Mandala, Spring 2014: The Growth Issue by University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing

MANDALA Spring 2014 CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

INSIDE:

Wellbeing in Action: The Waters Senior Living

The healing power of nature Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program Offers Opportunities for Growth

the GROWTH issue

“ Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life.” - John Gardner I love this quote from the American writer John Gardner. He goes on to say that you build meaning out of your past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, and out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. I am often asked the question what draws people to the Center and holds the Center together. It is not an altogether easy question to answer. When the Center began almost 20 years ago, we anticipated that we would draw students in the health sciences to our courses and programs. That certainly happened! What we didn’t anticipate was that students from literally every school and college on campus would enroll in our academic courses, and that our faculty would grow to represent the rich diversity for which the University of Minnesota is known. While health science students take courses that will expand their knowledge base and skills so that they can be more effective health care providers and healers, we have law students interested in integrating mindfulness into their practices or focusing on contemplative law. Music students interested in learning how to better manage stress and performance anxiety also take our courses along with horticulture students exploring horticulture therapy, and business students wanting to learn applications of mindfulness in leadership. As you can imagine, this creates an incredible environment for learning and discovery. For many of the students and faculty, their relationship with the Center is a core strategy for building meaning into their life. Their Center work fuels their passions and is aligned with their deepest values.

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The University is embarking on a bold, new strategic plan that will focus on solving great challenges – the global issues that the world faces today. In parallel with this effort, the Center has begun its next cycle of strategic planning. We are in the process of asking the hard questions – what are the compelling issues and opportunities within our scope of influence, and how do we grow and leverage the assets of the Center to meet those needs. We know that partnerships within the University and the community will be key to our success as will philanthropic support. We are curious about what is on your mind and what you see as the trends and issues that we should be noticing. We are very open to any feedback or suggestions that you might have. Feel free to email me at kreit003@umn.edu. I recently met with a PhD student from abroad who came to the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in a field that she thought would be her focus for decades to come. While she is in the final stages of finishing that degree, she is also completing a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices. When she returns to her country of origin, she has an entirely new vision and plan of what she will be doing in her career as a result of the time she spent at the Center for Spirituality & Healing. She asked to meet with me so that she could explain how she came to the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree and is leaving with so much more. Hearing stories like that are inspirational and remind us of the privilege we have in doing the work of the Center for Spirituality & Healing. Yours in wellbeing,

Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FA AN 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 Nature, Spirituality, and Healing: How Nature Benefits Your Wellbeing

Page 4

Wellbeing in Action: The Waters Senior Living

Page 6

Music Therapy Study Offers Harmonious Growth Opportunities

Page 10

Folk Medicine: Doctors Must Understand It, And More

Page 12

Craig Blacklock Re-potting Our Lives — My Life as a Ram’s-Head Lady’s-Slipper

Page 14

A Forest of Wellbeing: How the Center has Blossomed from Simple Seeds

Page 16

Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program Empowers Students, Fosters Personal and Professional growth

Page 18

Center Academic Offerings for Summer and Fall

Page 19

COVER ARTWORK courtesy of Center Senior Fellow Craig Blacklock. Mr. Blacklock, a renowned photographer, collaborates with the Center on our Wellscapes video series. For more information about Wellscapes, please visit http://z.umn.edu/ wellscapes or to learn more about Craig Blacklock, visit www.blacklockgallery.com AUTHORS: Craig Blacklock, Matt DePoint, Annie Heiderscheit, Jean Larson, Dianne Lev, Andrea Uptmor PHOTOGRAPHY: Paul Brady, Craig Blacklock, Kit Breshears, Token Media, courtesy of The Waters Senior Living 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 cbreshea@umn.edu EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Pamela Cherry 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

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R. JE

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Hospital patients recover faster when they can view nature.

Improved cognition Research has shown that cognitive benefits gained by working with plants include improvements in concentration, ability to remember, and ability to pay attention. Additionally, research reported in the Journal of Advanced

This distinctive connection between humans and other living systems — called “biophilia” by Edward O. Wilson — offers a glimpse of something extraordinary, a journey into the realm of the sacred. I often hear from clients, students, staff, and others about the experience of something deeply spiritual when immersed in nature and all of its beauty. Some experience an awareness of how limited our grasp of nature is when taken in all its vast complexity. These moments are at the heart of the Nature-Based Therapeutic experience – what I’ve come to know over the years as the inexplicable transformational power of spirituality and healing when partnering with nature. As a therapist, one of my primary goals is to bring people into the significant or sacred on a daily basis. It is astonishing to witness the healing power of nature. Experiences in nature help people embrace their journey of self-discovery. Nature can open the door to our innate intelligence, awaken the sacred within, and help us to see that everything is connected with a shared purpose, rhythm, and balance.

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There is a depth of mystery in the natural world. The emerging field called Nature-Based Therapeutics – which includes, but isn’t limited to – therapeutic horticulture, horticultural therapy, restorative environments, therapeutic landscapes, and healing gardens – invites us into nature’s mystery.

