institutions in the US and Europe, struggling to cope with the evertraining courses in meditaexpanding pool of patients,
tion are being offered
this trend suggests that
to a diverse range
meditation can play
of patients. More
a key role in effecthan
16,000
tive patient manpatients have
agement,
and
training courses in
undergone
may well offer
meditation are being
MBSR
traina much-needed
offered to a diverse
ing
at
the
solution to the
range of patients
Massachusetts
growing healthMedical School,
care crisis in the
Center
for
West.
Mindfulness, since
it was founded in
1995, and the feedback from healthcare professionals and patients involved is overwhelmingly positive. Furthermore,
DEFINING A ROLE FOR
at the MD Anderson Cancer Center
MEDITATION IN OUR
in Houston, Texas, patients are now
routinely offered a variety of supMODERN, EVERYDAY LIVES
port programmes, including courses in meditation, to help them to
better deal with their illness and
In the clinical setting, meditaits consequences. In the UK, the tion can undoubtedly alleviate some
Centre for Mindfulness Research of the burden currently placed on
and Practice at Bangor University our healthcare systems, as well as
offers training courses in mindful- empowering the individual patient
ness to both healthcare profession- to play a pivotal role in the manageals and patients, and strives to pro- ment of their condition. Meditation’s
mote the use of mindfulness in the adoption into mainstream society,
clinical setting within the National however, requires another subHealth Service (NHS). In a climate stantial shift in thinking. Our fastin which our healthcare systems are paced, adrenaline-filled lives draw
17