A Very Short History of Studying Mindfulness in Healthcare

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

In 1979, Jon Kabat-Zinn began a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress -Reduction (MBSR) that combined simple yoga postures with meditation. He sought to offer an alternative approach to pain relief.  There were no studies back then. Today books upon books abound on the subject. In fact, in 2017, “in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Australian researchers reviewed findings from 45 studies. They concluded that MBSR is associated with lower levels of stress-related hormone cortisol.” These conclusions play a huge role in opening doors to chronic diseases, fatigue, lower work performance, and more. Factor in today’s uncertainties, political, and social unrest, and where does that leave our emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing?

Whether one is under stress or has high blood pressure, dealing with cancer or opioid addiction, programs and studies exist today that measure the results mindfulness bring to our wellbeing. Hospitals, clinics, and private practices are useful settings to conduct investigations, and that is happening all over our country.

Mindfulness research has grown rapidly, and driven a broad wave of adoption. According to the American Mindfulness Research Association, there were 1203 studies performed in 2019 alone. “Aetna, one of the world’s largest health insurers, now has a chief mindfulness officer; mindfulness is taught in grade schools, high schools, and colleges; and now UMass has become the first university whose medical division contains a Division of Mindfulness.” (https://www.mindful.org/the-medicine-of-the-moment/)

Mindfulness research is not only driving adoption, it is showing that these practices create positive changes in the brain due to neuroplasticity. Mindfulness “increases cognitive flexibility, allowing people to see stressful situations from different perspectives. “

Within just a few breaths, mindfulness can take us off autopilot, and return us to the current moment. In those “now” moments when we focus on the in-breath and the out-breath, we change our biochemistry. Although mindfulness is not a cure-all, it supports our body’s rest-and-digest functionality as it gives us the ability to pause and notice our world a bit differently over time.  

The trend in research has been so positive that leading medical institutions now dedicate resources, and even whole divisions to further the study and application of mindfulness towards our wellbeing.

Jon Kabat-Zinn started in a basement, offering classes when mindfulness practices were not understood. Today we have institutions and healthcare professionals across the country, and the world, committed to understanding mindfulness for our society’s overall wellbeing. This is why you can read about a major insurance company with a mindfulness officer, or research studies using the MBSR model into how mindfulness helps humanity for issues as diverse as alleviating anxiety, all the way to improving work performance. Thanks Mr. Kabat-Zinn!

MediMindful Moment: Meet Rich Tyler

In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Richard Tyler, R.Ph, Pharmacist at Westown Pharmacy. Rich talks about his career in the pharmaceutical industry and his experiences working in an independent community pharmacy.

Listen HERE!

Episode Highlights:

●      Judith introduces Richard Tyler. (0:38)

●      What does Rich see in his workplace? (1:03)

●      Rich mentions that he prefers to work in an independent community pharmacy. (1:22)

●      Rich shares that COVID-19 has changed them in many ways as an independent pharmacy. Because they extended their services in the big box stores with their delivery, and their community outreach services have dramatically increased. (1:38)

●      Rich shares that they’re a solid team that has been together for a long time and everybody knows each other personally, and professionally. (2:12)

●      Judith shares that Rich has the wisdom and the experience, for the history of some medications that most of us don't have. (3:28)

●      Rich thinks that pharmacists nowadays are more academic than it was back in 1977. (4:00)

●      Judith mentions that Rich has a great reputation in the community. (4:22)

●      Rich mentions that his first job was in a small retail independent pharmacy. (4:39)

●      Jeff proceeds with the mindful moment exercise. (6:45)

●      How is Rich helping himself to stay mindful when the interactions are changing? (9:33)

●      What is Rich doing to help their staff mindful of the fact that the world's changing around them and they're at steady state for the customers? (9:44)

●      Rich shares that he’s a firm believer of leading by example. (10:05)

●      Henry shares that if somebody’s having anxiety, making them stabilize is one of the most significant aspects, and taking a few deep breaths. (12:17)