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Reduced stress — enhanced immune function While physiologic indicators of stress can decrease after exposure to nature, indicators of immune response can increase, according to research reported in 2011 (International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology). Subjects who visited a forested area were found to have enhanced activity of their natural killer (NK) cells. These cells provide a rapid response to cells infected with a virus and also attack tumor cells. In addition, the same individuals had higher levels of anticancer proteins within their NK cells.

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Working with plants can improve concentration, encourage relaxation, and improve self-esteem. Digging in rich, black soil just feels good. But why?

HOW ELSE CAN NATURE AFFECT WELLBEING?

Ho w N at u r e

Nursing (2010) suggests that working with plants may also ameliorate clinical depression. After participating in a 12-week program of therapeutic horticulture, 50 percent of depressed patients studied showed a clinically relevant decline in their scores on a depression-measuring test. This reduction in depression continued to be in effect when measured three months after the program ended. Multiple studies have found that cognitive malfunctioning in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improves upon exposure to nature, reported Biopsychosocial Medicine in 2012. One study found that performance on concentration-requiring tasks was higher after the children tested had spent time in a natural, wooded area, compared to a built, urban area. Another study suggested that children with ADHD showed milder symptoms when engaged in activities in an outdoor environment than when engaged in the same activities in an indoor, windowless play area. 4

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Mortality Not only can interacting with the natural environment reduce stress and improve both immune and cognitive functioning, it may also help counter health inequalities associated with lower socioeconomic status (Biopsychosocial Medicine 2012). That was the conclusion of researchers who found that people who had low income but high levels of residential green space had mortality rates comparable to people of higher socioeconomic status. In contrast, people who had low income but little residential green space had higher mortality rates than their wealthier counterparts.

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Applications The idea that exposure to nature can heal has given rise to such adjunctive therapies as therapeutic horticulture and therapeutic landscape design. Therapeutic landscape design has been shown to produce measurable, positive health effects.

Therapeutic horticulture uses plants and plant-related activities to promote health and wellbeing. Gardening provides an opportunity to create and control the environment. This sense of control creates a sense of empowerment and self-esteem, which aids healing. Gardening also affords a sense of purpose and achievement, which can support people dealing with depression or other mental health concerns. The risk of developing a mental health disorder may actually increase as someone spends more time in front of a screen (Developmental Psychology 2008,

Journal of Environmental Psychology 2009). Time spent in nature, thus, can mediate against such health problems, both by getting someone away from sitting in front of a screen and by inducing calming, nature-related physiologic effects.

Tanya Bailey, faculty specializing in animal-assisted interaction, and Woodstock the therapy chicken explain how animals can be included in the healing process. Animal-assisted interaction is part of the Nature-Based Therapeutics program.

INCREASE YOUR WELLBEING THROUGH NATURE: 1. T ake nature breaks. Look out into nature and allow your mind to relax. You likely will feel refreshed and be ready for the next task with a renewed sense of energy. If at all possible, get outdoors! 2. If you cannot get outside, purchase the Center’s Wellscapes app for your smartphone and relax to healing images of nature. This can be a way for people with allergies to plants or soil access nature’s benefits. 3. Bring nature into your office or home by hanging a nature picture, installing one as the wallpaper on your computer screen, or by bringing in a plant. 4. H ead outside the lights of the city and gaze into the night sky to feel connected to the rest of the universe. 5. U se greenery to create a table arrangement to lift your spirits. 6. Visit a local conservatory or head out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Jean Larson, PhD, CTRS, HTR, manages the University of Minnesota’s Nature-Based Therapeutics Program, a shared initiative with the Center for Spirituality & Healing and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum established to further the understanding of how nature heals. Expand your knowledge and learn about nature’s healing power. Upcoming Nature-Based Therapeutics courses include: Summer: CSPH 5000-002 (3 credits) Journey Into Nature: Wellbeing and Leadership, a Travel Course to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area | CSPH 5523 (2 credits) Applications in Therapeutic Horticulture Fall: CSPH 5000-001 (3 credits) Horse as Teacher | CSPH 5522 (3 credits) Gardens for Health and Wellbeing: An introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture 5

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WELLBEING

in Action:

The WATERS Senior Living BY ANDREA UPTMOR Maybe it’s the large windows inviting the sun in from every angle, filling the space with cheerful light, that makes The Waters different from any senior living community you’ve visited. Or maybe it’s the bubbling sound of a running waterfall in the lobby. Or the cluster of relaxed residents sitting at a table in the café area, sipping coffee and chatting. Images of natural landscapes deck the walls; vases of fresh flowers seem to appear everywhere you turn. Looking around, anyone who is familiar with the Center for Spirituality & Healing’s circular wellbeing model, developed by Center founder and director Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer, might get the impression that it’s no longer simply a graphic on paper, but a turning wheel that has come to life. That’s because The Waters Senior Living, with three locations open now and more opening later this year, is the first senior living organization to adopt the Center’s wellbeing model as its basic philosophy and to operationalize its principles in care planning.

One flashes me a bright smile as she pushes her walker past. Then I remember the word. Thriving.

AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP “We really jumped in with both feet with the Center’s wellbeing model,” says Donna Haugland, The Waters Senior Living’s Vice President of Health & Wellbeing. We are sitting in a sunny, all-season porch where residents often hold afternoon happy hours and potlucks. “We knew it could really affect how care was delivered to seniors. Our care planning, our staffing, our infrastructure—everything is built off of the Center’s wellbeing wheel. It’s not just frosting on a cake. It’s in the fiber of everything we do.” This is clear from the calendar posted throughout the building—lively, creative activities like pool aerobics, Wii bowling, “Rise & Thrive” morning exercise classes, and movies (a Valentine’s Daythemed film was scheduled to play that February 14th) make The Waters feel less like a senior living facility and more like a friendly neighborhood resort.

When I visit the Edina location in early February, a friendly concierge asks me if I’d like to help myself to the hot cocoa bar while I wait. I sit on a couch and watch a “ Community engagement and partnership is so Wellscapes DVD play images of a important to the University of Minnesota, and this green Minnesota spring. There’s a word for this, I think—and it’s on partnership with The Waters embodies the best of the tip of my tongue. I watch the concierge warmly welcome every resident who walks through, calling them by name and asking how they are doing today. More than one stops for a friendly chat about that afternoon’s planned trip to Como Park.

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what can happen when you find a partner where there is deep mutual learning and discovery.”

–Mary Jo Kreitzer, founder and director of the Center for Spirituality & Healing

The collaboration between The Waters and the CSH has been a long project, first initiated by Pastor David Holm, now The Waters Senior Living’s

Vice President of Community Relations. “When I accepted the position, based on reimagining the last third of life to be a time of spiritual discovery and creativity, my thoughts immediately turned to Mary Jo Kreitzer and the Center for Spirituality & Healing. This partnership gives us access to cutting-edge research and provides insight into best integrative practices, which has resulted in a new path toward resiliency later in life.”

And the health story doesn’t just focus on limitations. “When you think of health, the first thing most people ask is, what impairments or problems do you have?” explains Peters. “But at The Waters we try to change that around and think more about the strengths the residents bring. You don’t get to be seventy, eighty, or ninety years old without having lots of strengths.”

“But what you really need to know is the almost mystical connection I have felt for Mary Jo and the Center,” he adds. “She has been the catalyst in making this dream a reality.”

TURNING THE WHEEL Operationalizing the wellbeing model, it turns out, impacts every aspect of life at The Waters. This is because The Waters engages all six dimensions of wellbeing: health, relationships, community, environment, purpose, and security. Linda Halcón, faculty at both the Center and the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing, taught The Waters team members how to incorporate essential oils into their care planning; meals are celebrated as a community-building experience; green plants perch atop nearly every counter; and spiritual and purpose-related programs are offered on a regular basis. The newly developed The Waters Academy even offers college-level courses to residents and integrative training to staff. The collaboration between The Waters and the Center for Spirituality & Healing is a mutually beneficial one, adds Kreitzer. “In addition to faculty engagement, we now have students from the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program in Integrative Health and Healing getting clinical and leadership experience at The Waters. I am profoundly grateful to work with collaborators with such passion, creativity, and commitment to innovation around improving the wellbeing of seniors.” At the center of operations at The Waters is relationship-based, integrative care planning. “Everything at The Waters begins with the health story of the resident,” says Judy Peters, Director of Community Operations. “Before they even move in, we meet them in their space and time, with a visit at their home, to understand where they’re coming from and how we can help them move into this new neighborhood.”

Adds Haugland: “We look at people not in a custodial way but by asking them, how do you want your life to be? What do you want your vocation to be? What do you want your community to look like?” This model has the potential to shake up the reputation often held by senior living communities— which is that they are cold, institutional facilities that trigger a downward spiral in health and wellbeing. “Often times it requires a great deal of discussion with family members before they can convince their loved one to move,” says Kyle Didier, The Waters Senior Living’s President. “Our vision is to turn that dynamic completely upside down. We want our residents to recognize the value of living in our communities. They will start to understand that while we cannot change the aging process, we can change the outcomes and the quality of life while we age.”

WELLBEING: JUST PART OF THE JOB The focus on wellbeing is so deeply woven into the framework at The Waters that even employees are called upon to participate in their own self-care—it’s actually written in their job descriptions. continued >

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“It’s all about the staff,” says Jill Weldin, Director of Health Services, who oversees the nurses. “A lot of energy goes into selecting and training them. We just interviewed hundreds of people for about thirty jobs. We have a commitment to hire the best, and we start in right away talking about our high expectations.” One of those high expectations is that team members will participate in their own wellbeing as well as that of the residents. Corporate leaders have formed “Wellbeing Teams” that focus on particular aspects of the model each quarter, and activities like healthy potlucks and running a 5k as a team underline the idea that wellbeing is not just a perk— it’s part of the job. During our interview, Weldin pulls the hem of her shirt up slightly to reveal a pedometer clipped to her waistband. She tells me that all the staff is participating in an “Olympic Challenge” to get as much movement into their activities as possible. One team member has already lost 20 pounds.

