James Samuel Gordon
Encyclopedia
James Samuel Gordon is an American
author
and Harvard
-educated psychiatrist
, and a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression
, anxiety
, and psychological trauma
. In 1991, he became Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
educational organization. Through CMBM, Gordon has created training programs of comprehensive mind-body healing for physicians, medical students, and other health professionals to integrate into their practices; for people with cancer and their doctors, friends and family members, for people with depression and other chronic illnesses and conditions; for traumatized children and families in Bosnia, Kosovo
, Israel
, and Gaza
as well as in post-9/11 New York
and post-Katrina
southern Louisiana
; and with U.S. military returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan
. He has become a major proponent for integrative medicine
, especially in using preventive and self-care measures as a remedy to chronic illness. His latest book is Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression (Penguin Press, 2008).
. His father was a surgeon
and his grandfather was a pediatrician, First Chief of Pediatrics at Beth Israel Hospital
in New York. He attended both college and medical school at Harvard University. As an undergraduate, he studied for and received an A.B. in English, and went on to Harvard Medical School
to graduate with an M.D. degree. After medical school, he became a volunteer physician at the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic
during the 1960s. He also attended Woodstock
as a volunteer physician. He also studied acupuncture
with Shyam Singha, D.O., D.Ac. and is a licensed acupuncturist.
(NIMH) (and worked on many NIMH projects through 1997), and became a lecturer at various colleges. While at NIMH, he developed the first national program for runaway and homeless youth, edited the first comprehensive studies of alternative
and holistic medicine
, directed the Special Study on Alternative Services for President Carter
’s Commission on Mental Health, and created a nationwide preceptorship program for medical students. As Georgetown Medical School’s Director of the Program of Mind-Body Studies and Clinical Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine since 1980, he has helped design and implement a study track for medical students in integrative and alternative medicine, which covers nutrition, self-regulation and relaxation techniques like meditation, and the social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of psychiatry.
Gordon founded the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) in 1991. Designing and offering professional training programs in mind-body medicine, integrative oncology
, and nutrition to health and mental health professionals is meant to help them integrate these techniques into their practice and extend help to as many people as possible. Through CMBM Gordon has also applied mind-body skills to global trauma relief in war-torn and disaster-stricken regions such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Israel, and Gaza as well as in post-9/11 New York and post-Katrina southern Louisiana. Gordon and his colleagues have trained over 3,000 health and mental health professionals in the U.S. and overseas to more effectively address the psychological trauma within their communities, as well as to deal with chronic illness. He and his CMBM colleagues have also supervised and trained local leadership teams in Kosovo, Israel, and Gaza to make the CMBM model a fully integrated and sustainable part of the local healthcare system.
In 2008, CMBM won a research award from the US Department of Defense
to study this mind-body approach with veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Gordon was also appointed to chair the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) from 2000 to 2002 by President Clinton
.
Gordon’s method integrates relaxation therapies, hypnosis
, meditation
, acupuncture
, nutrition
, herbalism
, musculoskeletal manipulations, dance
, yoga
and physical exercise
in his own practice of medicine and psychiatry.
's groundbreaking studies of the world's mythic heroes and heroines," --Gordon explains the useful, mood-healing benefits of food and nutritional supplements; movement, exercise, and dance; psychotherapy, meditation and guided imagery; and spiritual practice and prayer. He concludes each chapter with a "Prescription for Self-Care," guidelines to help each person play an active, effective role in their own healing, and he includes examples from the patients he has worked with over the years.
Gordon’s writings have also been published in The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, The New Republic
, the Los Angeles Times
and USA Today
as well as numerous other publications. It has also been featured on Good Morning America
, The Today Show, CNN
, CBS Sunday Morning, Fox News Channel
and National Public Radio, as well as in The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek
, People
, American Medical News
, Clinical Psychiatry News, Town and Country, Hippocrates, Psychology Today
, Vegetarian Times
, Natural Health, Health
, and Prevention
.
The organization is going about this mission through several different educational programs, including the Professional Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine, where health professionals can learn to lead Mind-Body Skills Groups; Food as Medicine integrative nutrition training; and CancerGuides training in integrative oncology. CMBM’s program, “Healing the Wounds of War,” an offshoot of the Professional Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine, is engaged in global trauma relief: CMBM faculty train health, mental health, and education professionals in war-torn and disaster-stricken areas in mind-body skills in a way that is designed to help them care for themselves and, in turn, better care for their patients. This has been extended to include clinicians and counsellors working with US veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
-educated psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, and a world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression
Mood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
, anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
, and psychological trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
. In 1991, he became Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
educational organization. Through CMBM, Gordon has created training programs of comprehensive mind-body healing for physicians, medical students, and other health professionals to integrate into their practices; for people with cancer and their doctors, friends and family members, for people with depression and other chronic illnesses and conditions; for traumatized children and families in Bosnia, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
as well as in post-9/11 New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and post-Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
; and with U.S. military returning from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He has become a major proponent for integrative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
, especially in using preventive and self-care measures as a remedy to chronic illness. His latest book is Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression (Penguin Press, 2008).
