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• Mind-body medicine


  Focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behaviour, and the powerful ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioural factors can directly affect health
• Mind-body medicine


  • Respects and enhances each person's capacity for self-knowledge and self-care
  • Emphasizes techniques that are grounded in this approach
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)


  A type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behavior and emotions
• Meditation


  A practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques
• Yoga


  Combines physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation
• Acupuncture


  Involves the stimulation of specific points on the body using a variety of techniques, such as penetrating the skin with needles that are then manipulated by hand or by electrical stimulation
• Zen-Zen meditation (Zazen)


  A meditation technique rooted in Buddhist psychology, the goal of which is to regulate attention. It is sometimes referred to as a practice that involves "thinking about not thinking."
• Mantra


  A Sanskrit term, with "man" meaning "mind" and "tra" meaning "release." A word or phrase you repeat during meditation as a tool to help release your mind
• Mala beads


  A type of prayer beads
• PTSD (Posttraumatic stress disorder)


  A psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event
• OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder)


  A disorder in which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions)
• Mind-body medicine


  Also referred to as behavioral medicine, unites biomedical, behavioral, and psychosocial strategies for the promotion of health and the understanding of illness
• Mind-body medicine


  • Recognizes that emotional, mental, social, spiritual and behavioural factors can directly affect health
  • Regards as fundamental approach that respects and enhances each person's capacity for self-knowledge and self-care
• Basic principles of mind-body medicine

  Each individual is unique; thus, the cause of disease and the strategies for cure and healing are unique<|>Chronic stress and lack of balance in one's life contribute to disease and illness
• Although only recently gaining attention in Western medicine, mind-body interventions have been recognized for thousands of years by traditional medical systems
• The mind and body are wholly integrated, each with the ability to influence the other
• Relaxation techniques


  Include a variety of methods, such as biofeedback training, breath therapy, hypnotherapy, imagery and visualization, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and yoga, to reduce physical and mental stress
• Relaxation techniques


  • Require an environment that is free of distractions and that the participants attain a comfortable position and wear clothing that is nonrestrictive to movement and relaxation
• Biofeedback therapy


  Allows an individual to gain voluntary control over processes within the body that previously were thought to be involuntary
• Biofeedback therapy


  1. Uses electronic equipment to assess and monitor a patient's ability to gain control over a symptom or function

  2. Once control is mastered, the patient is able to recognize early symptoms and take appropriate measures to minimize or alleviate them

  3. A therapist facilitates the process until the patient is able to achieve the desired results on his or her own
• Biofeedback therapy


  • Has been used to decrease muscle tension and spasm, treat sleep disorders, control urinary and fecal incontinence, relieve chronic pain, and manage esophageal motility abnormalities
  • In patients with cancer, biofeedback training has been used alone or in conjunction with other therapies to prevent anticipatory nausea and vomiting, achieve pain relief, and decrease anxiety and stress related to disease and treatment
• Breath therapy (breath regulation)


  Consists of a number of techniques designed to increase energy that can be used to promote healing and self-care
• Breath therapy


  • Breathing techniques most commonly are combined with various methods of relaxation to enhance one's ability to cope with stress
  • Proper breathing is necessary for relaxation, to decrease tension, and to enhance calmness
  • When under stress, an individual may experience short, shallow breathing that can cause increased blood levels of carbon monoxide, leading to symptoms such as panic attacks, feeling faint, increased perspiration, muscle tension, and heart palpitations
  • Breath regulation therapies are intended to diminish or eliminate these symptoms
  • Proper breathing techniques incorporate diaphragmatic, or abdominal breathing
• Hypnotherapy


  A state of "heightened awareness" in which suggestions, as posed by the therapist or through autosuggestion (i.e., self-hypnosis), are more likely to be followed
• Hypnotherapy

  • Deep relaxation, in which stress is eased through relaxation
  • Suggestion therapy, which promotes positive thoughts and ideas
  • Analytic therapy, which examines problems and their causes
• Imagery and visualization


  Techniques that use images or symbols to focus the mind on bodily functions, with the goal of creating physiologic changes or accomplishing a particular goal (e.g., pain relief) through communicating positive thoughts about the desired outcome to the body
• Meditation


  A therapeutic method through which an individual is able to block out nonessential thoughts, raise the mind to a higher level, and, thus, transcend everyday concerns
• Meditation therapy


  A method of relaxation and consciousness expansion by focusing on a mantra or a keyword, sound, or image while eliminating outside stimuli from one's awareness
• Common approach in meditation

  1. Choosing a quiet spot

  2. Finding a comfortable posture

  3. Focusing attention while remaining open

  4. Duration: one minute to several hours
• Mindfulness meditation


  Originates from Buddhist teachings, involves paying attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind without judging or becoming involved with them, combining concentration with awareness
• Spiritual meditation


  Used in Eastern religions and Christian faith, involves reflecting on the silence around you and seeking a deeper connection with your God or Universe, often using essential oils to heighten the experience
• Focused meditation


  Involves concentration using any of the five senses, such as focusing on breathing, counting mala beads, listening to a gong, or staring at a candle flame
• Movement meditation


  An active form of meditation where the movement, such as walking through the woods or gardening, guides a person
• Mantra meditation


  Uses a repetitive sound, word, or phrase to clear the mind, allowing the practitioner to experience deeper levels of awareness
• Transcendental meditation


  A popular type of meditation that is more customizable than mantra meditation, using a mantra or series of words that are specific to each practitioner
• Progressive relaxation (body scan meditation)


  A practice aimed at reducing tension in the body and promoting relaxation by slowly tightening and relaxing one muscle group at a time throughout the body
• Loving-kindness meditation


  Used to strengthen feelings of compassion, kindness, and acceptance toward oneself and others by opening the mind to receive love from others and then sending a series of well wishes
• Visualization meditation


  A technique focused on enhancing feelings of relaxation, peace, and calmness by vividly imagining positive scenes or images, or visualizing oneself succeeding at specific goals
• How to get started with meditation

  1. Sit quietly and focus on your breath

  2. Sit consistently for 20 minutes a day for 100 days straight

  3. Couple it with an additional 2 to 5 minutes of meditation throughout the day
• Benefits of meditation

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Decrease pain
  • Ease symptoms of Depression
  • Improve sleep