“SHE’S OUT ON THE BUS” Later I’m given a tour by Weldin, who despite spending long days at The Waters still seems enchanted by each room. Each community at The Waters includes independent living accommodations as well as a wing for Enhanced Care and Memory Care. She leads me through a high-end salon, two “Wellbeing studios” with exercise equipment, a cozy library with a fireplace and shelves of books, a warm therapeutic pool, a game room with stacks of board games and a billiards table, a meditation room, a theater complete with an old-fashioned popcorn machine, and an elegant dining room. “One of the things we do in Memory and Enhanced care is have the Certified Nurses Aids (CNAs) serve the food,” Weldin tells me. “And when they’re done serving, we encourage them to sit and eat with the residents. At night we turn on all the battery-

operated candles and I’ll walk into the dining room and see the CNAs sitting and eating with the residents, rather than chatting with one another. This is really the residents’ meal. We’re giving that hospitality to them.” Inside the Memory Care unit’s common space— a sprawling area with couches, bright windows, and people sipping tea—we meet a resident named Martha* who has pushed her walker to a nearby couch for a visit with a team member. She introduces herself to me, asks questions about my job, and tells me that she is looking forward to going to Como Park later, before turning back to her conversation with the nurse. “She’s doing so well,” Weldin tells me as we leave the wing. “Participating in so many activities. Her family could hardly believe it when they called one day and I said, ‘She’s out on the bus on an afternoon trip.’ She didn’t leave the house often before she moved here.” I turn back and see Martha still chatting away happily. It’s hard to picture her otherwise.

NEW TOOLS FOR MEASUREMENT Of course, with a new model, new tools must be developed. The Waters is closely collaborating with the UMN’s School of Nursing informatics expert and Center faculty Karen Monsen, who is assisting The Waters in developing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) using the Omaha System to capture Health Story data in a comprehensive, holistic manner based on the wellbeing model. The assessment data is then used to develop an integrative plan of care that fosters wellbeing. The Omaha System has two main advantages to traditional assessment systems: it captures wholeperson data (including strengths) and it can link assessments, interventions, and outcomes. “This will enable The Waters to understand the unique *Not her real name

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needs of each resident, create personalized care plans, and aggregate data across all residents and facilities to show how integrative nursing and other interventions are impacting resident wellbeing,” explains Monsen. Although the EHR will capture the data needed to meet regulatory requirements, the assessment strategies focus on the positive. “Anything we’re doing through the wellbeing model in terms of assessment really comes out of leveraging and observing the residents’ strengths, because that’s how we’ll be able to tell how they’re living and thriving in our environment,” says Peters.

A WILLINGNESS TO LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY The question that boils up after seeing this all— happy residents! cocoa bar! waterfalls!—is why this is so innovative. Why isn’t everyone following this model? When I ask this question, I get an immediate answer in unison from Haugland, Peters, and Weldin: “It’s hard.” “Healthcare—and society in general—is largely transactionally based,” explains Haugland. “You get a diagnosis, we give you a prescription, you go home, and then my dealing with you ends until the next time I see you. Sustaining this ongoing relationship is not always easy. It takes energy, exceptional staff, and heavy staffing ratios.” “Plus you have to have creative people who are willing to look at things differently,” adds Peters. “It’s not easy work, but it’s what called all of us when we first entered healthcare—whether you’re a nurse, physician, massage therapist—whatever your calling, you originally set out to do good. But sometimes the regulatory world hampers that down. And what we’re finding is that it just takes time to pause with those regulations to see that there are different ways of accomplishing your goal.” “It’s important to really understand that aging is not a failure,” says Weldin. “Or the end,” adds Peters. What is it, then? “Aging is a gift,” Haugland says. “And with this model, what we’re really looking at is what we’d like our lives to look like when we get there.” +++

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Music Therapy Study

Offers HARMONIOUS GROWTH Opportunities

BY ANNIE HEIDERSCHEIT, PH.D., MT-BC, LMFT, FAMI

In 2005, I embarked on a journey with an interdisciplinary research team composed of members from throughout the University of Minnesota.

Our goal: To complete a study that focused on music listening intervention. Our team included a critical care nurse researcher, a critical care physician, a music therapist, a critical care nurse, a pharmacist, a biomedical engineer, an endocrinologist, a statistician, and a study coordinator. I served as the music therapist on the project, assessed patient music preferences, provided patient-preferred music, maintained treatment fidelity in music protocol, and met with patients each day during their enrollment in the study.

