Mandala: Autumn 2014 by University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing

MANDALA Autumn 2014 CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

INSIDE:

Changing the System from Within Center Offers

New Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Degree Discovering the

Science of Wellbeing

the LEADERSHIP issue

LEADING by Example

As I reflected on the theme of this issue — leadership — I found myself thinking about leaders who have inspired me not only by what they have accomplished, but who they are. Immediately, Earl Bakken came to mind. Earl has been such an incredible source of inspiration to people all around the world. While his impact on the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing has been unparalleled, his impact globally is hard to comprehend. Many would point to his achievements in engineering and medical devices, but it’s important to note that Earl also has phenomenal insight and wisdom in business, leadership, spirituality, and healing. Very early in the Center’s history, Earl contacted me and wanted to learn more about the Center. He cared so deeply about the University of Minnesota, and was excited to learn that it had created a Center with a focus on spirituality and healing.

He cared about the Center and about me as a person. What is remarkable is the everyday occurrence this was in Earl’s life. He undoubtedly mentored hundreds and hundreds of people throughout his career who, like me, felt his personal touch and care. I recently was in the home of a friend whose mother worked for Earl at Medtronic for many years. My friend now has a card that his mother framed that captures so eloquently what Earl believes really matters — love, grace and tenderness of life, deep connections with people, and beauty. There is nothing more important than this life lesson that Earl has taught me. When Earl and I and a group of Center faculty were meandering through the gardens at his home in Hawaii last January, we ended up in his favorite spot — a perch that offers a view of the ocean, gardens, and a walking path. He reminded us that this is his chapel — the meditation spot that he comes to each day. He continues to teach us — the power of pausing, awareness of all that surrounds us, and the practice of gratitude.

I had no idea what to expect in this encounter, and was more than a little anxious. I recall that Earl was less interested in hearing about what I was doing and intending to do through the Center, but was more interested in talking with me — telling me his story, explaining how Medtronic and his thinking evolved, and learning about who I was at the core, not in a superficial way. This was the beginning of a deep friendship and mentoring relationship that has spanned almost two decades. As I reflect on our relationship and the qualities of his leadership, I am struck by several things. Earl asked many questions, but never told me what he thought we should be doing. He opened the door for me to have experiences, but never attempted to control the outcome of what might happen. He urged me to read widely and glean insights from many different fields. It was not unusual to enter his office and see a large stack of journals with sticky notes protruding, highlighting articles that he wanted to talk about and thought I should read. He was a conscientious curator of all that was happening in the world, and brought my attention to ideas that I should be aware of. Many times, I had the experience of discovering — months or years later — why he wanted me to learn about something. What deeply touches me as I reflect on this is the way that he invested in my learning and success.

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Center faculty Pat Culliton, Debbie Ringdahl, Linda Halcón, Mary Jo Kreitzer, and Earl Bakken.

As a visionary and futurist, Earl believes in dreams and visions: "Dreams and visions,” he says, “have a way of predicting and preceding reality." He has encouraged us at the Center to be bold, creative and visionary. Enjoy this issue of the Mandala that reflects the visioning and dreaming of so many like Earl who have helped make the Center a reality. Thank you for your support!

Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN Founder and Director, Center for Spirituality & Healing

mandala capture the many diverse aspects of the Center’s work: reflection, transformation, spirituality, creation, and lastly, the ongoing journey that continues to shape what we are to become. transformational art in the sand; art therapists to facilitate healing; and Tibetans as visual representation of Buddhist beliefs. As a universal symbol of healing, the respective circles of the Mandala is the Sanskrit word for “circle” and is a sacred symbol that mirrors a state of consciousness through a concrete pattern. Native Americans use mandalas as healing and

MANDALA

Table of CONTENTS Conversations on Leadership Recognizing when change is needed

Page 4

Changing the System From Within Introducing Megan Voss, Pediatric BMT Integrative Therapies Program Manager

Page 7

Mindful Creativity: Exploring the Ease and Joy of Mindfulness

Page 10

Dr. Susan O’Conner-Von Steps Up Introducing the Center’s New Director of Graduate Studies

Page 12

Creating Global Impact One Project at a Time Dalai Lama Fellows Commitment to Lead

Page 14

The New-School Way to Heal the Body 1998 Los Angeles Times Article

Page 18

Craig Blacklock Becoming an Individual Global Leader

Page 20

Health Coaching: Another piece of the Wellbeing Puzzle

Page 22

Discovering the Science of Wellbeing Center Launches Unique New Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program

Page 24

Envisioning a New Future How Philanthropic Leaders Support the Center’s Work

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COVER ARTWORK “Herring skiff, Tofte, Minnesota,” from Craig Blacklock’s book, “Minnesota’s North Shore.” Photo courtesy of Center Senior Fellow Craig M. Blacklock. Mr. Blacklock, a renowned photographer, collaborates with the Center on our Wellscapes video series. For more information about Wellscapes, please visit z.umn.edu/wellscapes. To learn more about Craig, visit blacklockgallery.com AUTHORS: Tony Baisley, Craig Blacklock, Dianne Lev, Thomas Olson, Miranda Taylor, Andrea Uptmor, Cindy Wilcox PHOTOGRAPHY: Cover, page 20-21 by Blacklock, pages 7, 13, 24 by Michael Wessel. Additional photography by Marcia Cartwright, Katy Dezellar, Emma Vasseur DESIGN: Jo Penfield Mandala, a biannual publication, is produced by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing. Detailed information about Center research, events, academic courses, workshops, and more can be found on our website at csh.umn.edu. Letters to the editor must include name, address, telephone number, and email address. EDITOR: Kit Breshears kit@umn.edu EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Geoffrey Anderson Pamela Cherry Nue Lor Thomas Olson Andrea Uptmor

Center for Spirituality & Healing Mayo Memorial Building, MMC #505 420 Delaware St. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 www.csh.umn.edu

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. CONNECT WITH US.

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CONVERSATIONS

on Leadership

BY CINDY WILCOX, PHD

Integrative Health and Wellbeing and Leadership are both interdisciplinary fields, and both fields that draw on thousands of years of practices, traditions, and lived experience, as well as a more recent and western researchbased approach. Integrative health and wellbeing has clear outcomes in mind — the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and organizations. Leadership is about the capacity to recognize when change is needed and create that change, but it is essentially value and outcome neutral. To be effective, both disciplines must be embedded throughout a system — drawing attention to and providing frameworks and tools to create needed changes in our ways of thinking, being, and doing in the world. While the Center’s interdisciplinary aim and thought leadership is focused on a whole-person and integrative approach to health and wellbeing, it simultaneously lives out leadership principles concerning how we integrate such concepts into a system, allowing the individual to influence the whole and the whole to influence the individual in healthy ways. While leadership is value-neutral, the field of leadership would be strengthened by considering how leadership can be practiced and applied in ways that enhance the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and organizations, while also achieving other intended goals or outcomes. The following are concepts and practices that I see being drawn on in the Center’s approach to leadership, and which represent ways of exercising leadership that may contribute to health and wellbeing while achieving other leadership aims.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP, MINDFUL LEADERSHIP The leadership field has long emphasized the importance of self-awareness and self-understanding as a critical component of high impact leadership. The practices and technologies for developing that self-understanding in the leadership field, however, tend towards feedback processes (psychometric instruments and 360 processes), training programs with self-reflective components (often journaling and group inquiry), and sometimes coaching. The limitations of these practices are that they tend to focus on somewhat external qualities or characteristics (i.e. personality type, leadership style, etc.) rather than helping people develop deeper understanding of their interior condition and how it is impacting their leadership.