●      What are some of Rich’s daily practices, before going into the pharmacy, with the right mindset? (12:42)

●      What role does Rich notice that mind-body connection plays in people's lives these days, whether it's on the team, or in terms of the people coming in? (16:31)

●      Rich mentions that everybody's a little frightened, and when the fear comes to them, they lose their way. (16:53)

●      Rich shares that it’s necessary to recognize who you're dealing with. Because some people are more open to suggestions than others. (19:03)

●      Judith shares that staying true to our way of working, and how we want to be for people is what matters in the long run. (20:33)

●      Judith mentions what she loves about their podcasts and the MediMindful team is that they try to walk their talk, with what they’re doing. (20:47)

●      Based on everything that's happening, does Rich have any tips for everybody? (21:39)

●      Henry shares that if everyone could do a little more introspection, the whole world would be so much better. (22:24)

●      Rich mentions that pharmacies are an accessible part of the healthcare system. (25:35)

●      Jeff mentions that the more time we spend present, the more time we spend awake, the more we appreciate how powerful and fulfilling it is to have that level of compassion without having the ego in it. (27:24)

Key Quotes:

●      “Sometimes you have to grow with the times and stay current. I think we do a pretty good job of telling people, informing people, and keeping people in the loop of what has to happen and what's going to occur for them.” - Richard Tyler

●      “We're all humans. If I have a bad day and I bring it to the pharmacy, and I spike up in emotional outbursts, then everybody goes downhill quick and spirals down. So you have to recognize that they're looking to you to be the rock, so to speak, and the basis to be mindful, and to be present with the situation that's occurring and move forward with that.”  - Richard Tyler

●      “Not everybody can be athletic, yoga wise. But if you can just bring your breath, your focus to the center, then you're in a good place right there.”  - Richard Tyler

●      “You guys are all involved in the mindfulness, and that's what this is about. Just breathing, staying present, knowing we can't change the world but, we can do our best to try and make it a little bit better, every day.” - Richard Tyler 

Resources Mentioned:

●      Judith Dreyer

●      Jeff Nelder LinkedIn

●      Henry Edinger LinkedIn

●      Cloud9 Online

●      MediMind App

●      Richard Tyler Facebook

●      Westown Pharmacy

●      Westown Pharmacy App

MediMindful Moment: Meet Craig Floyd

In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Craig Floyd, Farm Manager of the Giving Garden at Coogan Farm, part of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. Tenth-generation farmer Craig Floyd, talks about connecting people to nature through working in the soil and utilizing regenerative gardening practices.

Listen HERE!

Episode Highlights:

●      Judith shares that Craig is not only the Farm Manager but also the Master Gardener, and the planner along with hundreds of volunteers that provide organic food to the New London county food banks. (00:48)

●      What is Coogan Farm, and what do Craig’s people do at the farm? (1:18)

●      Craig shares that 100% of what they grow is donated to help feed the 32,000 food-insecure people in London County. (1:47)

●      Craig mentions that as of today, they have donated over 65,000 pounds of food. (2:11)

●      Jeff proceeds with the mindful moment exercise. (4:17)

●      Craig shares that they normally have 300 to 400 volunteers. (7:12)

●      Craig mentions that a lot of different people with special needs come and benefit in so many ways because they are interacting with the soil, and microbiology in the soil. (7:26)

●      Craig shares a story about two veterans that came into his garden. (7:48)

●      Henry mentions that Craig is helping people to live a mindful life. (8:42)

●      How is Craig feeling today? (9:08)

●      What does Craig feel when he’s at the farm? (9:22)

●      Craig mentions that he received an email from Hunts Brook Farm, and they wanted to donate 300 heads of lettuce, to the Gemma Moran Food Bank in London. (9:44)

●      Craig mentions that there are local farmers who have extra harvests and donate it to the food insecure. (11:21)

●      Craig shares that there are a lot of positive results, from neighbor to neighbor, and farm to farm that people don’t know. (11:48)

●      What role does mindfulness have to play in farming and gardening? (12:14)