We conducted a pilot study to test our patient directed music protocol, then applied for an R01 grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant, titled ‘Reducing sedative exposure in ventilated ICU patients,’ was awarded in 2006. The nearly $1.4 million grant was awarded to fund a four-year, multi-site study at 5 hospitals and 12 intensive care units throughout the metropolitan area. The study enrolled 373 patients and randomized them into one of the three study groups: patient directed music, noise-cancelling headphones, or usual care. When the study was completed and the primary data was analyzed, the team met to review the results and discuss options for publication. As the team discussed the significance of the results, Dr. Craig Weinert, the ICU physician on the team, suggested that we submit the results to the Journal CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The team prepared the manuscript under the leadership of Dr. Linda Chlan, RN, who was the principal lead investigator on the study. The acceptance rate for manuscripts submitted to JAMA is less than 10%, so while the team was confident in the study’s results, we were unsure whether the nation’s premiere medical journal would be interested in a study focused on music listening intervention. Following a lengthy review process and multiple manuscript revisions, the article was accepted for publication. “The Effects of Patient-

Directed Music Intervention on Anxiety and Sedative Exposure in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilatory Support: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association May 20, 2013. Immediately following publication, a flurry of media attention ensued. Reporters and news outlets from around the nation sent interview requests to members of the research team. Congratulatory emails poured in from colleagues around the world. After the initial burst of attention, several invitations arrived with requests to submit future publications to journals and serve on many different editorial boards for other peer-reviewed journals. Once the primary study results were published, the team was able to focus on secondary data.

The amount of music data for this study was significant. In writing the manuscript for submission, it was evident that there was more data than what could effectively be initially 10

presented. A manuscript titled “Music preferences of mechanically ventilated patients participating in a randomized controlled trial” has been accepted for publication in Music and Medicine at a future date. A second manuscript will soon follow to publish the remainder of the music data. In June 2014, I will travel to Toronto, Canada, to present the music data from this study at the International Music and Medicine symposium. This research trajectory also led to an invitation to write a chapter on music therapy in surgical and procedural support in “Guidelines for Music Therapy with Adult Medical Patients” by Barcelona Publishers. Shortly following the release of the book, it was translated into Spanish, and demand for this text has been high. Additionally, as a result of the collaborative nature of this work, I co-authored a chapter on music interventions in the latest edition of “Complementary & Alternative Therapies in Nursing,” edited by Lindquist, Snyder, and Tracy and published by Springer. Many other opportunities followed this frenzy and proved to be quite substantial in nature. One such opportunity included a call from Dr. Linda Chlan, now at The Ohio State University, who inquired about my availability to collaborate on a new study with researchers from Yale University. This pilot study will explore how a patient-directed music listening protocol impacts symptoms for critically ill patients who commonly experience anxiety,

delirium, or sleep deprivation. The pilot study data will be utilized to support the application of an NIH grant for a multi-site, randomized controlled trial (sites include Minnesota, Ohio and Connecticut).

Another opportunity that arose as a result of this study was sparked when a family member of an ICU patient read about the research study. As a result of reading about how music positively impacted ICU patients, this family member decided to tune into Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and play classical music for their loved one during their hospital stay. He was so moved by the research that he also contacted MPR and told them about what he read. This call prompted MPR to further consider their way of bringing music to their listeners and the role that music can play in their lives, their health, and wellbeing. As a result, MPR contacted me and asked to learn more about music’s healing power. Currently, conversations are underway with MPR to further discover how to help their listeners better understand and make use of the healing power of music. While completing a major study is a significant milestone, it is evident that closing a study leads to many new openings. That has certainly been the case for this study and the publications it produced. The success of this all is truly due to a committed, talented, and interdisciplinary team.

It is nothing short of amazing what can be accomplished and created when we work together to improve the health outcomes and wellbeing of our patients. +++

Annie Heiderscheit was the recipient of the A. Marilyn Sime Fellowship, which provided funding for her efforts in developing this innovative area of research. 11

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Center founder and director, Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer, in 1999.

As the Center prepares to celebrate our 20-year anniversary in 2015, we would like to share stories from our archives. This article, which originally ran on Wednesday, June 9, 1999 in the Star Tribune’s Editorial section, captures the excitement about what was then called “complementary and alternative medicine” and the desire for the University of Minnesota to be a leader in this field.

How has the Center grown since 1999? Visit csh.umn.edu to learn more.

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Folk Medicine:

Doctors must understand it, and more By John R. Schueler Publisher Not long ago, no self-respecting American medical school would spend time studying – let alone teaching – treatments the likes of acupuncture, therapeut ic massage or aromatherapy. Today, training for health care professionals is not complete unless it examines those practices. Unconventional though they might be, alternative therapies are too much a part of the total health care picture in the United States to be left out of a comprehensive medical education. Their practice is so widespread that scientific research on their effectiveness is sorely needed. That’s why the University of Minnesot a’s announcement last week that it would offer the country’s first graduate-level program in “complementary healing” is welcome. Even Minnesot ans who are skittish about easing pain with needles or fighting infection with an herbal brew should recognize that the effectiveness of those remedies ought to be rigorously evaluated. Health professionals ought to be knowledgeable about folk medicine’s therapeut ic potential, its relative effectiveness and risks. That’s not all that’s new in a quality medical education for the 21st century. Health care education in Minnesot a now must impart more than a passing knowledge of spiritual healing, business management, malpractice law, multicultural sociology and more. Moreover, medicine needs to be taught