The Center approaches self-awareness from a place of understanding reflection and contemplation as core to our deep sense of wellbeing, and essential to our ability to really contribute in the world. The Center’s frameworks and practices for reflection and contemplation include:

C Integrative healing practices (which develop somatic awareness and the ability to access the body’s wisdom and ways of knowing)

indfulness tools (which develop deeper-level selfCM

awareness, the ability to be present to what is, while also contributing to improved self-regulation, empathy, and compassion) Mindfulness tools are available on our Taking Charge site — visit takingcharge.csh.umn.edu to learn about Reflective Practices, Relaxation Techniques, and Mind/Body Therapies.

C D eveloping one’s sense of purpose and meaning (understanding life as a journey requiring ongoing meaning-making, developing the deep listening skills and self-compassion needed to overcome obstacles, and hear and heed our calling) Learn more at: z.umn.edu/WhatIsLifePurpose

This work is profound and deeply personal, and essential to authentic and service-oriented leadership.

SHARED OR DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP The concept of shared leadership addresses western culture’s deeply held assumptions that leadership is about the individual, and is equivalent to authority or position. Shared leadership sees leadership as an essential function in a system, and one that helps the whole system evolve towards a higher state of being (whether measured by performance, productivity, or wellbeing). Shared leadership is similar to horizontal leadership, distributed leadership, and collective leadership, in contrast to more traditional "vertical" or "hierarchical" leadership which is assumed to reside predominantly with an individual instead of a group.1 As Pearce, Manz and Sims (2009) summarize, all definitions of shared leadership consistently include a "process of influence" that is "built upon more than just downward influence on subordinates or followers by an appointed or elected leader." Nearly all concepts of shared leadership entail the practice of "broadly sharing power _________________ 1. B ass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial Applications. London: Free Press. ISBN 978-0743215527 2. P earce, C, L., C. C, Manz, and H. R Sims, Jr. 2009. Where Do We Go From Here?: Is Shared Leadership the Key to Team Success? Organizational Dynamics 38 (3): 234-38, p. 234

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Leadership is about the capacity to recognize when change is needed and to create that change, but it is essentially value and outcome neutral. and influence among a set of individuals rather than centralizing it in the hands of a single individual who acts in the clear role of a dominant superior."2

INFLUENCING SYSTEMS CHANGE: RESONANCE, EMERGENCE, PRESENCING, AND GENTLE ACTION The four approaches to exercising leadership within a system that I have found most consistent with integrative and holistic health and healing are emergence, presencing, resonance, and gentle action. Resonance is a concept and skill set (learning how to notice and follow the resonance in a system) that I first learned as an executive coach. In coaching, it is easy to rely on following the verbal cues of a client, or perhaps move through a sequence of questions or inquiry topics outlined to fit the desired outcomes of the coaching.

The most powerful coaching, however, follows the energetic resonance in the conversation. That is what leads to deepest purpose and meaning, opens us to new possibilities, and connects us around the profound and sacred in life. Boyatzis and McKee talk about Resonant Leadership as “connecting with the deep values that guide us, imbuing our actions with meaning” (Resonant Leadership, 2005). What the Center is contributing to this conversation is how to build our essential ability to work with the energy of a system, including emotional energy, movement and vitality, and concepts of coherence, attunement, and resonance that are so much a part of many integrative healing modalities. Learning to work with resonance is related to the concepts of presencing and emergence. Emergence is about understanding change as an ongoing process, a flowing river, rather than moving from one static state to another. Instead of spending time creating plans and working “to the plan,” the focus is on creating conditions that will support the emergence of what you would like to invite into being. Emergence assumes we are operating in a complex adaptive world (not a predictable one), and our job is to be deeply present and responsive to what is, while holding intentions and setting conditions for what we would like to emerge. Facilitating emergence requires the ability to suspend certainty, replace judgment with curiosity, and turn discomfort into inquiry.

Presencing, a concept coined by Otto Scharmer, attempts to place resonance, deep listening, intuition, and emergence into an operational context, including three main processes (observe, retreat and reflect, and “act in an instant.”).The final leadership construct I see at play in how the Center engages in change work is gentle action. Gentle action is about focusing many small, coordinated efforts on the best points of leverage within a system. It emphasizes change arising organically from within the system, understanding that all systems have their own set of initial conditions, “metabolic rates,” and tipping points. Learn more about Gentle Action: z.umn.edu/gentleaction

HAVING THE COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS People have often told me how wonderful it is that we, at the Center for Spirituality & Healing, have the freedom to use words like spirit, trust, vulnerability, and even love. Words like this are at the heart of the human condition, yet somehow they have been taken out of the dictionary in many organizations and workplace settings. I recently heard a corporate executive referring to something called love leadership, as a brave attempt to reintroduce the heart and spirit back into the discipline and practice of leadership. Love leadership (Bryant, 2009) is, essentially, a choice to live openly as emotional and spiritual creatures, accepting into the conversation concepts like spirituality, forgiveness, vulnerability, compassion, and love. One of the most important leadership functions of the Center for Spirituality & Healing is to initiate and host those courageous conversations that help us open to and own our deepest humanity.

OUR EVOLVING APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP: LEADING LIVING SYSTEMS As I consider all of the approaches to leadership being embraced by the Center, I find myself reflecting on what is unique to the Center in its approach. I consistently come up with one answer. The Center, with its core focus on creating health and wellbeing, embodies practices designed to promote wellbeing in all living systems, whether those living systems are individuals, organizations, or communities. continued >

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Conversations on Leadership (continued)

Our previous discussion illuminated where and how the Center is reflecting key leadership concepts, theories, and research. But how do we really look in practice? What is our particular distillation of leadership practices that promotes health and wellbeing in living systems?

e recognize and honor the ‘sovereignty’ of individuals and systems. Nothing is ? Wforced, all is at choice, and most solutions are created from within. e are organized to maximize individual leadership, responsibility, accountability, ? Wand freedom to create — assuming that all of us are naturally motivated to achieve our highest use and purpose in life.

e keep everyone involved in the things that inspire. Everyone at the Center, for ? Wexample, is involved in generating ideas for our Wellbeing Lecture Series speakers.

Through this, we all stay focused on what we care about in this work, not just endless task lists and activities.

e hold ourselves accountable for “being the change we want to see” and walking ? Wour talk. We are solidly on our own journey as we ask others to join us on the journey to greater health and wellbeing.

e understand leadership as a function of influence and change within the ? Winterconnected web of life, and we work to empower leadership across the web, whether staff, student workers, faculty, learners, or organizational partners. You wouldn’t say, “well, my heart (or my head) is in charge on this one.” We all work together.

e understand living systems as constantly in a state of change and evolution. ? WChange is not an event to be managed, change is life itself. We participate in that flow of life through gentle action and redirection.

e cultivate mindfulness in order to do all of the above effectively. We work, ? Windividually and through our programming, to develop our own state of inner

awareness, engage in self-regulation, and exercise respectful and compassionate choice from that aware state.