●      Jeff mentions that Craig presented at TED Talk. (12:25)

●      Craig shares the feeling of being able to provide food to those standing in line at the mobile food pantry. (13:27)

●      What would Craig think if more people in the world could take dedicated time each day to be with Mother Nature and breathe? (13:58)

●      Craig shares another story about a young man that came in a parachute harness. (14:29)

●      Craig mentions that nature heals people. (19:29)

Key Quotes:

●      “This is not your normal garden. This is a regenerative no-till, no-spray garden, and the food is 80% better than anything you've ever put your mouth on nutritionally. So it's really good, especially for those people that are in need.” - Craig Floyd

●      “To be out there in that field with people, on a hot and sweaty day, watching the dragonflies, harvesting lettuce, and taking it to the food bank and seeing the smiles on everybody's faces. Knowing that somebody was going to get some good lettuce today.” - Craig Floyd

●      “You become one with Mother Nature. People don't understand the strength of the garden, and what the garden can do for us. Whether you're just a 73-year-old, 10th generation farmer, or whether you're a young teenager, with special needs, unable to verbally communicate, what a garden does for us to be in the garden, and to be growing and knowing that we're going to give somebody a meal.” - Craig Floyd

●      “You need to get outside and volunteer in a garden or just put some parsley in the ground or something. Do something with the soil. You know, we are 90% better bacterial cells, what do you think the soil is? I mean, we are the soil. It just does so much good for us. You've got to get out in nature, people. Take your shoes off. Just enjoy it.” - Craig Floyd 

Resources Mentioned:

●      Judith Dreyer

●      Jeff Nelder LinkedIn

●      Henry Edinger LinkedIn

●      Cloud9 Online

●      MediMind App

●      Craig Floyd Facebook

●      Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center

●      Coogan Farm

●      TED Talk: Feeding & Healing The Community Through A Regenerative Giving Garden

MediMindful Moment: Meet Ajamu Ayende

In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Ajamu Ayinde, MA, ACH, Certified Medical Hypnotherapist at Advantage Enterprises. Ajamu shares his knowledge and expertise as a Hypnotherapist, and his experience in Transpersonal Therapy. He also talks about the healing tools of mindfulness and the significance of gentle awareness.

Listen HERE!

Episode Highlights:

●      Have you wondered how our mental health practitioners are coping with the COVID-19 crisis? (1:38)

●      How do mental health practitioners incorporate mindful practices? (1:47)

●      Judith introduces Ajamu Ayinde. (1:53)

●      Jeff proceeds with the mindful moment exercise. (2:29)

●      After Ajamu experienced the exercise, does he have any feelings or sensations that he wants to share? (5:51)

●      Henry shares that gentle awareness is significant in our current situation. (6:34)

●      What states of mind were the most distracting for Ajamu? (6:44)

●      Ajamu shares that feeling overwhelmed is an emotion that a lot of people are experiencing, and many people are feeling very overwhelmed by the information overload and by the changes that are happening. (6:56)

●      What role does mindful awareness play in hypnotherapy? (8:43)

●      Ajamu shares that if we're used to ignoring our bodies, ignoring our minds, and ignoring our states of being, then it's easy to allow other elements to also be ignored. (9:17)

●      Ajamu mentions the principle tenet of Buddhism. (9:29)

●      Jeff shares that if we're going to have any chance to transform fear and anger, it's going to have to start with each of us. (13:59)

●      Ajamu mentions a book entitled Love Is Letting Go of Fear, by Gerald Jampolsky. (14:14)

●      Ajamu shares that these states of mind are the most unresolvable states that we can hold, and it's impossible to inspire people if we're all collapsed inward on ourselves and sticking our heads in the sand. (15:01)

●      Ajamu mentions that the Buddha came to teach us, to use his words, and allow us to make sense of this world that we're living in. (15:42)

●      Ajamu feels that every holistic practitioner, every mindfulness teacher, and every yoga teacher, were called to be the light bearer, to be of compassion, and to be the force of love. (15:57)

