The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented rise in the number of people who are experiencing mental health challenges. According to the National Pandemic Emotional Impact Report, more than 90% of U.S. adults are experiencing at least one of the following: insomnia, anxiety, loneliness, and/or depression. While the newly authorized vaccines offer us hope for a future without COVID-19, there is no vaccine for the mental health effects of the pandemic. That doesn’t mean, however, that there is no remedy. Simple self-care techniques have been scientifically-proven to help reverse the damage the pandemic has done to our mental health and wellbeing.
In this session, James S. Gordon, MD, the world’s leading expert in healing population-wide trauma, will present a comprehensive approach to trauma healing which emphasizes our capacity to transform a sometimes overwhelming crisis into an opportunity for profound psychological and spiritual growth.
Dr. Gordon will share two mind-body techniques that create the psychological and biological foundation for this process of transformation. He and his Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) colleagues have used these and other mind-body techniques to successfully reverse the damage done by psychological trauma with millions of adults and children in the U.S. and around the world. Peer-reviewed studies have repeatedly shown that CMBM’s comprehensive program of self-care and small group support can reduce the numbers of those qualifying for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by 80% or more.
Learning Objectives:
- List the major biological, psychological, and social consequences of trauma.
- Explain how two types of meditation (concentrative; expressive) can be implemented to address symptoms of hyperarousal and relieve psychological “freezing”.
- Describe how group support enhances the effectiveness of self-care.