On the Center's website you will see a quote by Mathieu Ricard, “If we transform our way of looking at things, we will transform the quality of our life.” At the Center, we are growing more intentional and more bold in seeking to transform the thinking about leadership to that of mindfulness, gentle action, and living systems principles. +++

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Changing the System F R O M W IT H I N BY ANDREA UPTMOR Megan Voss, DNP

Implementing an Integrative Model of Care at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital How does a world-class program in integrative therapies emerge from within a more traditional system of care? In this case, it starts with an epiphany from Dr. John Wagner. Dr. Wagner, Division Director of Pediatric BMT at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, used to be your typical physician. “I am all ‘business,’” he admits. “I diagnose the problem, find potential solutions to the problem, and go all out to conquer the problem—and I leave the ‘touchy-feely’ stuff to others.” But when his daughter Chelsea grew interested in yoga and holistic medicine, the conversations at home began to change. She told her father about the powerful healing effects of integrative therapies , which prompted Dr. Wagner to think about his practice in a whole new way. “I had an epiphany of sorts that made me wonder if I had neglected a whole dimension in the care of these children, their parents, and the people who surround them.” Inspired by his daughter, Dr. Wagner paid a visit to the Center for Spirituality & Healing. “I was pleased and honored when Dr. Wagner approached me,” says Center founder and director, Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer. “He asked if the Center would partner with the pediatric BMT program to create a world-class program that includes integrative therapies. Dr. Wagner understands very well the needs of the children and parents he cares for, and he shared with me their deep desire for care that is attentive to the whole person — body, mind, and spirit.”

The Center, with almost twenty years of experience in healthcare innovation and a deep investment in wellbeing, was the right place for Dr. Wagner to bring his idea. He recalls, “When I first shared my new interest with the staff at the Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota, they simply listened and with open arms, conveyed ‘welcome home.’”

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A NEW MODEL OF CARE Drs. Wagner and Kreitzer quickly set things in motion. Their goal was ambitious: to create one of the world’s most comprehensive, innovative, integrative healing and wellbeing programs for pediatric cancer patients. To begin, Dr. Kreitzer enlisted three Doctor of Nursing Practice students—Megan Voss, Rachel Trelstad-Porter, and Janet Tomaino—to spend a semester doing a clinical project at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital.

“Our clinical project entailed a comprehensive needs assessment of the rich pockets of integrative therapies that already existed within the hospital system,” explains Voss, whose intuitive sense for healing work and left-brained organizational skills made her an apt candidate for the project. “We also spent time interviewing patients and families about their needs for support. continued >

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Changing the System from Within (continued)

Changing the System

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Finally, we formulated a multiphase plan for creating a world-class integrative therapies program to complement the world-class transplant program.” In their final report, the nurses described a strong interest and readiness among the staff at the Children’s Hospital to create an integrative health program, but only a modest capacity to support such a program within the current system. After the semester was over, Wagner and Kreitzer decided to find the right person who could help implement the multi-phase plan the students created. They needed someone with familiarity with the project—a nurse with a healing touch and also a knack for organization and data management. They chose Megan Voss.

AN HONEST NURSE Voss likes to say that she came by nursing honestly. A former RN at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, her interest in mind/body/spirit wellbeing began in childhood. “My mother was a nurse, and a very holistic person,” she says. “So I have an appreciation for integrative approaches thanks to her influence.” After being introduced to Reiki by a friend in college, she began to pursue other forms of integrative health and healing on her own.

“When I found the DNP program with the specialty in Integrative Health and Healing, I knew I had found my calling.”

Her passion for integrative models of care, in addition to her experience at Mayo, is what ultimately inspired Wagner and Kreitzer to hire her for the new joint position of Pediatric BMT Integrative Therapies Program Manager and faculty at the Center for Spirituality & Healing. Voss’s role is to help the Center and the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital achieve specific goals in the clinic, including improving the care experience for patients and families, supporting hospital staff’s self-care practices, and embedding integrative care throughout the Children’s Hospital system. Reinforced by years at patients’ bedsides, Voss’s philosophy on nursing is in line with the Center’s mission and Dr. Wagner’s aims for creating a more integrative model of care.

Healing is so multidimensional,” she explains. “It occurs on many levels and it’s not synonymous with curing. For example, there’s a lot of existential pain that comes with illness, and trying to address that and provide comfort is one of the responsibilities of a nurse. Integrative tools can be so useful in helping patients step out of the ailments of the physical body and explore healing on other dimensions.” While she has had years of experience in an oncology unit, a pediatric clinic is a new setting for her. When asked how she thought offering care to child patients might be different from working with adults, she took some time to consider it. >>

Drs. Wagner and Kreitzer's goal was ambitious: to create one of the world’s most comprehensive, innovative, integrative healing and wellbeing programs for pediatric cancer patients.

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But even the “right idea at the right time” needs one more ingredient to make it a success: visionary leadership.

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EXPLORING THE EASE & JOY OF MINDFULNESS BY THOMAS OLSON Glistening globs of thick paint cover her palette. Shades of crimson, honey gold, and cerulean move easily from brush to canvas, as thick strokes bring life to the blank space. Dr. Ellen Langer, artist, social psychologist, and professor who is frequently cited as the “Mother of Mindfulness,” has completed another exercise in mindful creativity.

been studying mindfulness for nearly four decades, and stresses the important difference between thinking and mindfulness.

Her introduction to art was not planned. “I ran into this person I knew who was an artist,” she says. “I don’t know why I said this to her, but I told her that I was interested in taking up art. She took me into her studio and gave me two little canvases. It started to intrigue me. A little while later, I was home and I had decided to paint something on a shingle that I found. At the time I was working on my book, On Becoming an Artist, but it was all about mindless evaluation and the things that keep us from the things that we are trying to engage.

is the essence of fun. And when you’re enjoying yourself, the reason you’re enjoying yourself is because you’re being mindful. Mindfulness is

And so there I was starting to paint while I was working on this book and it seemed natural for the two to come together.” Langer, a social psychologist at Harvard University, and the first female professor to gain tenure in the Psychology Department at Harvard University, has

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“People don’t understand the concept of mindfulness. People confuse it with thinking,” she says. “The evaluation that we impose on thinking is difficult. The process of being mindful

a very simple process of noticing those things.” How do the concepts of mindfulness and creativity intersect, though? “It’s basically just different ways of understanding, or different arenas in which this concept of mindfulness is relative,” Langer says. “I think

that people have a mindlessness understanding of creativity, where the focus is only on the product and mindfulness is a focus on the process. When you actively engage with the world, the products you produce end up superior. Somehow they bear the imprint of your state of mind.”

Learn more about Dr. Langer's work at her Nov. 10 Wellbeing Lecture Series presentation, "Mindful Health

and the Power of Possibility." Registration and more details available at z.umn.edu/LangerTix Original artwork by Dr. Ellen Langer

“There was no reason for me to think that I could do anything with a paintbrush, yet still there was that fear of making mistakes. But I said to myself ‘ just do it’,” she says. “It is fabulous fun if one can get over the initial fear of evaluation.” Exercising creativity and mindfulness in the work-place is a practice that Langer believes can not only reduce work-related stress, but also brings joy to the employee.

“The problem is that, for most people, work detracts from their wellbeing rather than adds to it,” says Dr. Langer. “The stress that people suffer at work is because in the work situation, people tend to be highly evaluative and they are always worried about if they’re going to make a mistake and so on. Stress is a function of the views that we take of events. It’s not a function of events.”

