What is Meditation for Health?
Meditation for Health is a community-based medical clinic in Toronto, Canada. Patients come to us to learn Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a self-care treatment for stress-related symptoms and chronic illness.
The program complements and supports conventional medical care by helping patients to mobilize their inner resources for coping and healing -- especially for symptoms that no longer respond to standard medical treatment, or symptoms that worsen the course of chronic illness.
These self-regulating techniques promote healing by reducing the burden of the stress response in mind and body.
Has been useful for such conditions as:
- chronic pain
- anxiety and panic
- sleep disturbance & insomnia
- gastrointestinal distress
- fatigue
- headaches
- job or family stress
- skin disorders
- high blood pressure
- stress factors in heart disease
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What is mindfulness?
"Mindfulness" is nonjudgmental, present moment awareness –– being here, now.
To practice mindfulness, we pay attention to what we're experiencing, moment to moment, without judgment or expectation. We simply observe whatever we're aware of right now, just as it is.
When we're mindful, we often notice things we usually ignore, such as:
... Noticing the sounds you're hearing right now ...
... or the feeling of your eyes as they scan this text ...
... or the touch of your fingers controlling this computer ...
... Can you feel your next breath beginning? .........
This is mindfulness.
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What is MBSR?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program of meditation, physical movement, and other simple exercises that develop a person’s capacity for mindfulness.
Research studies show that many people who suffer from chronic pain and stress-related illness have been helped by the daily practice of MBSR.
The MBSR method was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at the Stress Reduction Clinic of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (now The Center for Mindfulness). Since that clinic first opened in 1979, MBSR has become a recognized medical intervention that continues to attract research and influence other treatment programs around the world.
MBSR is fully described in Dr. Kabat-Zinn's book, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. The Meditation for Health program is closely modeled on this original MBSR program.
The practice of mindfulness has developed most formally in the spiritual traditions of Asia, but mindfulness is present also in traditional practices of the Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). Meditation for Health, however, is a secular medical program. We teach mindfulness as a basic awareness practice, a way of looking at things, to be shared by people of all faiths and philosophies.
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Program Details:
This 9 week program is offered in 2 parts. (Participants usually find it’s more effective to attend both parts, but they can choose to attend only Part One if they prefer.)
PART ONE:
- Two private interviews before group sessions begin
- Five weekly, 3 hour group sessions (on a weekday)
PART TWO:
- Four weekly, 3 hour group sessions (on a weekday)
- "The Day of Mindfulness" (a 6 1/2 hour group session on a Saturday)
All sessions are held at locations near Bloor & Spadina.
Between-session, telephone support is available, as needed.
Patients who complete the program are invited to attend follow-up meetings of meditation and discussion. These meet 3 times a year.
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About Payment:
The medical services of the program are covered by OHIP if an insured patient is referred by their physician for medically necessary treatment.
As well, patients are charged a sign-up fee to pay for materials and program services that aren’t insured by OHIP. (Materials include a workbook, handouts & 5 CD recordings. Non-OHIP services include the participation of the program's non-medical health professionals.)
- Part One fee for materials and non-OHIP services: $295
- Part Two fee for materials and non-OHIP services: $295
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Is your health worth 60 minutes a day?
Your commitment is the key to MBSR. To benefit fully, you’ll need to practice MBSR at home, every day for 9 weeks (excepting those days you attend group sessions). We’ll show you how and give you self-help recordings to guide your home practice. We intend to support you fully, but no one else can do the actual practicing for you -- are YOU ready?
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Taught by:
Lucinda Sykes, M.D. is a Toronto physician with a special interest in psychotherapy. She trained with Jungian analysts, Marion Woodman and Fraser Boa, and has participated in 2 residential training programs under the direction of Dr. Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Saki Santorelli. She has personally practiced meditation and hatha yoga for over 25 years, and has led Meditation for Health groups since 1997.
Meditation for Health is taught by Dr. Sykes, with the assistance of a colleague in social work or nursing, as group facilitator.
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For more information:
Contact our program coordinator, Diana Wilson. She's usually in the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays -- or leave us a message anytime.
We’ll send information packages to your doctor or other health professional, at your request.
Phone : (416) 413-9158
E-mail : info@meditationforhealth.com
Address of our administration office :
Meditation for Health
Suite 509 - 720 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9
Canada
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We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time...
-- T.S. Eliot --
Four Quartets
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