced trainings have been held previously in Port-au-Prince, and some of those trained are now part of a Haiti Leadership Team serving as interns in this training. Dr. Gordon and Center faculty are guiding the deep process of learning that begins today. The trainees will learn the science and practice of self-care, in a supportive small-group setting. They need this support themselves, and will learn to share it with their families and their communities in Jacmel.

Blessings on the work!

Center faculty members Bob Buckley, Kathy Farah and Judith Pedersen-Benn , Certified practitioners Matt Erb and Julie Kilpatrick ,and Certification Candidate Noshene Ranjbar, worked with Lakota Indians on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota during November 2011. Here are excerpts from their report.

Our week at Pine Ridge was an exercise in flexibility, organizing as we went, practicing and teaching mind-body skills wherever we could, and being persistent but patient in the process.  As word of what we were doing spread, more calls came in to have us work with various groups including the staff of the tribal police department.  We learned quickly that if 30 people were registered for a group, this meant to expect 10 or 15!

We split up in various configurations and did a combination of workshops, series of groups, and sometimes one-time groups.  In the end, we served around 165 people. We worked with teachers, counselors and students in the schools; the staffs of the tribe’s health administration department and the Indian Health Service hospital including the CEO, nurses, doctors and support staff.  We worked with a non-profit that provides social services and foster care placement, and staff and clientele of a local non-profit substance abuse clinic.  Each night we held a public group at the Jesuit-run Red Cloud School, open to anyone with interest that drew an eclectic mix of participants.

The themes that we encountered reflected a community riddled with the chronic effects of historical trauma:  alcoholism and substance abuse, numerous chronic health issues, poverty, and depression.  We learned of the challenges of the epidemic of suicide.  We needed to consult with medicine man Basil Brave Heart regarding some of the issues that came out in our groups regarding the local spiritual beliefs surrounding suicide, and our ability to support the group members.   We also learned of the profound resiliency and humor of a beautiful group of people living in challenging circumstances.

In the end, this trip was successful at providing outreach in this simple but powerful model of self-care that we all feel so deeply in our hearts, and was another step in bringing this model to Native Americans and other aboriginal and indigenous communities impacted by hundreds of years of transmission of historical trauma, cultural trauma, and genocide.

“I am in awe of the experience that taught me that a people can be wounded, yet open; display grace amidst pain and humor alongside tears. I have been changed by this week.”

Kathy Farah, MD, Pine Ridge Team

 To learn more about the Lakota at Pine Ridge, watch this 20/20 segment, “Children of the Plains”, broadcast 10/14/11 

This post originally appeared in the author’s blog Mindful Mothering on December 7, 2011.
Happy Valentine’s Day! 

I still have thoughts swimming from David Whyte‘s workshop and one was on this idea of lovingkindness. That is not how he described it but he speaks of the essence of how we nurture ourselves. He suggests that we are the only part of creation that is allowed to deny itself, ie a tree or flower do not get to deny their essence but we as humans, constantly deny or reject parts of ourselves that we are dissatisfied with. And so this idea of how to nurture ourselves is cast aside by our self-criticism. He suggests treating yourself as you would a dear friend or loved one. Speak gently, with respect, use thoughts that are nurturing, not destructive. We would not allow ourselves to speak as harshly to others as we do ourselves when we doubt, criticize, or limit ourselves. Give yourself loving words, loving thoughts, and I would go as far as to say Loving Food. So that all we ingest is nurturing, nourishing, and feed us in a way that sustains us. I am keeping this in my heart and when I catch myself using “shoulds” or limits with myself, I am gently redirecting to say that I can be more loving with myself. Try it and see how it goes for you. It is so simple but so powerful…

Though happily married, with two wonderful grown sons and a satisfying career as an art director turned author, Warner suffered from serious anxiety and panic attacks. She made a decision to spend a year seeing if meditation and other mind-body techniques could help her heal, and the results are riveting. She describes her explorations, from breathing and lovingkindness meditation to Trager work, Ayurveda and EMDR, with refreshing honesty, growing wisdom, and humor.

This may be a book you’ll enjoy for your own pleasure and edification, as well as to recommend to patients or clients and friends. A keeper.

Available in our new online bookstore

I never miss watching Jim Gordon, Center Founder & Director, lead the fishbowl exercise at our Advanced Mind-Body Medicine training program. In a fishbowl, for those of you who haven’t experienced it, chairs are arranged in concentric circles, with those seated in the large outer circles acting as witnesses to the activity in the smaller circle within.

In this case, Dr. Gordon invites trainees to volunteer to be part of a Mind-Body Skills Group– something that is usually quite private, among a group of 10 to 12 people including the facilitator– but in this instance is quite public. It takes a great deal of courage for volunteers to raise their hands.  One physician said during the process last week when asked why she wanted to participate, “Well, 3 minutes ago I didn’t even know I did!” She felt moved, in the moment, to join in the experiment.