“I’m working on a new book now and the working title is Whistle While You Work — I want to suggest that work can and should be fun,” she says. “If you look at other people doing the same job as you, you’ll find that many people are enjoying what they’re doing. So it’s not the job itself. It’s something that people bring to it. Life is short.

It consists only of moments. And if we waste these moments, we are essentially wasting our lives.” Dr. Ellen Langer will present “Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility” during the Center’s final Wellbeing Lecture of 2014 on Nov. 10. She is the author of eleven books and more than two hundred research articles. Tickets for the lecture are available at z.umn.edu/LangerTix

Why is passion important in an employee’s work, though? Dr. Langer’s current research suggests that work can — and should — be fun.

You may learn more about Ellen Langer on her website: www.LangerMindfulnessInstitute.com +++

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Longtime nurse educator and pediatric nurse

DR. SUSAN O’CONNER-VON steps up to a new role as the

CENTER’S DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE STUDIES BY MIRANDA TAYLOR

Throughout her nursing career, integrative therapies have always been a passion of Susan O’Conner-Von’s. While the Center for Spirituality & Healing was launching its first academic programming in the 1990s, O’Conner-Von was hard at work as a professor of nursing at the College of St. Catherine and as a staff nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Because compassionate care has always been more than just a day job, she was also volunteering in hospice and beginning to train her miniature schnauzers in animal-assisted therapy. Today, her miniature schnauzers, Jackson and Zoey, continue the tradition of visiting patients who request quality time with a canine in hospice. “This education is a partnership,” said O’Conner-Von of training her much-loved pets to be therapy animals. “I have to learn alongside them and watch their cues for it to work.” If an opportunity for a quality of life improvement in care exists, O’Conner-Von has likely noticed. And perhaps she’s taken to training her beloved pet or altering a career path to encourage the change she wishes to see. The same could be said for her approach to education. Rarely has she missed an opportunity to improve learning and instruction. “I’m not the sage on the stage. I’m an active participant in the teaching-learning process,” says O’Conner-Von. “Students energize me and I learn from them.” In the classroom, at home, or at Children’s Hospital helping children feel more at ease with upcoming surgeries, O’Conner-Von is teaching.

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The combination of science and art is one O’Conner-Von has had years to master. “As nurses we’re constantly teaching; health care is a foreign language to most people. We’re teaching patients about their diagnosis, how to work through health care procedures and medications, and, above all, how to take better care of themselves.” In the clinic, this nurse of 35 years prepares children and their families for what they may experience during surgery by teaching healthy coping skills to alleviate anxiety and fear. Back in the classroom at the University of Minnesota, O’Conner-Von serves as an associate professor in the School of Nursing. She’s been on faculty at the Center for Spirituality & Healing since 2010, and a member of the University faculty at large since 2003.

“ I’m not the sage on the stage. I’m an active participant in the teaching-learning process.”

— O’Conner-Von

“I pull inspiration in many aspects of my life from my mother,” said O’Conner-Von. “She was a wonderful teacher who made learning fun by role modeling a love of learning and being respectful of each student.” Today, she has the opportunity to benefit the next generation of care providers by applying the wisdom of many mentors, gained through years of clinical practice, patient education, academic nursing, and research.

Dr. Linda Halcón, left, and Dr. Susan O'Conner-Von

Nursing students enrolled in O’Conner-Von’s Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Care course have shared with the Iowa-native her ability to empower them to finally feel comfortable providing spiritual care to their patients — something research has shown patients often desire from their care providers.

The Director of Graduate Studies will also serve as the connection between the greater UMN graduate education system and the Center, in addition to overseeing two certificates, a new master’s degree, and an Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices minor.

Now O’Conner-Von is ready to apply her talents and time to promoting the excellent programs and high-quality education that are hallmarks of the Center. She assumes full responsibilities as Director of Graduate Studies just in time for the fall semester.

CHANGING GUARD

Her early investment can be seen in plans to experience the Center’s array of courses first-hand. She plans to visit classes, interact with faculty, and ultimately be the best possible advocate for the Center’s educational programs. Working with the Center’s director, staff, and faculty are key points of eagerness for O’Conner-Von.

“I am in gratitude for the time I’ve had in this role,” said Halcón, who plans to officially retire from the University this December and remain in an advisory role.

Colleagues note the wonderful presence, great listening ability and educational directive O’Conner-Von is sure to draw on as she visits classrooms. “Dr. O’Conner-Von is an extraordinary teacher who brings a wealth of creativity and passion to the learning environment,” said Center founder and director Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer. “I am thrilled that as the Director of Graduate Studies, she will be a resource for faculty as well as a source of inspiration for students.” In her new role, O’Conner-Von will ensure the Center’s coursework continues to provide students with a solid foundation to guide future health needs.

O'Conner-Von will replace outgoing School of Nursing associate professor Linda Halcón, PhD, MPH, RN.

“Knowing Susan well, I can say her abilities are hallmarks of what we need to move health care forward. I’m confident her big-picture thinking will drive change.” And proactive change is indeed a good thing. As research continues to support the importance of integrative healing, the health care landscape will increasingly call for a next generation of care providers to be well-versed in holistic care. Thanks to Halcón, more Center faculty now utilize online instruction, graduate admissions are streamlined, and procedures are clarified. Flagstones in place, O’Conner-Von will continue to position graduate programming for success. Celebrating accomplishments and looking forward are only natural, as the Center nears its 20 year anniversary. So too is O’Conner-Von’s aptitude to move education forward. +++

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Not every person seeks to change the world. But for those who have a deep passion for positive change-making and peacebuilding, that determination takes precedence above all else. BY THOMAS OLSON

Creating Global Impact

project

at a time

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

Since 2012, the Center for Spirituality & Healing has hosted a recipient of the Dalai Lama Fellowship, a unique, global program based in San Francisco that is personally authorized by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. This important program envisions and works toward a world that tends to the good of the whole as well as of the individual. Dalai Lama Fellows are a global network of young social innovators working at the intersections of peace, justice, and ecology, who merge social innovation with contemplative values, ethics, and compassion. The Center’s Dalai Lama Fellows — Aimee Prasek, Jennifer Blevins, and Alec Fischer — each develop and execute a transformative project. Whether it’s making wellbeing education more accessible to large populations, helping people from diverse backgrounds and belief systems create safe and secure environments, or developing social networks that provide young students the opportunity for their voices to be heard, the Fellows are committed to leading through change.

