Health News: Top Stories

''HEAL THE HEALERS NOW'': New Initiative to Provide Meditation to US Medical Providers Battling COVID-19

David Lynch Foundation - Center for Health and Wellness Translate This Article
6 April 2020

New Initiative to Reduce Anxiety,
Boost Resilience, Heal Trauma
''Heal the Healers Now,^SM'' a new initiative to bring the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation^® technique to US medical providers who are battling the coronavirus pandemic, was launched nationally on Monday, April 6, by the two nonprofit groups: the Center for Health and Wellness of the David Lynch Foundation and the US TM^® organization.

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Good Morning America highlights new initiative

David Lynch Foundation CEO Bob Roth and ABC News anchor Robin Roberts spoke on ABC's Good Morning America show today about the health benefits of Transcendental Meditation and the launch of this new initiative. Watch the special segment

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Burnout is a public health crisis

Even before the pandemic, a Harvard report called physician burnout ''a public health crisis that urgently demands action'' with several surveys putting the rate of provider burnout as high as 70 percent. The American Academy of Family Physicians linked burnout to higher rates of medical errors, substance abuse and addiction, and suicide among physicians.

Today, the situation is far worse, and demands well-documented, innovative approaches to address this crisis. ''Transcendental Meditation is an evidence-based, non-pharmacological intervention for this devastating public health crisis,'' said Stuart Rothenberg, MD, Medical Director of the Center for Health and Wellness.

''The Center for Health and Wellness has a long track record of providing TM instruction to first responders, including police, firefighters, and military personnel. Today, our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are true first responders—they are on the frontlines in a literal life-or-death battle against a pandemic that threatens the very life of society,'' Dr. Rothenberg said.

Deep relaxation and stress reduction

Transcendental Meditation is an easy-to-learn, enjoyable-to-practice mental technique for deep relaxation and stress-reduction that has been successfully offered in hospitals and clinics as well as medical schools, academic and VA medical centers, military academies, substance abuse centers, prisons, and other settings, according to the TM.org website.

Dr. Rothenberg said the TM-based ''Healthcare Provider Wellness Program'' will be offered to healthcare providers as a stand-alone approach or as an adjuvant therapy to make existing programs for managing stress more effective.

The Wellness Program has already been offered in hospitals and clinics nationally, including most recently at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City with significant reductions in physician burnout, insomnia, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress over a three-month period in those practicing the TM technique.

A practical approach during this challenging time

''Our heartfelt appreciation goes to all those who have given their time, resources, and expertise to support our heroic healthcare providers,'' Dr. Rothenberg said. ''We are honored to offer these inspiring healers a practical approach to strengthen their resilience and support their well-being during this challenging time.''

Click here for further details about the ''Healthcare Provider Wellness Program,'' including an overview of peer-reviewed published research on Transcendental Meditation, stress, burnout, and resilience.

Research findings include:

∙ Reduced physician burnout at Loyola Stritch Medical School, Chicago

∙ Reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms, and increased personal accomplishment in Emergency Medicine physicians at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Copyright © 2020 David Lynch Foundation

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