SMA Digest (Winter 2015) v.55, i.1 | Page 25

‘‘ HEALTH CARE ’’ Mindfulness is very much about empowering people to support their own health and well-being in the context of community. “It is when we start acknowledging our own perception, the lens through which we see things, that the shift can potentially occur,” says Dr. Chakravarti. “It’s being aware of what’s happening for us, not only in our cognitions but in our emotions and our sensations. Paying attention cultivates the possibility, as we become aware, to not react to that stimulus whether it’s internal or it’s external, but to choose a response.” Practising mindfulness in medicine has been gaining momentum in the research world over the last several years and preliminary results show a link between the practice of mindfulness and decreased burnout, increased compassion and empathy (Krasner & Epstein, JAMA 2009). Medical student participants have also reported significant improvement in mood states and lower psychological distress compared with controls (Rosenzweig et al., Teach Learn Med. 2003). With such promising indications for improving both physician health and patient care, Dr. Chakravarti is working with various partners including the SMA Physician Health Program, the Saskatoon Health Region, and the University of Saskatchewan, to bring mindfulness to the medical community in Saskatchewan. She is the founder and CEO of [M] Power: Mindful Professional Practice, which offers introductory mindfulness workshops for professionals in Health and Human Services. The gold standard in mindfulness training is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an eight week course that teaches formal and informal mindfulness meditation practices and includes three hours class time per week, daily one hour “homework” and a one day silent retreat. While intensive, MBSR is the most comprehensive course and yields the most benefit to participants. Mindfulness courses are already being offered in medical schools and health care centres around the world including Harvard, Duke, McGill, Dalhousie, and the Universities of Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Toronto. half day workshops that are offered through the Saskatoon Health Region and the University of Saskatchewan. In it they will learn strategies and techniques that they can begin implementing in their daily lives immediately and if they find it helpful, they can move on to the MBSR, which is now also being offered in Saskatoon. “It is not a magic bullet or miracle quick cure,” says Dr. Chakravarti of mindfulness. “Daily practice is key.” It is well worth the effort given its benefits to physician health and well-being, impact on patient care and support for the healthcare team. She also believes that it is important for the physician community to support each other in working toward a whole and healthy life and promoting changes in medical culture to support wellness initiatives. “Mindfulness is very much about empowering people to support their own health and well-being in the context of community,” says Dr. Chakravarti. “There is a ‘we’ in wellness and we need to collaborate to co-create a culture of wellbeing and connection.” Interested in learning more? • Try brief mindfulness exercises for yourself on the Ontario Medical Association’s Mindfulness page: http://php.oma.org/Mindfulness.html • Contact Dr. Anita Chakravar Ѥ