●      Henry mentions that you don't necessarily have to grab a sign and go to your local town square, to spread knowledge and to spread an understanding. (18:32)

●      Does Ajamu have a story to share about his experience during our current situation? (19:18)

●      Ajamu shares that it has been difficult for him to be in nature, and draw strength from the natural world in a way that he had, all his life. (19:58)

●      Ajamu shares that as a black man, the focus on police brutality is something that he has dealt with his entire life. (20:24)

●      Ajamu mentions that one of the greatest healing tools that he has is nature and being out in the weather. (22:50)

●      Ajamu shares that one of the elements of transpersonal healing and therapy is that it’s very honest, and spirituality is about rawness and realness. (23:06)

●      Ajamu mentions that one of the issues that is not being talked about in psychology or spirituality is race and ethnicity. (23:21)

●      How can we use the tools of mindfulness to help us, within a difficult situation? (24:47)

●      Ajamu shares one of the mindful tools that he learned from different martial arts teachers. (24:21)

●      Jeff shares that the idea that Ajamu can surface wisdom among people, in a very short period of time is something precious, and we should never take it for granted. (26:56)

●      Jeff thinks that a lot of people share the feeling of not being safe outside their home for a variety of reasons, and letting them know that they're not alone, is very significant. (28:15)

●      Ajamu mentions that he’s a product of hypnotic childbirth, back in 1968. (29:00)

Key Quotes:

●      “As a hypnotherapist, I always want to remind people that they are much more resourceful than they would give themselves credit for being. One of the central tenants of neuro-linguistic programming is that we have all the resources that we need within us. And I do my best to share that philosophy and presupposition with as many of my clients as I can.” - Ajamu Ayinde

●      “The central idea is that one must be awake to deal and address what's going on. We could all wish things were different or the way they used to be or the way that they might be in some distant future. But what is right now is what we must all grapple with.” - Ajamu Ayinde

●      “When we bring love into our hearts, when we ignite that love when we acknowledge that love, we extend it to ourselves, we extend it to the other, whoever that other is, then that’s where the hope comes from. That's where the solution comes from. That's where the plan comes from.” - Ajamu Ayinde

●      “We’re not superhuman, we're not Gods, so to speak. We are vulnerable as well, but it's our practices that make us able to do what we do. But we must rely on one another, we must lean on each other, we must be vulnerable amongst one another so that we can rebuild ourselves, renew ourselves, and restore ourselves so that we continue shining.” - Ajamu Ayinde

●      “Disproportionate numbers of people who are being affected are people of color, and that's not something that is easy for people to talk about, black or white. But it is real, it is what is. And it's the underlying medical conditions that many people of color have that they bring to the COVID crisis that make them more vulnerable. But that has to be addressed, and it can't just be written off.” - Ajamu Ayinde 

Resources Mentioned:

●      Judith Dreyer

●      Jeff Nelder LinkedIn

●      Henry Edinger LinkedIn

●      Cloud9 Online

●      MediMind App

●      Ajamu Ayinde LinkedIn

●      Advantage Enterprises

●      Awakened Birth

MediMindful Moment: Meet Javier Colon - Winner of The Voice (Season One)

Music touches us, moves us, soothes us, stimulates us in so many ways. How does music move you?

In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Javier Colon, an American singer-songwriter and musician and winner of Season 1 of The Voice. Javier talks about his creation experience, meditation, and songwriting process. Javier also discusses how different styles of music help people express their emotions.

Listen HERE!

