Effectiveness of a mind-body skills training program for healthcare professionals.

Full Abstract

CONTEXT: Because of the increased use and benefits of mind-body therapies, it is important that healthcare professionals receive training in these modalities. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether healthcare professionals who attended the Center for Mind-Body Medicine's training program were incorporating mind-body skills into their professional or personal practices and whether they had a greater sense of life satisfaction. DESIGN: Repeated measures analysis. SETTING: Annual training programs were held in hotels and conference centers in the US. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred fifty-one healthcare professionals attended the programs from 1998 to 2001. Two hundred fifty-nine completed the one-year follow-up survey, and 307 completed the well-being survey. INTERVENTION: The week-long program included didactic and experiential training in biofeedback, meditation, autogenics, imagery, and movement/exercise, as well as self-expression in small groups through drawings, written exercises, and genograms. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Questionnaires on previous training and personal and professional use of mind-body approaches were administered before and one year after the program. The Existential Well-Being (EWB) scale also was administered before and immediately after the training. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the personal use of mind-body skills and the number of participants who were teaching their clients to use all modalities and a significant decrease in the number of participants who were referring clients to others for training. Participants also had significantly higher life satisfaction scores after the program. CONCLUSION: This professional training program was effective in promoting the personal and professional use of mind-body skills and in enhancing the personal fulfillment of trainees.

Author information

Author/s: Staples, Julie K (JK); Gordon, James S (JS);

Affiliation: Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Alternative therapies in health and medicine (Altern Ther Health Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2005 Jul-Aug; vol 11 (issue 4) : pp 36-41

Dates: Created 2005/08/01; Completed 2005/10/14; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 16053120, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

ErratumIn: Altern Ther Health Med. 2007 Jan-Feb;13(1):12.

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