Stories of Transformative Mindfulness around the world
Italy
At the University of Florence, Pharmaceutical Department in Italy, about 15 professionals, made up of psychiatrists, psychotherapists and hospital MDs of various specialties, completed the Transformative Mindfulness Facilitator Training with Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw and Valentina Dolara as the translator and coordinator. They will be integrating these methods into oncology, palliative care, eating disorders, anesthesiology, physiotherapy and children's mental disorders. Prof. Piero Dolara, Professor of Pharmacology, who provided academic and organizational supervision, commented, “As a whole the experience was a real success. The participants quickly learned the essentials for approaching the chosen cases, and eagerly applied them. In the last session of the course, they reported the results obtained. These results were mostly very satisfactory. In fact, the techniques employed were accepted eagerly by all patients with no exception, who documented mostly an improvement of the pre-existing condition. In one case, a strong panic reaction was totally cured. Given the relatively short teaching experience received, the results indicate that the method of transformative mindfulness can be transferred from the main teacher and inventor of the approach to specialized professionals and applied with promising clinical results. This opens also the possibility of organizing future clinical trials to verify the applicability of such methods to different medical and psychological problems as a promising complementary therapeutic approach." As a result, research with Transformative Mindfulness methods will begin in the autumn collaborating with the Centre for Pain Management. Initial comparative trial groups will focus on headaches and migraines, then later with other specific symptoms.
Toulouse, France
Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw trained 40 health, medical, education and social services professionals in an experiential Introduction to Transformative Mindfulness for Self-Healing at Vajrayogini Institute. A group continues to meet monthly to practice, deepen their confidence with the methods and share results. A facilitator training will most likely take place in 2011.
Canada - Toronto
Craig Mackie is facilitating 16 Guidelines and Transformative Mindfulness with two projects:
1. Working with vulnerable youth (16-17 year olds) in Leadership Training through Trails Youth Initiatives (trails.ca). This mostly entails teaching the 16 Guidelines as a part of their Leadership in Training curriculum. In this project, material from "The 16 Guidelines at Pine River Institute: Working with Youth in Groups" manual is being used and further developed. 2. Introducing 16 Guidelines and Transformative Mindfulness into the academic field of mindfulness-based therapeutic practices and group facilitation This includes doing a workshop at "The Arts for Social and Environmental Justice Symposium" in May hosted by the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community of Wilfrid Laurier University and The Royal Conservatory, in partnership with ISIS-Canada and the European Graduate School. This workshop will focus on Transformative Mindfulness techniques that can inform Arts-Based Social and Environmental Justice education. Other academic workshops on the horizon include the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, "Symposium on Mindfulness Practise and Research in Therapeutic Settings." Canada - Hamilton
Laurie Goldblatt has been facilitating a program at a high school focused on Transformative Mindfulness positive meditation and visualization techniques.
”I see the benefit of the Enhancing the Positive” exercise with kids of all ages to remind them of how wonderful they are and all their gifts, even when they don't feel they are "good enough" in that moment.” Comments from youth about what they have learned about themselves are: “That I can be anything I want to be and it is possible for that small place of energy that I visited to expand in my whole body and in my life.” “To forget about the imperfections of myself, and to show everyone good qualities that I have.” “That I am really happy with who I am.” “I am a strong individual who can do anything I set my mind on.” “That I am stronger than I thought and that inside I know what is best.” “I should remember the big picture.” When asked how this was of benefit, they commented: “I explored new parts of me and realized good qualities about myself. It sent positive energy through my body. It was a good time for myself to reflect.” “When I went into the future I received some useful advice. Also, everything was more clear and it made me feel pure.” “I noticed the positive things about myself that made me feel good and confident about who I am emotionally and spiritually.” “It was cool to see how you can make your body do whatever you want just by using your mind.” Canada - Burlington
Sheilagh Mercer has a private practice and volunteers as a Transformative Mindfulness facilitator for the Center for Compassion & Wisdom. “The best way I can help my clients is to hand them the Transformative Mindfulness keys – the exercises to unlock their own doors. I incorporate these methods with art, more and more in past months, with drum making workshops, drawing, painting, sculpture, woodcarving , wood burning.”