less in hospitals and more in the community settings where the majority of today’s medical services are delivered. All of those changes have added much to the cost of medical education at the University of Minnesot a – at the very time that managed- care medicine has deprived the Academic Health Center of revenue. The 1999 Legislature was asked to plug a recurring $37 million hole in the Academic Health Center’s biennial budget. By providing $16 million this biennium from a tobacco-money endowment, the Legislature came less than halfway to the rescue. The Legislature’s action puts firm financial ground under the new complementary healing program, and advances a few other strategic goals. But it isn’t enough to move education very far into the community. It won’t be sufficient to assure the recruitment and retention of the best faculty. It won’t restore the lost luster to medical education at the University of Minnesot a. As Chris Roberts of the Academic Health Center puts it, “We asked for $37 million not because it’s a nice number, but because it’s what we really need.” The new complementary healing program stands as a symbol of both what is needed today in medical education, and what is possible if it is adequately funded. That symbol should not go unnoticed by legislators – for it is plan that leaders of the Academic Health Center must return to the Capitol in 2000 in terms of more support.

Wednesday JUNE 9, 1999 50¢

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Re-potting our lives — my life as a ram’s-head lady’s-slipper

BY CRAIG BLACKLOCK For us Northerners, who have just lived through the cold and long nights of winter, the thought of spring brings on a torrent of adrenalin as full and fast as the snowmelt-flooded streams. With the longer days and warming temperatures comes new growth—a procession of wildflowers, each emerging at the optimal time to out-compete the neighbors for sunlight and fertilizing insects. Not only is the window of opportunity short for these flowers, but for many, the habitat requirements are finite as well. In the case of ram’s-head lady’sslipper orchids (Cypripedium arietinum), their needs are so specific that they are extremely rare, and in some areas, considered endangered. But when you do find them, you are likely to find many. The area where I photographed these orchids so precisely matches their requirements that a significant portion of the world’s population is found at this particular site. If anyone had been around to observe me, it would likely have appeared as though I was in slow motion, CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

carefully and methodically walking back and forth beneath the canopy of Jack pine in search of the perfect subject. Occasionally, I’d get down on my belly and peer through a frame of my hands, squinting with one eye closed to see it the way the camera would, then rise and continue my search. Eventually, I came upon this pair of flowers, knowing I had not only found wonderful specimens, but a composition where the repeating lines of the two flowers would provide visual movement in the photograph. Spring also brings thoughts of personal growth. In this season of new beginnings and renewed energy, it is an ideal time to re-pot our lives — trimming away the dead foliage and making room for new buds to open. Like my process of making photographs, my own life plans usually start with asking myself a series of basic questions. With the photographs, the questions are: Why am I excited about making this photograph? What is the story I want to communicate? What perspective best tells

this story? Is there something I can do to make this fresh and exciting to show the viewers something new? What technical obstacles must be overcome? The questions I ask myself about my life are not so different: What do I want my life to be like? What will make me satisfied and happy? How can I be a better partner, father, global citizen? What should I stop doing? In what ways must I grow to reach these goals? What do I have to accomplish to bring about that growth? What obstacles stand in the way? I am aware that as humans, our unique views are often as rare as ram’s-head lady’s-slippers are in the woods. Like the ram’s-heads, even though our individual views are rare, many people in our networks and communities share them. We are in a cluster, based not on habitat, but on education and awareness. If you try to transplant a ram’s-head, it will almost certainly die, because the habitat you move it to won’t support it. Rather than continually trying in vain to transplant ideas, we must first ready the soil, 15

making it possible for those ideas to take root and grow. Realization is the first step to achievement. What can those of us with this awareness say to ready the soil? That we all love. And that no matter what or whom we love, we would all do everything in our power to protect what we love. We have that in common, and that puts us all on the same side. It is a good place to start. No matter what our desires for growth, we all need to find the medium that will allow our ideas and actions to flourish. And if that medium does not yet exist, creating it must become our primary task.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WELLSCAPES AT http://z.umn.edu/wellscapes 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

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A FOREST OF WELLBEING: HOW THE CENTER HAS

BLOSSOMED

from SIMPLE SEEDS By Dianne Lev There is a widely embraced Jewish tradition of planting a tree to mark a milestone in life, such as the birth of a child. The idea is that the planting of a tree marks the promise of something beautiful to come—the blossoming of a both a living plant as well a human life. In the last century, Jewish National Fund has facilitated the growth of millions of trees in Israel, nurturing lush forests throughout the region. Indeed, this symbolic ritual has grown from a simple yet meaningful tribute to a strategic approach that ensures a flourishing future. Each of these trees was planted because of the donation of one individual or family who wanted to contribute to a landscape that ultimately is appreciated by all. The ample forestation across the country is a testimony to the enormous impact that can take hold from a collection of seemingly small contributions. PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR WELLBEING In its own way, the Center for Spirituality & Healing has proven to be fertile ground where many have benefited from the planting of a number of seeds in the form of philanthropic gifts. For example, some seeds planted at the Center have grown into innovative educational programs. The Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching program was originally seeded by a small—yet pivotal— grant from Julie Oswald and the Oswald Family Foundation in 2005. Since then, the program has produced 56 graduates as of spring 2014, with each health coach bringing a new set of skills out into various community settings to serve others. This is a dynamic profession with an exciting future. Center-trained health coaches can be found in health plans, acute care settings, community clinics, nonprofit organizations, and private practices

CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

throughout the region. One 2011 graduate of the program, an employee of Hennepin County, helped develop a vigorous health coaching program at her large, public workplace. Because of her leadership, health coaching is now available as a benefit to the thousands of employees working for Hennepin County, which has had a profound impact on the status of this large population’s overall health and wellbeing. Oswald admits that at the time she made her grant in 2005, she could not have envisioned this widespread influence on individuals, families, and the healthcare system. Making smaller grants actually is her preference, and she reflects that her style of seed planting comes from trusting that what has been most authentically transformational for her is probably valuable to share and worth watering. With a knowing smile of an investor whose track record is solid, Oswald says, “The joy of planting a seed or watering a sapling with philanthropy is in witnessing how it grows and blossoms to gracefully impact others in often unexpectedly vibrant, colorful, and productive ways.” HOW YOU CAN PLANT THE SEEDS Merely thinking about planting a seed will not grow the forests that our landscapes need for long-term sustainability. To paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi, it is our actions that express our priorities, not our wishes or even our most optimistic hopes. Israel’s millions of forested acres are the collective result of millions of simple actions–people who planted trees or seeds for a better tomorrow. Today there are a number of ways your philanthropic gift to the Center for Spirituality & Healing will benefit others in the future.

Here are just a few examples:

* S UPPORT EDUCATION WITH SCHOLARSHIPS: a gift of $500 will ensure that an eager student in the community can participate in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Spencer, a current MBSR student, describes the experience as transformative. “Within my own major of Biomedical Engineering, I have employed some of the breathing techniques and mindfulness training to relax myself before big, stressful tests,” he says. “I have noticed less general anxiety when I pay attention to my breathing and how I’m reacting to stress. This class has also has taught me to look back more retrospectively on my days.”

A gift of $3,750 will help a student enroll in one of the Center’s academic courses and advance toward a Certificate in Integrative Therapies & Healing Practices.

* SUPPORT RESEARCH WITH PROJECT

RESOURCES: a gift of $5,000 will fund a formative, pilot study to explore approaches to wellbeing in diverse populations or generate evidence about the effectiveness of mind/body healing practices. Annie Heiderscheit, 2013 recipient of an Hourglass Fund grant, launched a pilot study utilizing a music-making protocol for children undergoing bone marrow transplants. The grant allowed her to teach patients and their parents how to use an instrument called a Reverie Harp to induce relaxation. “One day, the father of a patient enrolled in the study shared with me that earlier that morning his son had been very irritable and not feeling well,” Heiderscheit recalls. “ The father told me, ‘I picked up the harp and started playing to help him relax. He lay down and fell asleep. When I finished playing, I realized I wasn’t just playing for him—I was also playing for me. I just hadn’t realized I needed the music too.’”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT with * SUPPORT

contributions for online learning: the Center’s Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing website is a free online wellbeing experience visited by more than 175,000 people every month. A gift of $2,500 will ensure timely updates to this remarkable resource, which offers self-assessments and goal-setting activities, video interviews with international health and wellbeing experts, guided meditations, practical advice for navigating the healthcare system, and up-to-date research on 39 integrative healing practices. One Cincinnati-based nurse calls the site “the most comprehensive and well-structured system I have seen,” and its content has been used by the VA, hospitals and clinics across the country, classrooms, yoga studios, mental health outreach centers, and communitybased organizations.

Planting seeds by making a tax-deductible gift to the Center for Spirituality & Healing is the perfect way to show you care about wellbeing for all. You can help shape a purpose or project that best reflects your own interests and values. With every growing tree, there is hope for powerful and meaningful change—growth that might be more impactful than we will know about in our lifetime. This will be the greatest gift of all! +++ To learn more about the Center’s priorities and easy approaches to contributing, visit the website at www.csh.umn.edu/support or contact Development Director Dianne Lev at dlev@umn.edu.

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Kristin Verhoeven, a nursing student, practices alternate nostril breathing during a Hatha Yoga Teacher Training class.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH Schuver most enjoys seeing her students transform and grow during this training experience.

Teacher Training

empowers students, fosters personal

AND

PROGR AM

HATHA YOGA

“It’s fun to have a personal connection with the students and watch how they are able to expand their capacity to be compassionate to themselves and to others,” she said. “I’m able to see them grow into themselves, and that’s what makes being a Hatha Yoga teacher so fun and rewarding.”

professional growth By Matt DePoint

How can a program communicate life-transforming teachings in an academic setting and also offer Registered Yoga Teacher eligibility? In 2013, Hatha Yoga teacher Katie Schuver, Lead Tibetan Healing Initiative Faculty Miriam “Mim” Cameron, Ph.D., and THI research assistant Aimee Prasek led the charge to create an exciting new three-course Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program. The Center’s yoga teacher training program specifically focuses on bringing together safety, philosophical, and ethical components to the discipline - three key areas that can be lost if not taught by a well-educated and well-trained instructor. Cameron’s 40 years of yoga experience and Schuver’s kinesiology background resulted in a program based on exercise science, Yogic philosophy, and scientific evidence. It also offers students a platform for personal and professional growth. CENTER FOR SPIRITUALITY & HEALING

Shashi Gupta, one of Schuver’s students, enjoys that the program incorporates all aspects of yoga, anatomy, and movement. Gupta adds, “I am truly committed and enthused about being part of this learning. I feel very fortunate to be part of the program and grateful to the Center for Spirituality & Healing for this commendable health benefit and mindful learning experience.”