Aimee Prasek: SHERMAN PROJECT Just one idea can have the capacity to change our communities, our beliefs, and our futures. Dalai Lama Fellow Aimee Prasek used her Fellowship to create Sherman Project, an affordable online wellbeing and stress-reduction program that serves as a model for high-quality public health tools that are not only scalable, but effective and empowering. “From a young age, I struggled with self-doubt and a belief that I was not given the right or appropriate gifts for this world,” she says. “During college, I stumbled into a yoga class and felt a very strange sensation—peace. Needless to say, I was intrigued and began exploring other mindful wellbeing practices.” Her desire to bring about affordable wellbeing resources has been an important personal initiative since she was exposed to the high cost of wellbeing resources as an undergraduate student. “I’ve been a student on seven college campuses and one thing I consistently noticed was that access to integrative wellbeing resources was very limited. I had the opportunity to clean toilets for six years to afford yoga classes, but there are only so many toilets.” Sherman Project helps participants improve wellbeing, reduce stress, and transform their health in meaningful ways in an online environment. Stepping into a leadership role was not initially easy for Prasek. “There were so many times where I just wanted to say ‘I quit. I’m not cut out for this.’ It was the support and mentorship from others who believed in the project and my passion for this work that kept me focused and

committed,” she says. After creating this project, managing time and money, and working with so many beneficial resources and contributors, Prasek’s view on the role of leadership has changed drastically. “I think we often get stuck in the belief that we need a perfect manifestation to lead — dreamt up scenarios and Saint-like versions of ourselves that must occur before we step into a leadership role. But, that’s not at all what leadership is about. It’s about initiating action with others and courageously using our evolving and unique perspectives and skills to meet both the smallest and biggest challenges facing our world today.” Learn more at shermanproject.com. continued >

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

Creating a Global Impact One Project at a Time (continued)

Alec Fischer: USPEAK MOVEMENT Alec Fischer created his first film, “Minnesota Nice?” which examined the bullying and suicide epidemic plaguing Minnesota Public Schools, at age 17 and garnered much national and local media attention. Now, this junior communication studies major, the recipient of the 2014 Dalai Lama Fellowship, is creating critical new conversations using social networks. For his project, USPEAK Movement, Fischer will create a collaborative online platform that allows college students to upload videos and have dialogues about social issues present on their campuses. “My hope is that it will foster connection and collaboration between campuses and allow students to have a place to interact with one another based on their experiences,” he says. “Students will upload videos in order to create dialogues on their campuses about the issues they’re facing. By slowly building the movement on a national level with schools from all across the country, I’m hoping the movement will grow as the year goes on and will spark further discussion on campuses. That will lead

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

to a domino effect to inspire and empower other students to upload videos of themselves or their friends speaking their truths.” Through the Fellows program, Alec is gaining experience that will help propel this idea to a national level. “One of the key points I’ve taken away from this program’s guidance is that leadership is about collaboration and community,” he says. “I’ve developed as a leader by adapting more communal approaches to the way I am present in situations, which will hopefully reflect in my project as the year continues.” His idea of leading as a team, instead of a hierarchical approach, is one of the many reasons why Fischer’s project is unique and exciting. “I believe that if we focus more on collaboration, rather than the power and spotlight mentality, more students will become active leaders in their communities,” he says. “I also wanted to be able to work with students from around the globe through the Dalai Lama Fellows Program who share my passion and commitment to advancing society through social change.”

Jennifer Blevins: BUILDING BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING On September 11, 2001, the world changed. Since that pivotal day, many members

Jennifer Blevins, right, and friends. of Muslim communities have experienced discrimination, misdirected anger, hate crimes, and a lack of understanding about their culture and beliefs. Dalai Lama Fellow (2013) Jennifer Blevins seeks to help Muslim and non-Muslim communities transcend boundaries to create healthier, safer environments. From 2008 to 2013, as director of the Brian Coyle Community Center, Blevins witnessed firsthand many of the challenges, including arrests, harassment, and violence, experienced by the Muslim community living in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis near the University’s West Bank. One experience still stands out for her. “At Coyle, we had a street outreach program to try to keep kids out of violent situations, and I was often on Cedar Avenue during the evenings,” she says. “One kid was a really good kid, but the police would just chase after him for no apparent reason. He had no record, but the police were just on him all the time harassing him. And it wasn’t just one kid; I received daily reports of conflict between Muslim youth and the police, and witnessed what I felt was excessive force on many occasions, towards kids as young as 11. While 2008 was also a peak year for gun violence between conflicted groups of youth, the situation was exacerbated by a large degree of mistrust between the

neighborhood and the police, and it became important to think about ways to bridge that gap,” says Blevins. Her Dalai Lama Fellow project, Restorative Justice and Islam: Building Bridges of Understanding, has been shaped by community leaders, wellbeing practitioners, and local residents. To fully realize the end goal of her project, which is, “A recognized process with people who are in leadership roles to resolve community conflict before there is an escalation or retaliation, that brings people together across differences and results in some agreed upon ways to work together in the future,” Blevins conducted interviews with key stakeholders, developed an advisory committee of Muslim leaders, and created a culturally relevant model for restorative justice dialogue. “The plan is also to test the model with another collaborative partner located in Minneapolis by applying it to a current community conflict situation,” says Blevins. A key part of her project’s success can be attributed to Blevins’ expanding leadership philosophy. “I have changed my way of leading,” she says. “It’s a different ballgame in terms of what I can offer. At this stage what I can offer is being a far better listener and recorder and then giving what I have heard back to people.” Leading by compassionate listening is now at the core of who she is as a person. “I’ve always liked the phrase ‘Seek first to understand, not to be understood,’” she says. “So that’s what I am doing.” She has played a crucial role in the advancement of blending stronger communities and will continue to do so as her project continues to move forward. “Blending restorative justice principals, which are based on traditional Native American and other indigenous cultural practices, with the strengths of Islamic beliefs and practices is really the key to solving problems with more sustainable long term resolutions.” +++

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

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Late last year, tions,” he says. health. + +Accord + + ing + +to +Plotnik + +off,+ physici + + ans + +to-+ +Norlin + +g +compla + + ining + +of+a +lifetime + + +of +mi-+ +integra + + ted+ + +to+put+ +the+two+ +togethe + +r,”+ + + + + + + + + + + + want ents treatm +day+ should + + +be capabl + + +e of+relating + + to+ patient + + s+ +graine + + headac + + hes + +and+the+ failed +She+carried + + with + + +Bakken +“You + +says. + +“Body, + + mind + + and + +spirit + +is+ + + + + + + + + + + + gists. neurolo of +beyond + + +a physiol + + ogical + + assessm + + +ent.+ + + + +ofher+dozens + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ++++++++++++++ what medici ne was about before the sciena letter from a leading medica l center die?’ to baby + +“‘Doct + + or,+ why +that +did+aremy+inheren + +have + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + their +++++++++++++ what know ans tific age. 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LTH Body

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Becoming an Individual Global Leader

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risk not to don dry suits, which provide an added measure of safety in Superior’s cold waters. As the kayaker with the most experience in the family, I’m the default leader. My safety and that of my wife and our thirteen year old daughter depends upon my good judgement. As the day started out sunny and warm, I weighed the protection dry suits provide, with the discomfort of paddling in them in hot weather. The waves were still relatively calm and I knew that heat could fatigue a paddler, and present a different kind of danger from cold water. After a brief discussion, we all agreed to start out without suits. But once we were out of the shelter of the harbor, a brisk wind came up, blowing in heavy fog and whipping up the waves. While the waves were still nowhere near dangerous, I made the prudent decision to land on an island to put on our dry suits. As the day progressed, the wind and waves soon subsided. We would certainly have been more comfortable without the dry suits, but I don’t

