CMBM focuses on self-care and last month I highlighted their blog on 5 Ways to Relieve Stress. Here’s some information about CMBM taken from its website.
What is mind-body medicine?
Mind-Body Medicine focuses on the interactions between mind and body and the powerful ways in which emotional, mental, social and spiritual factors can directly affect health.
The scientifically-validated techniques CMBM teaches enhance each person’s capacity for self-care and self-awareness. These techniques include meditation, guided imagery, mindful eating, biofeedback, and the use of drawings, journals and movement to express thoughts and feelings.
Up to 80% of all illnesses are related to chronic stress. Mind-body Medicine relieves and also prevents stress.
Thousands of studies published since 1960 demonstrate the efficacy of mind-body medicine in relieving insomnia, anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in lowering blood pressure and stress hormone levels, relieving pain and improving immune functioning.
Easy to learn and easy to teach, mind-body medicine skills have the capacity to change your practice and your life.
Where is mind-body medicine used?
It can be used with individuals and families, groups, and entire populations.
Today CMBM’s model of mind-body medicine is used in hundreds of hospitals, medical schools, private practices, and community health and trauma relief programs in the US and around the world.
CMBM’s trainings offer health professionals, educators, and community leaders the tools to help themselves, and the guidance and support to use these tools to help and heal others. Founder & Director James S. Gordon, MD says, “The experiment begins with you.”
The Mission of CMBM
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) is committed to building healthy and resilient communities. They combine modern science, wise tradition, and human connection to create a powerful new medicine centered on evidence-based and timeless concepts: self-care and group support.
CMBM works around the world in a variety of settings. “We train local healthcare providers, educators and community leaders to teach children and adults simple, powerful self-care techniques that help relieve their stress and trauma. We help people and communities heal.”
You can find out a little about the work that CMBM does in Native American communities here. You can also read an in-depth interview with Linda Eagle Speaker about how she uses mind-body medicine and the small group model with Native women who were trafficked.
Check out the CMBM website and Vimeo channel. I’ll leave you with a film of CMBM’s work in Gaza, “Finding Hope in the Face of Another: Trauma Relief in Gaza”.