Dr. Gordon will present an overview that would describe the universality of psychological trauma in this country where war in the east has been raging since 2014 and the Russian invasion of 2022 has presented an overwhelming threat to the cultural and national identity and, indeed, the lives of all Ukrainians. Dr. Gordon will present a dramatic picture (indeed one with slides and perhaps video) of the damage done, including his testimony to Congress about war crimes. Dr. Gordon will discuss the Ukrainians’ deepening understanding of the psychological needs of the population and of their openness, encouraged and fostered by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, to a variety of psychological approaches.
Dr. Gordon will describe the population-wide integrative approach that we are developing with our Ukrainian partners, share the experiential techniques that he and his Center for Mind-Body Medicine team are using to bring knowledge and experience to Ukrainian colleagues. He’ll describe how they are sharing a program that has transformed their lives with large numbers of people who have been tortured by Russians and lost their homes, with children and adults who worry every day whether loved ones or friends will be killed, or whether they themselves will become the next victims of Russian bombs and drones. The talk will be inspirational and will encourage IHS clinicians to consider the role they might have in addressing population-wide trauma and stress–including mass shootings, racism, political division, and the experience and fears of climate disasters–here in the U.S.
Learning Objectives:
- Assess the extent of psychological trauma in Ukraine.
- Recognize the depth of that trauma.
- Discuss The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM)’s approach to population-wide trauma.
- Recognize the potential relevance of the CMBM approach to clinical practice.
- Employ one of CMBM’s self-care techniques during the presentation.
