Instructor: Paul Epstein, ND
Date: 01/15/2014 – 02/26/2014
BDDTN Credits granted: 2-Lifestyle, 8-General
This class is open to: NDs, Healthcare Practitioners, Students
Time: Wednesdays 1-3pm (EST)
Course fees: Regular: $499, Early bird: $449 (Ends: Fri, 2014-01-03),  Alumni Association Member: $399, Student: $349
Venue: Webinar

Course description:

Dis-ease tells a story, not just about our cells and a diagnosis, but of ourselves and our lives. We’ll explore how biography becomes biology, and how listening to our life stories connects us to our authentic being. The focus of this 7-week course will be to integrate the study, practice and clinical application of mindfulness and mind-body therapies. The principles and practices of mind-body medicine will be explored through lecture, discussion, guided experiential exercises, case studies, assigned readings, and practical homework.

This will be a personal and professional journey that leads us to become better physicians and our best selves.

– Explore how one’s biography becomes their biology
– Engage in your own self-healing journey
– Acknowledge and discover the wounded healer in each of us
– Cultivate compassionate awareness and a healing presence
– Enhance the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship
– Learn to treat people with stress related disorders

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, it is by making the darkness conscious.” Carl Jung

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• To apply mindfulness, relaxation, guided imagery, and counseling as therapeutic tools.
• Cultivate a therapeutic relationship based on compassionate awareness.
• Dialogue with symptoms in order to discover their meaning and message.
• Integrate mind-body healing with other therapeutic modalities.
• Understand somatic psychotherapy models including internal family systems therapy.

Session 1 (Jan 15, 2013) Becoming a Mindful Practitioner (Living Question #1)
Session 2 (Jan 22, 2013) How Biography Becomes Biology
Session 3 (Jan 29, 2013) Guided Imagery – Listening to Symptoms (Living Question #2)
Session 4 (Feb 5, 2013) Guided Imagery – Listening to Inner Wisdom
Session 5 (Feb 12, 2013) Childhood Trauma & Adult Disease (Living Question #3)
Session 6 (Feb 19, 2013) Healing Presence in the Therapeutic Relationship
Session 7 (Feb 26, 2013) Clinical Application & Integration

About the Instructor:

Dr. Paul Epstein is a naturopathic physician, mind body therapist, mindfulness meditation teacher, speaker, workshop leader and author. His whole person relationship centered care approach integrates naturopathic principles and therapies with mind-body medicine. He uses mindful awareness and contemplative psychotherapy to guide patients on their self-healing journey. He graduated from NCNM, the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1984, where he did a residency in holistic medicine, stress and lifestyle counseling and directed the clinical lifestyle change program “Healthstyles”.

He has successfully advocated the clinical application and integration of mind-body-spirit therapies in health care for 30 years exploring the mind-body connection, how biography becomes biology, narrative medicine and the role of stress in health and disease. Paul was co-founder of the Israel Center for Mind-Body Medicine. He graduated from the Academy for Guided Imagery, completed the three-year training program for Community Dharma Meditation Leaders at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and has trained in the “internal family system model” of psychotherapy.