SELF-EMPOWERMENT SUPPORTS LIFELONG LEARNING Gupta is not alone in her praise for the program. “What makes this yoga teacher training program special is the holistic approach to presenting the fundamentals of yoga in a way intended to support lifelong learning and study,” said current program student Kristin Verhoeven. Verhoeven enjoys that the program not only teaches the ethical guidelines and yoga philosophy, but also embodies these values by incorporating content such as community service. “As a senior at the University, I have not found another program or series of courses as supportive of personal growth. This series of courses strengthens my journey toward individual healing in a way that prepares me to give back to my community,” she says. Verhoeven adds that the program provides an environment of empowerment for students to truly dissect the foundations of yoga beyond the physical practice. +++ 18

Relax. BREATHE DEEPLY. FOCUS. EARN CREDIT. By taking courses through the Center, you will have the opportunity to earn academic credit as you reduce stress and improve your wellbeing. Our wide array of academic offerings are now open for Summer and Fall enrollment.

Fall 2014:

May Session Intensives: CSPH 5313 Acupressure CSPH 5423 Botanical Medicines: Foundations and Practical Applications CSPH 5431 Functional Nutrition: An Expanded View of Nutrition, Chronic Disease, and Optimal Health CSPH 5535 Reiki Healing

May Session: CSPH 5000 Topics 001: Mind-Body Science and the Art of Transformation CSPH 5212 Peacebuilding through Mindfulness: Transformative Dialogue in the Global Community

Summer Session: CSPH 3201 Introduction to Mindfulness-Based

Stress Reduction CSPH 4311 Foundations of Hatha Yoga: Alignment and Movement Principles CSPH 5000 Topics 002: Journey into Nature: Wellbeing and Leadership CSPH 5101 Introduction to Integrative Healing Practices-002 CSPH 5102 Art of Healing: Self as Healer CSPH 5201 Spirituality and Resilience CSPH 5215 Forgiveness and Healing: A Journey Toward Wholeness CSPH 5317 Yoga: Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing CSPH 5503 Aromatherapy Fundamentals CSPH 5523 Applications in Therapeutic Horticulture CSPH 5631 Healing Imagery I 19

CSPH 1001 Principles of Holistic Health & Healing CSPH 3211 Living on Purpose CSPH 3001 Introduction to Integrative Healing CSPH 3101 Creating Ecosystems of Well-Being CSPH 3201 Intro to MBSR CSPH 3301 Food Choices: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves CSPH 4311 Foundations of Hatha Yoga: Alignment & Movement Principles CSPH 5000 Topics 001: Horse as Teacher: Equine Assisted Therapies CSPH 5000 Topics 002: Fundamentals of Lifestyle Medicine CSPH 5101 Intro to Integrative Healing Practices CSPH 5102 Art of Healing: Self as Healer CSPH 5111 Ways of Thinking about Health CSPH 5211 Peacemaking & Spirituality: A Journey Toward Healing & Strength CSPH 5215 Forgiveness & Healing: A Journey Toward Wholeness CSPH 5225 Meditation: Integrating Body and Mind CSPH 5313 Acupressure CSPH 5315 Traditional Tibetan Medicine: Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing CSPH 5331 Foundations of Shamanism & Shamanic Healing CSPH 5343 Ayurveda Medicine: The Science of Self-healing CSPH 5421 Botanical Medicines in Integrative Healthcare CSPH 5522 Therapeutic Horticulture CSPH 5533 Intro to Energy Healing CSPH 5541 Emotional Healing & Happiness CSPH 5601 Music, Health & Healing CSPH 5605 Movement and Music for Well-being and Healing CSPH 5701 Fundamentals of Health Coaching I CSPH 5703 Advanced Health Coaching Practicum CSPH 5704 Business of Health Coaching Practicum CSPH 5711

Optimal Healing Environments

Learn more about our courses at z.umn.edu/cshcourses or contact Erin at fider002@umn.edu for more information.

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

June

WAYS OF KNOWING DIALOGUES

18-21

September September

July

39TH ANNUAL NATIONAL WELLNESS CONFERENCE

June

11 21-25 25 21-26

Featured Upcoming Center Events

hosted by the Center

Transformative Thinking and Connecting

HOLISTIC HEALTH AND HEALING SUMMER INSTITUTE Academic and continuing education credit will be available.

WELLBEING LECTURE with Dr. Michael Roizen

AMERICAN HOLISTIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE Connection & Collaboration: Innovations in Patient-Centered Care in Minneapolis

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION is offered quarterly in various locations. Learn more about other workshops and events on our website at http://z.umn.edu/cshevents

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. CONNECT WITH US.