Mind Body Medicine

Grace Hills

Mindful.org
 Impoverished Countries
Impacted by War

▪ In Kosovo, 1 out of every 5

high school students lost
a parent to the NATO
bombings
▪ Entire population of Gaza
(1.8 million) has
witnessed/been affected
by violence

The New York Times

 The war murdered some of
“ my classmates and it made
me feel awful, have
nightmares. I hardly could
eat anything. [After learning
mind-body skills] now I feel
much better, and keep
practicing the skills at home.”
~ Albulena Berisha (age 14)

Kosovoeducationforsustainable
development.wordpress.com
 Problem Statement
Impoverished communities impacted by war
do not have access to the needed
psychological and medical care used to treat
conditions induced by trauma, such as PTSD.

Center for Mind Body Medicine

 The Center for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM)
CMBM

▪ Mind Body Medicine is the use of healing

techniques designed to strengthen the
mind-body connection, improving mental health

▪ Since 2005, CMBM has worked with over 200

international and local organizations, including
Ministries of Health, Education and Social
Welfare, and The UN Relief and Work Agency.
Research Question & Hypothesis

Research Question: Hypothesis:

How can we treat By educating impoverished
psychological conditions in communities on the
communities without benefits of mind body
access to advanced medicine, we can treat
medical care? mental conditions induced
by trauma/stress.
Methods:
Quasi-Experimental & Ethnography
 Treatment of PTSD in Postwar Kosovo High
School Students

▪ 4 months after the NATO bombing, 139

students volunteered to participate in a
study evaluating effect of MBM on PTSD
▪ Students learned guided imagery, autogenic
training, meditation, and biofeedback.
▫ Experienced self expression through
drawings and constucted family trees

eulex-kosovo.eu
 Kosovo Study Results

▪ PTSD was measured using

the PTSD Reaction Index
(16 questions)
▪ MBM skills improved the
students’ sense of control,
lowered sympathetic
arousal, decreased anxiety,
eulex-kosovo.eu

and improved overall mood

PTSD scores dropped

in each group
 During the earthquake, I saw my

“ mother die and she was buried under

the rubble. At night, I was afraid to go
to sleep because I would have terrible
dreams about her. After Father Freddy
taught us that fast, deep breathing, I
decided that I was going to use that
before I went to sleep. After a while, I
was able to calm down and go to sleep
and I didn’t have those terrible dreams.
And so now I do it every night.”

humanium
 I thought my husband’s death

“ destroyed my life. I cried a lot in the

Mind Body Skills Groups, but no one
prevented me; they respected my
sadness, my silence and my suffering. I
learned to take deep breaths to fill my
chest with oxygen, acceptance and
hope, and to exhale the anger and
despair. I learned that I do have a body
to care about, and other family
members that I could rely on”

UNRWA
 In Conclusion...

Why this is important: What can we do?

▪ In Haiti, there are about ▪ We can bring MBM to:
12 PhD psychologists ▪ places of refuge (homeless
and 6 psychiatrists for shelters, safe houses for victims
the entire pop. (9 mil. of domestic violence, ICE
people) detention facilities)
▪ school/work
▪ places of worship.

The Center for Mind

Body Medicine
Questions?
Works Cited

Gordon, James S., Staples, Julie K., Blyta, Afrim and Bytyqi, Murat. Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
in Postwar Kosovo High School Students Using Mind-Body Skills Groups: A Pilot Study. Journal of Traumatic
Stress, 2004, 17: 143-147.

I. Staples JK, Abdel Attai JA, Gordon JS. Mind-body skills groups for posttraumatic stress disorder and
depression symptoms in Palestinian children and adolescents in Gaza. Int J Stress Manag. 2011; 18(3): 246-262.
doi: 10.1037/a0024015

Gustafson C. (2016). James Gordon, md: The Potential of Mind-Body Self Care to Free the World From the
Effects of Trauma. Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 15(2), 54-60.