Episode Highlights:

• Henry introduces the guest, Javier Colon. (0:40)

• Javier shares his background story. (0:58)

• Javier mentions that he was a bit shy as he came up, but ended up winning the first season of The Voice. (1:39)

• Judith says that every person has the ability to become mindful in the current moment, and all it takes is the ability to focus on our breath. (2:50)

• Jeff shares that this show is dedicated to helping not only the audience but each of them recording this podcast to share more mindful moments together. (3:29)

• How does Javier feel when singing out his mantra? (7:00)

• Aside from winning, what was Javier’s unforgettable moment about being on The Voice? (9:36)

• Javier shares that he sang Time After Time at the audition, and got all four coaches turned around. (10:11)

• Javier shares that he was able to sing with Stevie Nicks on the final day of The Voice. (11:54)

• Javier talks about his kids who meditate. (12:30)

• What is Javier’s favorite song that he has written? (15:39)

• Javier shares that he meditates every time he jumps into a song. (19:31)

• Jeff says that meditation is all about becoming present and increasing your awareness. (21:24)

• Javier talks about the experience of creating, and how it brings him into the moment. (22:22)

• Javier shares that he loves the writing process. (26:21)

• Javier mentions that he was a vegetarian for 18 years. (30:00)

• What advice would Javier give to the listeners? (33:06)

• Does Javier sing in the shower? (39:21)

• Judith says that Javier is a great example of embracing the creative moment. (40:05)

• Judith mentions that the MediMind Guided Meditation App is available on all devices, and it is free for 90 days. (41:30)

Key Quotes:

• “Honestly, singing mantras…just brings me to this place of calm that I don’t feel in any other thing that I sing. It brings me just a sense of peace, a sense of fluidity if that makes sense. I don’t feel any restrictions on my body, on my voice. I just feel very free.” – Javier Colon

• “I love the writing process. One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to go in and create something out of nothing, something that did not exist before.” – Javier Colon

• “When I’m not having the greatest day, sometimes I put on a certain kind of music that will either make me feel happy…that is kind of putting yourself in a mindful place.” – Javier Colon

Patience: Slow and Steady

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

Being patient with oneself is often easier said than done. For example, the thoughts generated by our minds may seem to be repetitious and endless. We experience thoughts that cycle over the same thing again and again. It feels like we are facing off against a daunting opponent. However, if we recognize these thoughts through mindful awareness and assume a posture of presence in the moment, we can shift, decrease our attachment to those thoughts, as well as our endless cycling and recycling of them. Through mindful awareness practices, our “noble” opponent becomes an opportunity.

How do we turn our noble opponent described above into an opportunity? What do we need to do to create a favorable outcome? By quieting the mind, which helps decrease resistance (and consequently increasing acceptance) through mindfulness practices, we generate a sense of calm that slowly, with consistent practice, increases our awareness and somehow gets us off auto-pilot.

Patience is key. Cultivating patience contains the potential for releasing expectations, allowing us to be in the flow of any situation. Patience viewed this way is dynamic because we are acknowledging that life is impermanent.

Why is impermanence crucial to an understanding of the nature of human life and mindful practices?? Look at nature. Seeds become plants, create flowers and fruits, then wither and die and leave seeds to be born again. Some seeds blossom and thrive - but some seeds remain hidden for years before the light reaches them. Nature operates on a system of life and death, birth and aging, growth and decline, embodying impermanence. Look at the land after a hurricane or a tornado. Our suffering comes from placing an expectation for our life to remain unchanged. We cling to an expectation of being safe from tragedy, free of illness. Yet no matter how much we plan and hope, life continues to bring in the unexpected.

Today we face unprecedented demands on our patience, time, and energy reserves that a few short months ago, we would have dismissed as folly. A global pandemic seemed impossible, yet here we are.

Businesses are closing, and those that are open are shifting perspectives, creating different formats, whether folks like it or not.

Families work, school, and play together in a constrained personal space while being separated from extended family.

Consider the persistent social and economic crises. It may seem like the world is turning upside down, over, and over again. All of this affects how we feel, what we think, and how we treat each other and ourselves. At times the influx of information to digest today is overwhelming.

Patience and mindfulness practice help us deal with that uncertainty and the knowing that nothing is permanent. Our intent is not to conquer our thoughts but rather to be aware of them.

David Nichtern, in Awakening from the Daydream, suggests: “ a much more potent approach is to take the attitude that whatever arises in our minds is manageable and we do not have to try to conquer it with an aggressive and goal-oriented approach.”