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +regret my decision to stop and put them on. Whether paddling alone, with small groups, or leading photography workshops, I’m often in a position of balancing responsible actions with the comfort and desires of the group. When in doubt, I always error on the side of safety, even when the group may not agree with me. When I was very young, I assumed our political leaders were wise and decided important matters for the betterment of those they lead, with consideration for future generations. I believed they would hold to the same principles of responsibility and safety that I do in my role as a group leader today. That naive belief has been eroded away a bit more each decade of my life. Today, I see an endangered planet in dire need of independent, courageous leadership willing to aggressively tackle the looming, global issues of climate change, ocean acidification, and overpopulation. Clearly, responsible, prudent leaders would prioritize these issues, realizing that if they are not addressed

quickly, nothing will be able to save us, and all other issues will become moot. If the populace does not comprehend the need for action, then it is up to the leaders to explain the situation in order for the group to understand what must be done. But when I look around, there are few responsible leaders to be found, and they are mired in a stalemate with those who would put immediate comfort and pleasure for a few above future safety for all. This is simply an immoral position for any leader to take. But it is what we now have over much of the globe, and especially here in the U.S. So, if top down leadership is unwilling or impotent, then the responsibility to bring about change falls on us as individuals, both in our individual actions and to encourage and facilitate collective actions. With each and every decision we make in our lives, both large and small, we must ask ourselves how that decision will impact the future of our planet — decisions of how many, if any children to have, what kind of car to buy, how far of a commute we

will make, how large of a house we will live in, what type of recreation we will engage in, what light bulbs to buy, what kind of power plants we will collectively build. When multiplied by billions, the way we decide these questions will answer whether or not our children inherit a livable planet. We are accustomed to being leaders on a personal safety vs. pleasure level—every time I put on my dry suit, I’m subjecting myself to a bit of discomfort for the extra margin of safety. By being mindful of potential dangers, and mitigating them when necessary, I’ve safely kayaked thousands of miles on Lake Superior. All of us take a similar action each time we fasten a seat belt. Today, we simply need to apply that same, prudent, common sense behavior to our everyday decisions that have global consequences. Perhaps it would be easier to have wise global leaders facilitating these changes, but history has shown that individuals, acting in unison, can bring about revolutionary changes. +++

Craig Blacklock’s photos and books, featuring images from Lake Superior, the Apostle Islands, and more, can be seen on his website at www.blacklockgallery.com

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

HEALTH Coaching: SHIFTING THE PARADIGM BY TONY BAISLEY Theories abound about what ails the U.S. healthcare system, from how care is dispensed to how the general public consumes it. But one theme continues to rise about the fray — wellbeing. While our conventional medical model has continued to focus on sickness, the future will only be brighter if the paradigm shifts to a partnership that empower consumers to get healthy and remain well. Just think about your last trip to a Doctor’s office… Most likely, you had only enough time to spit out what the problem was before your healthcare practitioner needed to run off to the next patient. Of course, such a band-aid approach doesn’t leave much room — or time — to examine the impact of stress, patterns of behaviors, or how lifestyle choices might affect one’s overall health and wellbeing. Chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension compromise our quality of life and cost our healthcare system a fortune. One study estimates the medical costs attributable to obesity in the U.S. reached $147 billion in 2008 — almost 10 percent of all medical spending. If that trend continues, obesity costs could reach 16 to 18 percent of U.S. health expenditures by 2030. The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has stimulated numerous changes in the delivery of care, including more emphasis on health promotion, lifestyle management, and team-based care. “Indeed, as

healthcare providers consider new models of care, health coaches will be at the table; members of interdisciplinary teams adept at health promotion and supporting behavioral change,” believes Dr. Karen Lawson,

Dr. Karen Lawson

director of the Center's health coaching program.

Responding to the need for fresh vision and new solutions in healthcare, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents voted earlier this year to approve a new Master of Arts degree program in Integrative Health and Wellbeing Coaching, which will be offered by the Center for Spirituality & Healing.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

"We are drawing to the program professionals from many fields including nursing, medicine, psychology, social work, and counseling, as well as other disciplines,” said Center Founder and Director Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer. "While some want to specifically work as a health coach, many are recognizing the importance of incorporating coaching skills into their regular practices as healthcare providers." Graduates of this new degree program will work in a multitude of practice settings, including hospitals, clinics, health educational facilities, community centers, senior living centers, fitness venues, corporations, schools, and private practices. The Center has been leading the way in the field of health coaching since it first established a health coaching track in its post-baccalaureate graduate certificate program in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices in 2005. Since then, a growing number of graduates have utilized their knowledge in this burgeoning field to make a difference in guiding patients to find personal wellness.

“When I first became aware of health coaching, I had been working as a massage therapist and was noticing that people’s physical pain related to more than injuries or mechanical issues,” reports Emma Vasseur, a graduate of the Certificate program who will continue into the Master’s program.

Emma Vasseur

“I was seeing many regular clients and often our sessions would bring only temporary relief from chronic pain,” says Vasseur. “Then I began to see the bigger picture. Each element of our everyday life — the people with whom we interact, the job we have, foods we eat, the amount of movement we get daily, even our spirituality — has a huge impact on our quality of life and how we support, or deplete, our own health. I knew then that health coaching was my calling. I wanted to find an institution that would support me to become the best coach I could be. The Center’s program was exactly what I was looking for because it emphasized how essential it is to take a wholeperson view of health and wellbeing. It was also clear

that we, individually, are responsible for our own health. I wanted to empower others to live their life fully, authentically and healthfully.”

“A health coaching session provides a safe space Leah Martinson in which to discover the path that works best for each person and to design a unique plan for healthy living based on individual need and desire,” offers another graduate, Leah Martinson, who also returns this fall to complete her Master’s degree. I began working as a Health Coach with the chemical and mental health community at Resource Chemical and Mental Health, a nonprofit in Minneapolis, as well as Touchstone Health and Wellness Center, in 2013,” says Martinson. "Through offering health coaching services, we have seen a dramatic increase in the level of awareness of one’s own ability to change their health situation through self-care and lifestyle changes. The measurable outcomes we have recorded include weight-loss, decreases in cholesterol and blood pressure, management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, a decrease or elimination of unhealthy habits such as smoking, and an increase in physical activity. The selfreported changes we have measured include an increase in overall sense of wellbeing and life purpose, decrease in stress, anxiety and depression, and an increase in healthy food choices and overall life satisfaction.” As the Center grows its health coaching program, it has also expanded its expertise. Deb Olson joined as a teaching assistant in Fundamentals of health coaching I and II in 2011. “I graduated in the first cohort of integrative coaches in 2007. So I was excited to return five years later to see how the curriculum had evolved.”

“While working in epidemiology research at the Mayo Clinic, I saw that healthcare professionals were telling patients to change their unhealthy practices but weren’t giving them guidance or tools to make sustainable changes,”

Deb Olson

observes Olson. “That is where the role of a health coach can benefit a patient. Medicine is making great advancement in epigenetics, psychoneuroimmunology and technology daily. The problem is the population continues to become more dis-eased.”

Earlier this year, Olson was invited by Linda Wick, Senior Director of Ambulatory Nursing for University of Minnesota Physicians, to present to a team of nurses.

“UM Health recognizes the importance of providing nurses who give day to day care, the skills to coach patients through their medical care,”

states Wick. “Coaching is different from education and many nurses have not been trained in coaching. Having the expertise and resources right on campus was a bonus to us all. The nurses enjoyed Deb’s session and will use the skills in their profession.”

