Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals
“The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet.” Rachel Remen
Medical practices and hospitals are magnets of suffering; patients seek help when they are feeling ill, distressed and worried. Often, the needs of patients exceed the available resources. The Covid pandemic added to this burden of care; with the need to sift through new literature and treatment protocols, social media overload, fearful, grieving, ill patients and their families, and moral injury – having to make difficult treatment decisions when resources are limited.
This has resulted in very high levels of stress and burnout in health care workers.
Medical staff are becoming increasingly aware of the need to stop and care for themselves in the midst of the daily work stress. Mindfulness-informed practices can create islands of quiet to restore and heal.
The 8-week online course themes include understanding burnout, becoming aware of underlying narratives and patterns, working with and in trauma, difficult communication, grief and loss, making mistakes and guilt, self-compassion and working in demanding systems.
Small group discussions with colleagues in a safe, non-judgmental and confidential space help process and make sense of difficulties encountered in everyday practice.
Mindfulness-informed programmes for health care workers cultivate three facets:
Presence
It is easy to feel scattered by life’s problems and challenges. Mindfulness is a way to gather, ground and centre.
Perspective
Stress often triggers habitual patterns of reactivity with associated spiralling and repetitive thoughts. For a moment stepping out of the thought stream and watching thoughts; tuning in, listening closely without judgment. This allows a space of quiet to choose how to respond wisely rather than to follow patterns of automatic reactivity.
Compassion
The tendency is to treat ourselves harshly, critically and unkindly, while we comfort, soothe and encourage others. Self-compassion is defined as treating ourselves in the same way as we would treat a close friend or child. Hospice worker Joan Halifax advocates that in compassionate medical work both a strong back and a soft front are needed. The strong component of compassion means having good boundaries, being protective and having a solid presence that can help anchor the distress of our patients. The soft component includes openness, curiosity, gentleness, kindness and gratitude.
Programmes Available:
Virtual
TakingCare; an 8-week mindfulness-informed course with small group discussions facilitated by experienced practitioners; Dr Janine Kirby, Dr Peter Milligan, Prof Hoffie Conradie and Dr Belinda McIntosh
Email Address: medicstakingcare@gmail.com
Contact Number: 082 564 4843
More Mindfulness-Based Programmes
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a participant-centred approach to stress management and is to date, the most successful and well-researched stress reduction programme worldwide.
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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
MBCT is designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and chronic unhappiness. Research suggests this program is also effective in preventing depression relapse.
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Other Mindfulness-Based Approaches
A mix of trainings, courses and retreats which have mindfulness as a foundation and are informed by the ethics and ethos of this approach, used in varied and diverse settings.
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Mindfulness-Based Corporate Programmes
Programmes that cultivate healthier, conscious, and compassionate working environments. Helping employees and teams feel more connected; nurturing them to grow and thrive at work.
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Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Chronic Pain
These programmes introduce mindfulness and meditation to individuals with chronic pain, guided by health professionals experienced in pain management.
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Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) is an eight-week series of two-hour sessions, developed specifically for people recovering from alcohol, drug & process addictions.
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Mindfulness-Based Eating
Our relationship to food is a central one that reflects our attitudes toward our environment and ourselves. Mindfulness-based interventions are particularly well suited to addressing disordered eating behaviours.
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Mindful Self-Compassion
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teaches simple effective skills and develops emotional strength to meet life’s challenges with kindness instead of blaming, shaming or criticizing ourselves.
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Mindfulness for Healthcare Professionals
Medical staff are becoming increasingly aware of the need to stop and care for themselves in the midst of the daily work stress. Mindfulness-informed practices can create islands of quiet to restore and heal.