Education
James Samuel Gordon was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His father was a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and his grandfather was a pediatrician, First Chief of Pediatrics at Beth Israel Hospital
Beth Israel Medical Center
Beth Israel Medical Center is a 1,368-bed, full-service tertiary teaching hospital in New York City. Originally dedicated to serving immigrant Jews living in the tenement slums of the Lower East Side, it was founded at the turn of the 20th century. The main hospital location is the Petrie...
in New York. He attended both college and medical school at Harvard University. As an undergraduate, he studied for and received an A.B. in English, and went on to Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
to graduate with an M.D. degree. After medical school, he became a volunteer physician at the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic
Haight Ashbury Free Clinics
The Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Inc. is a free health care service provider serving more than 34,000 people in Northern California. The organization was founded by Dr. David E Smith in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California on June 7, 1967 during the counterculture of the 1960s...
during the 1960s. He also attended Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
as a volunteer physician. He also studied acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
with Shyam Singha, D.O., D.Ac. and is a licensed acupuncturist.
Career
During the 1970s he worked as a research psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
(NIMH) (and worked on many NIMH projects through 1997), and became a lecturer at various colleges. While at NIMH, he developed the first national program for runaway and homeless youth, edited the first comprehensive studies of alternative
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
and holistic medicine
Holistic health
Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine...
, directed the Special Study on Alternative Services for President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
’s Commission on Mental Health, and created a nationwide preceptorship program for medical students. As Georgetown Medical School’s Director of the Program of Mind-Body Studies and Clinical Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine since 1980, he has helped design and implement a study track for medical students in integrative and alternative medicine, which covers nutrition, self-regulation and relaxation techniques like meditation, and the social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of psychiatry.
Gordon founded the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) in 1991. Designing and offering professional training programs in mind-body medicine, integrative oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, and nutrition to health and mental health professionals is meant to help them integrate these techniques into their practice and extend help to as many people as possible. Through CMBM Gordon has also applied mind-body skills to global trauma relief in war-torn and disaster-stricken regions such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Israel, and Gaza as well as in post-9/11 New York and post-Katrina southern Louisiana. Gordon and his colleagues have trained over 3,000 health and mental health professionals in the U.S. and overseas to more effectively address the psychological trauma within their communities, as well as to deal with chronic illness. He and his CMBM colleagues have also supervised and trained local leadership teams in Kosovo, Israel, and Gaza to make the CMBM model a fully integrated and sustainable part of the local healthcare system.
In 2008, CMBM won a research award from the US Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
to study this mind-body approach with veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Gordon was also appointed to chair the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) from 2000 to 2002 by President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Medical philosophy
Gordon's books and teachings emphasize the idea of "self-care as the true primary-care," and that patients should be provided with information and techniques to keep themselves healthy. He also takes issue with what he considers the "disease model" of healthcare. In an interview with Daniel Redwood D.C., regarding his position as Chair of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, Gordon is quoted saying:
"I believe we need to change our fundamental orientation from a too narrow focus on end stage disease management to keeping people healthy, whole and well. We need to change the distribution of resources from overwhelming emphasis on acute care at the end of the line to teaching people how to stay well. We need to begin with health care education in the schools, as early as possible."
Gordon’s method integrates relaxation therapies, hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
, nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, herbalism
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
, musculoskeletal manipulations, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and physical exercise
Physical exercise
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...
in his own practice of medicine and psychiatry.
“Unstuck” approach
In his seven-stage program outlined in Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression, which he describes as "adapted from mythologist Joseph CampbellJoseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
's groundbreaking studies of the world's mythic heroes and heroines," --Gordon explains the useful, mood-healing benefits of food and nutritional supplements; movement, exercise, and dance; psychotherapy, meditation and guided imagery; and spiritual practice and prayer. He concludes each chapter with a "Prescription for Self-Care," guidelines to help each person play an active, effective role in their own healing, and he includes examples from the patients he has worked with over the years.
