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Presenter: Regula (Ragi) Doggweiler, MD, ABIHM

Today’s hectic lifestyle is undoubtedly one of the greatest causes of stress and burnout. These feelings can lead to decreased self-esteem, decreased ambition and a diminished sense of empathy. Stressed healthcare providers are more likely to commit errors, and they may have a greater problem cultivating the crucial provider-to-patient relationship required for a more successful patient outcome. This class represents the Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s core program and has been offered around the world for more than 20 years. The goal of the CMBM is to provide healthcare professionals the tools they need not only to become more effective clinicians but also to find more meaning in their work.

Over the past 18 months at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, 9 groups of 10-15 participants have finished an 8 week program introducing mind-body skills. In each 2 hour session, a tool to manage stress is introduced including:
-> Breathing
-> Biofeedback and Autogenic Training
-> Meditation
-> Movement
-> Guided Imagery
-> Journaling and Drawing
-> Mindful Eating
-> Forgiveness
The change experienced by the participants can only be expressed in their own words.
“I am a better listener”
“I can stay calm when facing a difficult situation”
“We have much better communication in our family”
“I am able to control pain much easier”
In the short session during the ASCH Meeting, the participants will be led through several of the above modalities and introduced to the experience and benefits of breathing, movement, journaling and drawing.
During and at the conclusion of this session, the attendee will be able to:
-> Explain the importance of establishing a mind-body skills group as a safe place for exploration and learning;
-> Identify how to counterbalance the sympathetic nervous system by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system;
-> Demonstrate the application of these techniques in moments of personal stress or frustration; and
-> Discuss meditation as a way of being in the world and as a way to bring about changes in the body and mind.