Workshop sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy:
Analysis and treatment of “dug-in” chronic
pain problems (2-part workshop) Joanne Dahl, PhD
This two-part workshop provides detailed,
experiential follow up on Dr. Dahl’s keynote
presentation. The workshop gives participants the
experience of identifying valued directions and
developing more psychological flexibility with
recurrent pain problems. Participants may apply
these skills personally and for patients and other
people around them. As we move through life,
inevitable discomfort such as pain occurs,
creating unpleasant feelings. The characteristic
ways in which we handle those feelings can get
us into far more trouble than the actual events that
elicited the feelings. Identifying valued directions
in life dimensions can help keep our behavior on
track rather than off track in avoidance detours. In
this workshop you will learn how to distinguish
valued directions from goals, thoughts and
feelings. Together we will create a personal values
compass, which can be used as a diagnostic tool
for determining “values illness.” Thoughts and
verbal rules used as obstacles to valued living will
be examined and approached in a functional
manner. Participants will practice defusion and
acceptance of verbal obstacles as they begin to
take steps in valued directions. Mindfulness or
meditation exercises aiming at acceptance of pain
will be practiced.
The sacred honoring of pain: The role and
impact of ritual in comfort care practice The Rev. Dr. Rachel Taber-Hamilton
Through lecture, discussion and example, workshop
participants will learn the role, essential elements and
structure of ritual and discuss the liminal (and sacred)
nature of pain in the human experience. As healers in
Western culture, we have the opportunity to help
others transition emotionally and spiritually from a
condition of suffering and isolation to a condition of
empowerment and connection using key symbols
applied within a ritual format. The role of ritual
practice should be understood as palliative, not
curative, which in itself can have therapeutic effect.
Participants will identify meaningful key symbols
within their clinical practice and create a ritual of
spiritual care.
Emotion, meaning and the transition
from acute to chronic headaches
Jonathan Borkum, PhD and
Stacy Whitcomb-Smith, PhD
Migraines and tension-type headaches lie at the
intersection of genetic vulnerability, pathophysiology
and the physical effects of stress. Further, they are
subject to the same physiological and emotional risk
factors that can cause acute pain to become chronic.
In this workshop we will review the main variables
that influence benign headache disorders and their
transition from acute to chronic form. We will then
explore some of the cognitive-behavioral tools that
people have used to reverse chronic headaches, and
the role of deep engagement in meaningful activities.
Coming back to the rhythms of the earth:
Releasing pain through Native American
drumming Tammy SingingStone and Cheryl Autumn Wind
This workshop will include traditional teachings and
hands-on experience on the connection between the
People, the Drum and the Earth. Renewing that
connection within our communities bring us back into
the rhythms of the Earth and assist in releasing pain.
Intractable suffering at the end of life Jim Schneid, MD, Jackie Fournier, NP and
Julianne Bousquet, MDiv
Suffering at the end of life is a complex condition that
requires the understanding and care of a multidisciplinary
team. Spiritual, cultural, economic and
medical issues interweave to create unique
challenges and needs for every patient and family. In
this workshop, we will explore the partnership among
multidisciplinary team members working with spiritual
and medical aspects of intractable suffering in end-oflife
care. We will discuss family interventions,
palliative sedation and other approaches to achieving
quality of care and comfort at the end of life.
Creating a healing environment
to renew the sacred space of work Becky Bell, RN, MSN, HN-BC
The workplace environment is making headline news.
What once made for a source of meaning and
purpose in American culture has become a primary
source of mind/body/spirit stress and discontent for
many. This workshop will explore the connection
between spiritual pain and the work environment and
share experiential ways to create a caring, healing
work environment for self, peers and those we serve.
Waking up in pain Gretchen Breyller Hegeman, PhD
Physical pain is a major focus in dealing with a lifethreatening
illness, often overshadowing the
accompanying emotional, mental and spiritual
dimensions of pain. Yet the multi-dimensionality of
pain blends along a continuum, from "too much" to
"mystical experiences," as pain expands
consciousness to explore the meaning of life. Told in
first person using narrative storytelling, Waking up in
pain describes an 18-month experience of intimacy
with intense pain and healing.
The traditional Chinese medicine approach
to pain and suffering Rick Hobbs, MD, FAAFP, DABMA
In Chinese medicine, the underlying mechanisms for
physical, emotional and spiritual pain are the same
and there are powerful interactions among the three
spheres. This workshop will provide a very basic
introduction to the precepts of traditional Chinese
medicine. These concepts will provide the foundation
for a discussion of how pain and suffering are viewed
in the TCM paradigm and, in general terms, how they
are treated. The principles will be illustrated in one or
two case discussions.
A shamanic approach to pain Marc Felix, PhD and Celia McLay, DO
This workshop will offer participants an experience of
a shamanic state of consciousness, accessed
through drumming, with guided facilitation and
structure about how to use that state in treating
chronic pain.
After lunch activities
Create your own network! Come together in open space Jenifer Van Deusen, MEd
Networks offer us the opportunity to learn with and
from each others of like mind, and to build on what
energizes us. This brief session will enable
participants to find those kindred spirits, share
thoughts and feelings on a topic of mutual interest
and find ways to grow that network beyond today's
meeting. Bring an idea you would like to explore or
just your curious mind.
A chakra balancing meditation Brenda Colfer, CH, RMT
This session offers a meditation by Deepak Chopra
that guides you through the chakra system. Brenda
will sound seven different crystal singing bowls as we
journey through the chakras. The bowls' sacred
sounds have a profound effect on the mind, body and
spirit.
Coming back to the rhythms of the earth:
A celebration in Native American drumming Tammy SingingStone and Cheryl Autumn Wind
This session will provide an additional experience of
the celebration and energy of a Native American
drumming/singing circle.
A meditative walk around the lovely campus