Linda Wick

Health coaching’s application extends beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals too. In 2014, the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities established itself as a health coaching internship location for Center students. Several YMCAs

in the Twin Cities already have health coaches on staff in the area of disease prevention. “We recognize the evolving opportunities with wellbeing education and experience for our team and members,” says Jennifer Menk, Senior Director

of YMCA Fitness. “Some of the Center’s programs align with this direction that we are eager to be a part of. The reputation and proximity of the UMN makes for a natural partnership.” Perhaps Martinson sums it up best: “As health and wellbeing paradigms continue to shift, health coaching will be a highly understood and sought after service. However, as with all shifts in beliefs and lifestyle approaches, it will take some time for health coaching to be adopted as a necessary link between healthcare teams.” In the meantime, the Center will continue to prepare tomorrow’s leaders with the skills necessary to change the nature of our healthcare system, one puzzle piece at a time. +++

The Health Coaching Master’s degree is a 38-credit program. Coursework is offered in a blended format of online curriculum with in-person intensives. Students are required to visit campus no more than two weekends per semester, making it accessible to students from around the US. Students take a common set of core classes and can do a minor in another department, or area of concentration. The new degree program starts fall 2014. For more information, visit z.umn.edu/hc.

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

DISCOVERING THE

Science

OF WELLBEING

Center Launches Unique New Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program BY KIT BRESHEARS A new team at the Center is investigating the biological, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of mind-body therapies with a special emphasis on wellbeing; and facilitating the use of research by complementary and integrative care practitioners in clinical practice. They are bringing together practitioners from various disciplines to collaborate, innovate and create, and developing evidence-informed practice coursework to be offered at the University of Minnesota. They will be discovering and examining the science of wellbeing. How are these complex — yet critical — initiatives tied together? The Center for Spirituality & Healing, through its commitment to innovative research, has launched a unique, new Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program, which features integrative and alternative medicine researchers embedded in a land grant, research-intensive institution, and poises the Center to serve as a catalyst for facilitating deeper integration between conventional and CAM systems in health and healing. This unique team features members from a variety of research interests and backgrounds including health services research, clinical research and chiropractic. Gert Bronfort, DC, PhD, brings 25 years of experience in conducting several federally funded clinical trials on the comparative effectiveness of a number of conservative treatments for low back, neck, and headache disorders. Throughout the last 15 years, he has also been conducting systematic reviews on the effectiveness of conservative treatments for low back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Roni Evans, DC, PhD, has previously served as Director of the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies, the Director of Research Education, and the Dean of Research at Northwestern Health Sciences University. She has also been the Principal Investigator on an R25 grant, “The CAM Research Education Partnership Project.” Evans and Bronfort, both doctors of chiropractic, were formerly based at Northwestern Health Sciences University, where they built a successful clinical research program and secured more than $22 million in competitive federal funding for landmark studies in spinal manipulation, self-care and integrative health and wellbeing. Pamela Jo Johnson, MPH, PhD, the Center’s 2014-2016 A. Marilyn Sime Research Fellow, and a seasoned scientist in health services research focused on underserved populations, completes the team.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

Pamela Jo Johnson, Roni Evans and Gert Bronfort

Johnson believes that the team’s composition is an important strength. “We are all leaders in our own spaces and have very different backgrounds, skill specialties, and expertise,” she says. “All of our skills complement each other perfectly. Gert has expertise in clinical trials and is very rigorous with his work. Roni also has clinical research trial experience and brings expertise in mixed methods and in research education for care practitioners. I bring my expertise in healthcare disparities and have worked in healthcare research for three decades. We are all experts that come together and have energetic conversations. It’s a team almost like a Venn diagram and the heart is in the middle.” Evans agrees. “I think one of the things that makes this team unique is our balanced commitment to scientific quality and rigor, while remaining open to new perspectives,” she says. “There are some who believe that integrative and complementary and alternative therapies can’t be researched in a rigorous way, but we feel quite differently. In my experience in working with chiropractic, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, massage therapy and other health professions, I have learned we can apply a range of study designs informed by clinicians’ and patients’ experiences. This advances what is known about complementary and integrative care through the generation of trustworthy knowledge and creates a foundation for interdisciplinary collaboration. We want to be known for the quality, relevance, and innovativeness of our work. And we want it to reach and impact as many people as possible.”

Learn more about the Center’s research and meet the team members of the Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program on our website. Visit z.umn.edu/scienceofwellbeing to learn more.

Bronfort is enthusiastic about the opportunity that being housed in a large, public, land grant institution has to offer. “This is a great opportunity to continue to build on a successful research track record, and expand my research portfolio,” he says. “This program will be aligned with the research mission and vision of the University of Minnesota — and specifically the Center for Spirituality & Healing. By joining this team, the opportunity to interact and collaborate with the University of Minnesota research faculty will be greatly facilitated.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF A DEDICATED RESEARCH CORE Center Founder and Director, Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN, believes that the Program’s creation will benefit the Center by providing many new opportunities. “While the Center has been committed to supporting research in health and wellbeing throughout the University of Minnesota, we have not had a dedicated research core based within the Center,” she says. “With this experienced and complementary team of researchers, fellows, and staff, we will be well positioned to secure fellowship and training grants vital for developing new researchers who share an integrative vision of wellbeing and health.”

EXPLORING AN EMERGING FIELD What, though, is the science of wellbeing? “From my perspective, it’s about engaging diverse individuals using a variety of systematic inquiry methods (both qualitative and quantitative) to really dig into and explore what it takes for people to live fulfilling and purposeful lives whatever their circumstances,” says Evans. “This will entail exploring questions like ‘What does wellbeing mean to different individuals?,’ ‘How do we best measure wellbeing?’, ‘What can individuals do for themselves to cultivate their own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of their families and communities?’, ‘How do we equip healthcare providers to better facilitate patients’ engagement in healthy behaviors that promote wellbeing? How can we encourage greater collaboration and integration between the different health and healing professions to truly optimize the entire population’s wellbeing?’

The World Health Organization defines “health” as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The healthcare systems of most countries, including the United States, however, are often focused only on disease. Bronfort believes that this research will effectively combine both definitions. “The science of wellbeing will focus more on defining and measuring the different domains within the physical, mental and social constructs which are associated with leading healthy, meaningful, and satisfying lives, even in the context of adversity.” For Johnson, this Program has a personal and professional impact. “My personal and professional paths have come to a more aligned place,” she says. “This Program is an opportunity to bring my passion, purpose, and personal transformation into one place. I think we have an opportunity, as a team, and as a Center, to do something that has never happened before. And the possibility to transform people’s lives makes it worth the risk. That is very exciting.”

GENEROSITY SPARKS INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION The Center’s Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program is funded in part by a generous gift from the NCMIC Foundation, Inc. “NCMIC provided a gift to partially fund the Center’s Integrative Health and Wellbeing Research Program because it was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with a University whose innovative thinking is already eliminating the barriers to health and wellbeing through interdisciplinary cooperation in clinical and research programs,” says Louis Sportelli, DC, President of NCMIC Mutual Holding Company. “This is truly 21st century innovative application to health and wellbeing and so consistent with the chiropractic approach that the decision was really an easy one to make.” Reed Phillips, Executive Director of the NCMIC Foundation, Inc., believes that the Center’s leadership through this new Program is remarkable. “Every undertaking that has had any success has had a champion to nurture the concept and lead the effort,” he says. “Mary Jo Kreitzer is a wonderful example of taking the lead in a revolution and embracing multiple approaches to health and wellbeing — from acupuncture to chiropractic, from spirituality to meditation — the approaches are patient-centric and degree agnostic. We need more leaders like Mary Jo Kreitzer and the University of Minnesota to truly change the paradigm.” +++

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

ENVISIONING A NEW FUTURE HOW PHILANTHROPIC LEADERS SUPPORT THE

CENTER’S WORK

BY DIANNE LEV Great leaders share many traits with bold explorers—courage to chart a course through unknown territory, sharp instincts, and an unwavering capacity to get things done. When I think of great leaders, I imagine them looking through a telescope, intuitively knowing when to shift the view so the finer details come into focus. This balance of holding the distant with the immediate is what permits explorers and leaders to transform uncertain possibilities into new realities for us all. The Center for Spirituality & Healing is an international leader in integrative health and wellbeing, forging new pathways in higher education, research, public engagement, and care-model innovation. Within each of these four realms, the Center has experienced true philanthropic leadership from the following partners, who understand the risks and rewards of investment and can shift their focus to ensure maximum impact from great ideas.

