In this episode of Cloud9 Online’s MediMindful Moments Podcast, co-hosts Judith Dreyer, Jeff Nelder, and Henry Edinger interview Dr. Romie Mushtaq, MD, ABIHM, Chief Wellness Officer at Evolution Hospitality, and the Founder of BrainSHIFT Protocol. Dr. Romie talks about utilizing mindfulness in the workplace and how the MediMind App has been helpful in training employees in the workforce.
A Very Short History of Studying Mindfulness in Healthcare
In 1979, John Cabot-Zinn began a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress -Reduction (MBSR) that combined simple yoga postures with meditation. He sought to offer an alternative approach to pain relief. There were no studies back then. Today books upon books abound on the subject. In fact, in 2017, “in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, Australian researchers reviewed findings from 45 studies. They concluded that MBSR is associated with lower levels of stress-related hormone cortisol.” These conclusions play a huge role in opening doors to chronic diseases, fatigue, lower work performance, and more. Factor in today’s uncertainties, political, and social unrest, and here does that leave our emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing?
Change or Chance?
Complementary and Alternative Modalities (CAM) receive a lot of press these days. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us home and socially distanced us. What do we do when we don’t have to be in traffic, physically get to work? In other words, what happened to us when some of our daily business, school, and home activities stopped or redirected? What happened to you if you were a first responder or medical personnel on the front lines?
Brain and Mindfulness in the Time of Uncertainty
“To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily quiet, still.”– Jiddu Krishnamurti
Classics withstand the test of time. The works of Shakespeare, for example, reverberate today in theaters across the world, move us and have for a few centuries. So too with mindfulness practices. Sitting in stillness, observing breath, meditating whether conscious, guided imagery, or using sound are nothing new.