Honors and awards
- Bravewell Award as a Pioneer in Integrative Medicine, 2007 Bravewell Pioneers in Integrative Medicine Awards 2007
- O. Spurgeon English Humanitarian Award, Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, for contributions to and outstanding achievements in medical science, 2002. - Ford FoundationFord FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
Grant, (“Humanistic Perspectives on Contemporary Social Issues”) for a study of and book on Americans and the new religions, 1982 - Medical Self-Care Magazine's Book Award for Health for the Whole Person: The Complete Guide to Holistic Medicine, 1981
- Harvard CollegeHarvard CollegeHarvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
:- Phi Beta Kappa, 1962
- Bowdoin Prize for Outstanding Literary Achievement
- First Prize, 1962
- Third Prize, 1961
- Sargant Shakespeare Prize, 1962
- Shaw Travelling Fellowship, 1962
Publications
Gordon’s writings span over thirty years and include the following books:- Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression, The Penguin Press, New York, 2008.
- Comprehensive Cancer Care: Integrating Alternative, Complementary and Conventional Therapies with Sharon Curtin, Perseus, Cambridge, MA, 2000.
- Manifesto for a New Medicine: Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies, Addison-Wesley Publishing, Reading, MA, 1996.
- Stress Management, a volume in The Encyclopedia of Medicine (Edited by Solomon Snyder, M.D.), Chelsea House, New York, 1990.
- Holistic Medicine, a volume in The Encyclopedia of Medicine (Edited by Dale Garell, M.D.), Chelsea House, New York, 1988.
- The Golden Guru: The Strange Journey of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Stephen Greene Press, Viking/Penguin, New York, 1987.
- The Healing Partnership with Raymond Rosenthal, M.D., MPH, Aurora, Washington, DC,1984.
- New Directions in Medicine with Raymond Rosenthal, M.D., MPH, Aurora, Washington, DC, 1984.
- Mind, Body and Health: Toward an Integral Medicine, (Edited with Dennis Jaffe, Ph.D. and David Bresler, Ph.D.), Human Sciences Press, New York, 1982.
- Reaching Troubled Youth: Runaway Centers and Community Mental Health, (Edited with Margaret Beyer, Ph.D.), National Institute of Mental Health, 1981.
- Caring for Youth: Essays on Alternative Services, National Institute of Mental Health, 1978; Reprinted, 1980.
Gordon’s writings have also been published in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
as well as numerous other publications. It has also been featured on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, The Today Show, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, CBS Sunday Morning, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and National Public Radio, as well as in The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, American Medical News
American Medical News
American Medical News The news and information source for physicians. Covering business, policy, public health and legal issues that impact medical practices. American Medical News offers 24 print issues each year, and 52 online editions, with fresh news added each weekday...
, Clinical Psychiatry News, Town and Country, Hippocrates, Psychology Today
Psychology Today
Psychology Today is a bi-monthly magazine published in the United States. It is a psychology-based magazine about relationships, health, and related topics written for a mass audience of non-psychologists. Psychology Today was founded in 1967 and features articles on such topics as love,...
, Vegetarian Times
Vegetarian Times
Vegetarian Times is a monthly magazine published nine times a year by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. The magazine's audience consists of vegetarians and "flexitarians" who are focused on a healthy lifestyle. Vegetarian Times promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, wellness information, cooking...
, Natural Health, Health
Health (magazine)
Health is an American magazine focused on women's health. It was purchased by Time Inc. in 1991. The company now operates as a part of Time's Southern Progress Corporation. The magazine's topics range from diet and recipes to fashion tips and dealing with life issues such as stress...
, and Prevention
Prevention (magazine)
Prevention is an American healthy lifestyle magazine, started in 1950, and published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The range of subjects includes food, nutrition, workouts, beauty, and cooking. It was founded by J. I. Rodale...
.
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
In 1991, Gordon founded the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine. The mission statement on its website reads,
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine is a non-profit, 501(c) (3), educational organization dedicated to reviving the spirit and transforming the practice of medicine. The Center is working to create a more effective, comprehensive and compassionate model of healthcare and health education. The Center’s model combines the precision of modern science with the wisdom of the world’s healing traditions, to help health professionals heal themselves, their patients and clients, and their communities.
The organization is going about this mission through several different educational programs, including the Professional Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine, where health professionals can learn to lead Mind-Body Skills Groups; Food as Medicine integrative nutrition training; and CancerGuides training in integrative oncology. CMBM’s program, “Healing the Wounds of War,” an offshoot of the Professional Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine, is engaged in global trauma relief: CMBM faculty train health, mental health, and education professionals in war-torn and disaster-stricken areas in mind-body skills in a way that is designed to help them care for themselves and, in turn, better care for their patients. This has been extended to include clinicians and counsellors working with US veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.