8 open chairs were filled with people who described a variety of things they wanted to work on that morning. There were unique aspects of each narrative, and some common threads that created a gentle bond.

And then the magic happened, like it does every time– a magic that comes from people being fully present for themselves and each other. Those of us in the outer circle observed as the people within shifted– from pain to relief, from constriction to greater freedom, from stress to ease, from self-consciousness to self-awareness. Utilizing some powerful questions and some mind-body exercises, Dr. Gordon helped guide the members of the group in a remarkably short period of time to greater self-awareness, greater grace.

Read about our Mind-Body Medicine Professional Trainings and Certification

Are you concerned about your memory?  Do you feel irritable much of the time?  Is your stomach tied up in knots from chronic worry?  Or are you just “stuck” and don’t know which way to turn?

What you may not realize is that your brain is a “hungry” organ and depends on a constant supply of nutrients that influence your mind, mood, energy and vitality! Your emotional and mental health is closely linked to your nutritional status.  Food is a carrier of energy  or “prana” that delivers unique substances that influence the health of your brain and consequently, your mind and mood.

You also have a “second brain” that resides in your digestive tract, known as the enteric nervous system.  Ancient wisdom referred to the gut as the “honored middle”, the seat of intelligence.  Modern science now concurs and has revealed that there is an intricate two-way communication system between your central nervous system brain and your gut brain.

What does this mean to you in your everyday life?

Quite simply, every time you eat, you have an opportunity to influence this remarkable bi-directional neuronal network that produces mood and mind altering chemicals. Here are three “Food As Medicine” tips for nourishing your hungry brain:

1. Mindful Eating, the 3/3 Guideline….Before you eat your next meal, take a moment to just look at your food.  Allow all your senses to be fully engaged including your sense of sight and smell.  Take 3 relaxing breaths before you eat…chew thoroughly, as the act of chewing ignites critical digestive factors.  While you’re eating, rest your hands at least 3 times and take a slow relaxing breath each time.  By integrating the skill of mindful eating, you will enjoy better digestion, essential for brain health.
2. Whole Food Nourishment…Nature-made, whole foods provide the vital nourishment for necessary to support brain and digestive health.   Plant foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes) and consciously raised animal foods provide a synergistic supply of brain boosting nutrients, phyto-chemicals and fiber that influence mood, mind and memory.
3. Culinary Medicine… Herbs and spices impart first class flavor to our plates and have multi-functional properties important for brain and digestive health.  So, whether it is turmeric, rosemary, ginger, oregano or dill, experiment with the aromatic deliciousness of different herbs and spices to perk up your mood and sharpen your mind.

How would you like to learn more about nutrition and the brain from some of the nation’s top experts, in a beautiful retreat setting in the Berkshire Mountains, where you can nourish yourself over a weekend full of learning, yoga, terrific people and delicious, colorful whole foods?

Join us for Mind, Mood & Food: Optimal Nutrition for the Brain March 16 – 18, 2012 at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA, our brand new Food As Medicine seminar. Center Founder & Director James Gordon, MD and Kathie Swift, MS RD, nationally renowned clinical nutrition expert and educator; Jay Lombard, DO, a neurologist who makes learning brain biochemistry and physiology a joy and shows you step-by-step how to use nutrients for optimal functioning; Charles Parker, DO, a psychiatrist who worked with Daniel Amen to develop easy to follow, highly successful programs of nutritional healing; and Mark Pettus, MD, a gifted and compassionate holistic physician and author of It’s All in Your Head comprise our fabulous faculty.

Talks include:

Self-Care for the Brain — and for You
Brain Basics: Structure, Physiology and Biochemistry 101
Core Body Imbalances and their Effect on Mind and Mood
The Hungry Brain: Practical Food Wisdom
Moving the Body to Free the Mind
Remarkable Recoveries: Neuroimaging and Nutrition
Supplements and Herbs for Brain Support
Weaving it All Together: Your Plan for Lasting Brain Health

We are gearing this program to be valuable for health professionals and nonprofessionals alike, and to benefit you, your family and your patients or clients.  CEU’s and CME’s are available.

Learn more & register

Learn more about our Food As Medicine annual professional training

I had a meeting with a woman a few days back who showed me a beautiful visual model that a Tibetan healer drew. I think it speaks for itself.

Isn’t it lovely that such abundance is still available, on a chilly Saturday morning when even the usually jolly cashiers were whining?

We collected our glittering treasure of organic cranberries, kale, baby chard, arugula, apple cider, honey, onions and garlic, Brussel sprouts and broccoli, crimini mushrooms, and have enjoyed them in the days since—blessings of the earth.

Happy holidays to all! Or, as my colleague says this time of year, cinnamon & honey!

Enjoy!