Name of Lecture: …An Integrative Approach to Pain Management in Private Practice and Group Settings

Name of Speaker: …Gita Morar

Program Time: …11-12am

Location: ...Meditation Hall, SRSG

Name of Chairman:…Peter Fabio

Name of Reporter: …Klara Gerrits

Main Points of the Lecture: ....

Dr. Morar gave an overview of the Chronic Pain Management Program (CPMP) that she developed for chronic pain-patients in the Cambridge Mind-Body-Institute in Canada. The program aims to help the patients to bring about lasting changes in their lives so that, accessing their inner resources, they know how to live with their pain without allowing it to rule their lives.

The CPMP integrates principles of psychotherapy with the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program for Pain Management as developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition. The CPMP is a holistic approach in a group setting (14-18 participants, a diverse team of specialists to accompany the participants). It is an intense 12 week-program with a lot of homework, which requires the full commitment of the participant.

Dr. Morar explained the content of the program. Key concepts of the program are: knowledge about the working of the mind and the concept of stress, awareness of the state of the body and the feeling and thinking mind, and learning how to cope with negative emotions in order to live in the present. The program puts emphasis on the daily practice of techniques like mindfulness in everyday activities, sitting and walking meditation, relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, joints and glands-exercises, and meditative asana-practice.

Results of the program were then shared by Dr. Morar. Responding to questionnaires, the participants reported positive effects in improved self-awareness, lower levels of anxiety and depression, improved capacity to cope with the emotional aspect of pain and to resolve conflicts. Many of the participants reported that they continued after the program with the practice of mindfulness, meditation (especially the 2 minute-meditation!), joints and glands and asanas.