Our society trains us to be very goal oriented. We can use this to our benefit by adding in a mindful moment, which is an easy way to incorporate balance into our daily patterns. Simply pausing and focusing on our breath really makes a difference, defusing the refrain of “I gotta do, gotta be.”

Adding in a more contemplative exercise such as meditation or prayer allows the unknowable to peek in, adding a dimension of peace to the numerous possibilities we face daily. Maybe we don’t feel the peace immediately, maybe even not the first time or two, but with practice, we become more sensitive to our thoughts. Slowly, we develop the ability to live without getting carried away by our thoughts. Adding in patience and kindness towards ourselves yields positive, foundational change.

Here at Cloud9 Online: www:c9ohealth.com, we suggest that yes, we can create more inner calm as we live with and live through these changes. We offer a meditation app, MediMind, for free for a limited time that includes music. This App is easy to find and use on all devices, allows you to have mindful practice in your daily life.

In the meantime: Slow and steady cultivates more kindness towards self and a sense of peacefulness. When we feel patient and calm, we offer that to the world around us. Patience grows the capacity to endure what is complicated or disagreeable without complaining, or at the very least, with more tolerance.

Remember: Breathe in. . .breathe out… It’s that easy.

Citations: David Nichtern, in Awakening from the Daydream

MediMindful Moment: Meet Dr. Eric Secor

In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Eric R. Secor, ND, PhD, LAc, Chief of Integrative Medicine at Hartford Hospital. Dr. Secor shares his knowledge and expertise in integrative medicine and explains the complexity of stress and the benefits of mindfulness. Dr. Secor, a key player within our medical system, on the medical front lines throughout COVID-19's arrival and impact on our medical system, shares his experiences about how mindfulness played and continues to play a role in his practice and approach to his patients and their medical care.

Join us for an engaging conversation experience.  

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1D964TJ33vUl1z6MINzwOK

Episode Highlights:

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares his background and his career in the industry of medicine. (1:12)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that only a few medical programs had Nutrition Lifestyle as a key component of their program. (2:16)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares that when he joined Hartford, he helped them oversee the transition of their old integrative medicine model into their current model, and look for novel ways to integrate therapies through applications and cloud-based applications. (4:26)

●     Judith mentions that she loves integrative and holistic medicine. (4:53)

●     Judith shares that mindfulness practices provide a refuge from those daily distractions that are fueled by everything going on today. (5:08)

●     Jeff mentions that this episode is dedicated to creating mindful moments together. (5:59)

●     Jeff proceeds with the four questions. (6:10)

●     What are Dr. Eric Secor’s thoughts about the need for more mindful moments? (8:15)

●     Dr. Eric Secor thinks that everybody’s set point is a little bit higher, therefore our threshold for managing stress, anxiety intention, will ebb and flow throughout our workweek and throughout our year. (9:12)

●     Dr. Eric Secor thinks that challenges are coming at us from multiple different angles and locations. In a general sense, the setpoints are higher, the stress is enhanced, and anxiety is enhanced. (10:35)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that heightened stress response is significant to help us react and adapt in the short term. (12:00)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares the fact that when we’re in a heightened sense of chronic stress, those chronic recurrent conditions can become more active and can become more potent over time, with chronic stress. (13:03)

●     What role does mindfulness play in Dr. Eric Secor’s work environment, with employees, and patients? (13:42)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares that with COVID-19, their workforce has to be more vigilant about daily temperatures, logins, and all the patients that they see daily, have to be screened, questionnaires have to be done. (14:57)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares that they have a new resiliency committee, as part of the new wellness initiative at Hartford healthcare, they were starting pre-COVID, and they had their first organizational meeting. (16:20)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that they have deployed Cloud9's MediMind Meditation App. (17:08)