PATRONS OF EDUCATION: Dorothy and Mike Perry

The Perrys’ creation of a charitable gift annuity to create scholarships is a recent gift, but both Dorothy and Mike have a long history with the University of Minnesota. Mike graduated from the Law School in 1964 and Dorothy, a nurse, received her certificate in Health Coaching from the Center in 2009. Directing resources to the University and the Center felt like a natural move for the Perrys, whose history with the Center has been gratifying, both professionally and personally. “We chose the Center because our lives have been enriched by participating in some of what the Center offers: the Health Coaching program, Purpose Project, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshops, and lectures on topics ranging from resilience to self-compassion, happiness, and vulnerability,” Dorothy explains. The Perrys’ legacy gifts will provide scholarships for students who take Center courses decades from now. Yet their intention, reflected in a gift today, is timeless: “Our vision is that everyone who avails themselves of classes and offerings through the Center will discover healing, wholeness and spirituality.”

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

COMMUNITY ENGAGERS: Fairview Health Services

In fall 2011, the Center had begun to formulate its Wellbeing Model and invited Fairview Health Services to join us in exploring the perspectives of compelling thought leaders. Fairview, eager to help introduce strategies for health and wellbeing with patients and employees, became the first co-sponsor of the Wellbeing Lecture Series. Response was enthusiastic, and soon 21 other forward-thinking collegiate units and organizations signed on as sponsors. Now, after two years, Fairview has helped to disseminate the ideas of wellbeing experts such as Brene Brown, Charles Duhigg, and Kristin Neff to thousands of Series attendees. Rulon F. Stacey, Fairview’s president and CEO, is a national healthcare leader who is eager to connect Fairview’s future involvement with his vision for a more deeply engaged, vibrant workforce. “The Wellbeing Lecture series is a great opportunity to bring people together and discover ways we can work collectively to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities,” says Stacey. “The Center does an excellent job of bringing high-quality, thought-provoking speakers to this lecture series. Perhaps just as important as the lecture, however, is the opportunity to connect with and learn from others with similar goals of helping our communities thrive.”

To hear more about philanthropic opportunities awaiting leadership, especially as the Center approaches its 20th Anniversary, please contact Development Director Dianne Lev at dlev@umn.edu or 612-624-1121

PIONEERS OF RESEARCH: Benjamin and Andrew Baechler

Identical twin brothers Andrew Baechler and Dr. Benjamin Baechler are well-known for their passion for integrative healing modalities and their entrepreneurial prowess. Their company, Eniva Corporation, is a fast-growing health and wellness organization that offers specialized and evidence-based nutritional products. In 2009, Andrew and Dr. Ben made a gift to the Center to support faculty-led research projects. Three faculty leaders received small grants to explore new territory for the course of one year. Dr. Miriam (Mim) Cameron and a group of medical professionals created a free web-based constitutional self-assessment tool based on Tibetan healing principles. Dr. Annie Heiderscheit studied the effects of music and video-based nature imagery on patients’ levels of anxiety or serenity. Dr. Ruth Lindquist's work explored ways to help patients more effectively integrate mindfulness practices into their lives. “We’ve always known the Center’s research focus aligned with our goals to help establish a body of evidence that advances wellbeing,” says Dr. Ben, an assistant professor and Family Medicine physician at the University. Adds Andrew, Eniva’s CEO, “Our gift is truly an investment in the Center’s capacity to help pose hard questions and follow the necessary trails to find answers.”

A MODEL OF INNOVATION IN CARE: Anu Family Services

When Amelia Franck Meyer came to a 2012 Wellbeing Lecture to learn about Dr. Barbara Fredrickson’s research on positivity, the CEO of Anu Family Services knew she had discovered a fresh course for her work. Anu, a non-profit serving youth who live in out-of-home settings, was expanding its vision. The national foster care framework was shifting from safety to permanent placement to child wellbeing, and some associated with the system were beginning to broaden the focus of their work. They were starting to ask, ‘Are the kids okay?’ and ‘How can we tell?’ “At the Wellbeing Lecture, I made an immediate connection between Dr. Fredrickson’s science of positivity and Anu’s approach to trauma informed parenting,” says Amelia. “So I stopped Mary Jo Kreitzer at the reception after the event and asked to meet about applying the Center's Wellbeing Model to youth. The partnership began to race forward from there.” Anu became a co-sponsor for the 2013 Wellbeing Lecture Series and collaborated with the Center and the UMN Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare to develop a youth wellbeing indicator tool and resource guide. Says Amelia, “The Center's evidence-based Wellbeing Model is a vital tool for exploring our central question—‘Are the kids okay?’—and developing resources so that we can ensure that as often as possible that answer is ‘Yes.’”

These stories are examples of the kinds of innovation that is possible when philanthropic resources encourage us (the Center) to gaze into the telescope, explore the horizon, and then shift into action, whether that be educating future professionals, conducting breakthrough research, engaging communities, or designing integrative care models. The Perrys, the Baechlers, Fairview’s Rulon Stacey, and Anu’s Amelia Franck Meyer are some of the powerful voices of leadership who look deeply into their own telescopes, see the blurry brightness of a distant future, and hold their gaze as it slowly comes into view. +++

AUTUMN 2014 MANDALA

www.csh.umn.edu Mayo Memorial Building MMC #505 420 Delaware St. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455

Upcoming CENTER EVENTS

WELLBEING LECTURE with Dr. Ellen Langer

SPRING 2015 ACADEMIC COURSES REGISTRATION BEGINS

MINDFUL HEALTH AND THE POWER OF POSSIBILITY

1ST INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATIVE NURSING SYMPOSIUM

4OTH ANNUAL NATIONAL WELLNESS INSTITUTE

June, 2015 June, 2015

22-26 22-26

May, 2015

Courses are open to students and the public.

June, 2015

15-18 18-20

November

WELLBEING LECTURE with Dr. Michael Roizen LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE CLEVELAND CLINIC: Achieving Wellbeing and Bending the Cost Curve

November

September

FEATURED

in Reykjavik, Iceland http://integrativenursing2015.is/en

hosted by the Center

HOLISTIC HEALTH HEALING HOLISTIC HEALTHAND AND HEALING SUMMER INSTITUTE SUMMER INSTITUTE Academicand andcontinuing continuing education credit be available. Academic education credit willwill be available.

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION is offered quarterly in various locations.

PLEASE JOIN US IN WELCOMING ELISABETH THAO AS THE CENTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND EVENT COORDINATOR. Say "Hello!" to Elisabeth via phone or email at z.umn.edu/HelloElisabeth Learn more about other workshops and events on our website at http://z.umn.edu/cshevents