Applying the Skills of Meditation, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Health Care

This course is a follow-up event of the 3^rd International Forum on Buddhism and Medicine, Medicine and Health, that was held last October.

A training especially suited for those working in health care, psychology, social services and related disciplines, and open to all.

1-3 October, 2011 | Registration is open from Friday evening. The programme ends on Monday 5:30 pm. | It is recommended to attend the full programme but it is possible to attend just the weekend if you cannot stay for the whole time.

Lerab Ling, Buddhist Retreat Centre, south of France | Google map

With Christine Longaker.

Registration is open from 20 july

Responding effectively to the needs of patients remains an on-going professional and deeply personal challenge. Compassion and Presence offers the opportunity to learn contemplative resources that support you in your life and work, and enhance the way you offer care - with a renewed sense of joy, confidence, and fulfillment. Drawing from meditations taught in the wisdom tradition of Tibet, this training focuses on cultivating presence and mindfulness, and deepening the capacity for compassion, so that you can remain present, spacious and loving in the face of suffering.

The training introduces insights and contemplations from Sogyal Rinpoche's groundbreaking book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, and demonstrates in practical ways how to appropriately integrate these practices of meditation, contemplative listening, and compassion in any medical setting.

Compassion and Presence is for anyone who cares for others in hospice, palliative care, critical care, gerontology, oncology, general medicine, nursing, emergency medicine, pastoral care, psychology, social work, health care education, and other allied health professions. It will resonate with professionals and volunteers from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

The training focuses on four core competencies:

• Holding authentic presence and communication.
• Deepening one's ability to extend compassion toward oneself and others.
• Developing a personal understanding of suffering, and how to be present with suffering.
• Applying contemplative practices for self-care.

Methods of training

Lectures, discussion, writing, reflection, contemplative practice, and interactive methods for integrating learning.

Training Topics

• Spirituality and healthcare - an introduction to the spiritual care model of compassionate care
• Cultivating presence through meditation and mindfulness practice
• Methods for deepening compassion
• Responding to suffering
• Training in contemplative listening
• Creating a sacred environment
• Compassionate self-care for alleviating stress, healing burnout, and transforming challenging situations
• Caregiving as spiritual practice
• Scientific research on the benefits of training in meditation and compassion in medical care work.

Faculty

Christine Longaker, Education Director, Rigpa's Spiritual Care Education Program. Former director and staff trainer of the Hospice of Santa Cruz County in California, Christine has provided hospice trainings internationally since 1978. She has been instrumental in developing Rigpa's Spiritual Care Education Program, and serves as its International Education Director. She co-designed and serves as faculty for Naropa University's accredited training in 'Contemplative End-of-Life Care', and is author of Facing Death and Finding Hope: A Guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying, which is translated into nine languages.

Registration is open from 20 july