●     Henry mentions that Dr. Eric Secor’s patients are lucky to have him at Hartford healthcare, and his thoughtfulness about patient needs. (19:13)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that 30 years ago, the nurses at Hartford Healthcare began the program from a Reiki perspective which is fundamental meditative mindfulness, and adaptation. (21:27)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares about their newly opened site located in Westport. (22:34)

●     Dr. Eric Secor thinks that there is a realization that they have to begin to look at the lifestyle wellness, mindfulness options, and provide them a rigorous and reproducible way to provide this to staff and patients. (24:08)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares a story about his patient who came in with anxiety and palpitations. (25:17)

●     What does Dr. Eric Secor think about pain and mindfulness? (28:58)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that pain management is the number one reference to their practice. (29:06)

●     Dr. Eric Secor shares that with chronic pain, there is a place for recognizing the lack of deep breathing that directly corresponds to elevated blood pressure. (33:01)

●     Dr. Eric Secor mentions that mindfulness lends itself as adjunct care to helping patients to breathe better, improve their circulation, and improve their body temperature. (34:16)

Key Quotes:

●     “When we think about the stress response and the relaxation response, that heightened sense of stress is really about the fight or flight response. So it's nice to have a fight or flight response when we have an acute stressful situation that we have to react to...the caveat to that is that we want that response to go up and we want that response to go down in a proper time frame. When that response continues, it's like we're running away from that bear every single day. ” - Dr. Eric Secor

●     “If we step back a minute and think about the work that we do, anyone that has a job that requires precision and requires extended attention to detail, in a sense, does need to practice mindfulness.” - Dr. Eric Secor

●     “If you're thinking from a large system perspective, if you're not improving the health of your 30,000 employees, it's very difficult to contain your costs and have people be highly effective in very stressful changing situations.” - Dr. Eric Secor

●     “We all know and take for granted that when we breathe very shallowly, our brain gets the signal that we don't have enough oxygen, and the brain likes oxygen because that's what it needs to survive.” - Dr. Eric Secor

Introducing the MediMindful Moments Podcast

INTRODUCING:

The MediMindful Moments Podcast Series, exclusively from Cloud9 Online!

MediMindful Moments is dedicated to creating more mindful awareness in the moment - both during the podcast for guests, listeners and hosts- and out in the world, as you carry insights and experiences to the people around you. Join us each week as we discuss and demonstrate what "presence" means with people from diverse career backgrounds.

We invite you to enjoy our inaugural episode TODAY on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fooGuOfT0B9bVPI2tVEZq

What the World Needs Now

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love

It’s the only thing that there is too little of

What the world needs now is love, sweet love

No, not just for some but for everyone… Sung by Dionne Warwick

I heard this ‘oldie but goodie’ the other morning in my mind as I began my day. A timeless song so relevant today that it brought a welcome smile. I wondered: what would happen in our world if we approached each day with, “a little more love, a little more mindful love?”

So many of our day-to-day activities can be deemed “mindless.” Not that our actions, work, family responsibilities are unimportant. It is the doing of them that can be so routine they become mind-less. We often find ourselves not fully present but rather in the past or the future. We put the coffee on, get breakfast, dress, and plan the day. We grab breakfast or not and rush out the door while reviewing our mental-to-do list. We take care of the body, family, and obligations as if we are on autopilot. Add in the complexity of the isolation, work-at-home, and sterilize-anything-you-bring-into-the-home situations we find ourselves in, undoubtedly, a measure of anxiety creeps in too. I see parents grab five minutes of text time, answering work calls while getting a snack for a child as they work, school, and play together for long periods. We need to go on an errand, and in a flash, we have entered the “mindless” space as if driving (safely) on autopilot.

Recent studies, conducted about the workweek since COVID-19 forced us to shelter-in-place, show that we are now using that time saved from commuting to put in longer days. Consistent exposure to news and social media reinforces uncertainty. Information concerning the economy, job insecurity, partisan politics, and social unrest weaves its way into our minds and hearts, holding us in a low-grade, more consistent state of fight or flight, our body’s natural response to stresses.

Whew! Mindful awareness is nothing new. All the great religious traditions include some form of mindfulness activity such as prayer and contemplation, even meditation. When we commit to mindful practice, something as simple as taking six deep breaths, we lesson the mind chatter that hops around in our minds all day long. We put our self on a brief pause before we continue.

Science is proving that being present, in the moment, can change brain chemistry. The brain sends many signals through various autonomous pathways that we take for granted. In the moment has power. Power to ease the emotions, feel a moment of peacefulness, get us out of time and into self, and maybe feel a little bit of love in our hearts.

Mindful awareness helps us dive into, explore, quiet down, and become more aware of what is really going on around, and inside, us. Can we understand that by deepening our attention in the now, we develop a healthier attitude towards self? I/we matter. Being present, in turn, can radiate a feeling of a healthier “I.”  Can we then share a little bit of that calmness, a little bit of that loving feeling with the world?

I started this blog with a song playing in my mind. Listening to a song that moves us can keep us in the now.

Here at Cloud9 Online.:www:c9ohealth.com, we suggest that yes, we can create more inner calm as we live with and live through these changes. We offer a meditation app, MediMind, for free for a limited time that includes music. This App is easy to find and use on all devices, allows you to have mindful practice in your daily life.

In the meantime, Remember: Breathe in. . .  “What the world needs now,”…Breathe out. . .” is love, sweet love.”

Enjoy your day.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/04/remote-work-longer-days/

https://www.workingmother.com/remote-work-longer-hours-more-meetings

https://www.apa.org/monitor/jun02/employees

https://genius.com/Dionne-warwick-what-the-world-needs-now-lyrics

Change or Chance?

by Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN

Complementary and Alternative Modalities (CAM) receive a lot of press these days. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us home and socially distanced us. What do we do when we don’t have to be in traffic, physically get to work? In other words, what happened to us when some of our daily business, school, and home activities stopped or redirected? What happened to you if you were a first responder or medical personnel on the front lines?

Change is probably the one thing we resist the most. For some, being home was a welcomed relief despite redirection. For others, life was intense figuring out how to be with family day in or day out, working all online, homeschooling, or with young children or being totally isolated.

No matter the situation, I bet you fit in different shows, maybe took a class, or signed up for webinars, maybe experienced more quiet time, alone time than usual.

Here at Cloud 9 Online, we hope you looked at your daily habits and routines. We encourage you to add a mindful practice, a meditation to your daily routine. I sent my family working on the front lines in the hospitals one of our “Supporting Your Immune System” meditations by Jeff Nelder, our Chief Mindfulness Officer.

Meditation, contemplation practices are not new. But, for some reason, we in the west want what we do quantified, measured in some way. I love our curiosity, our eagerness to prove what the ancient sages advised. Today technological innovations are giving us more and more tools to do just that: to investigate how mindful practices work in our brain. What’s healthy and what’s not.

What mindful practice works best for you? How much time do you have to spend? Breathing awareness, deep yawning, walking all contribute to redirecting our “monkey mind” brain to quiet down. Adverse news reports, disrupted schedules, and uncertainty can be frustrating and disheartening.

Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman in their book, How God Changes Your Brain, suggest that a basic brain-enhancement program including breathing, relaxation, and meditation for twenty or forty minutes changes our brain’s connectivity. If you are not able to spend that much time, then adjust the timing to fit your schedule. These researchers and practitioners have looked at studies that measure brain activity in active and advanced meditators to explore the question: Do these practices change our brain?

“ Our brain-scan studies of contemplative forms of Buddhist and Christian mediation show that when activity in the parietal areas decreases, a sense of timelessness and spacelessness emerges. This allows the meditator to feel at one with the object of contemplation: with God, the universe, peacefulness, or any other object upon which he or she focuses.”( Pp. 51-52.) Further on, they state that advanced or disciplined practitioners reach a state of oneness with all.

Cloud 9 Online offers you our MediMind app - free for 90 days. Got Stress? Choose MediMind Meditations for your daily practice. Try it for yourself: https://www.c9ohealth.com/download