Complementary Therapies & Emotional Healing: Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center

1. Complementary Therapies &
Emotional Healing
Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center
University of Minnesota
8th Annual Survivorship Conference
Saturday, April 6th, 2013

2. Who is Pathways
A health crisis resource center, in Uptown:
-Provide complementary therapies, services
and resources to people in life-threatening or
severe chronic health crisis, and their families
and caregivers.
-Offer services for free.

3. Complementary healing practices are offered as adjuncts
to standard medical treatments
Creative Therapy Practices
• Art, music, or dance
Body-Based Practices
• Massage, Reflexology, Therapeutic touch
Transformation through Grief, Loss, or Change
• Sandtray, Grief Support for Caregivers
Mind-Body-Spirit, Energy Healing Practices
• Meditation, Yoga , Guided Imagery, Tai Chi, Reiki, Qi Gong

4. Who We Serve
• Participants with:
– Life Threatening Illness
– Severe Chronic Illness or Pain
• 7667 Pathways Participants in 2012:
– 2387 Individual sessions
– 5280 Participants in Group sessions
– Plus workshops and special events

5. Who Provides Pathways Services?
• Over 160 Volunteer Providers
• Licensed, certified in respective fields
• Provided at no cost
• Service Above Self.

6. Emotional Enrichment & Healing
• Reconnecting-Strengthening
Relationships
• Reflective Listening
• Learning to Listen to Your Heart
• Tools for Living Consciously with
Dying

7. How Can
Complementary Therapies
Help Illnesses like…..
(Lymphedema?)
(A few examples..)

8. Yoga
•Uses stretching, postures and
breathing to help balance the body,
mind and spirit.
•These exercises help promote ease of
movement and lymphatic drainage
following breast cancer treatment

9. (Laughter) Yoga can:
•Flush the lungs and fully oxygenates the blood and major
organs
•Destroy cancer cells in the presence of extra oxygen.
•Trigger the release of endorphins into the bloodstream,
providing immediate pain relief.
•Move lymph fluid around the body simply by the spasms
during laughter- stress switches off the lymphatic system,
laughter can switch it on.

10. Cranio-Sacral/
Lymph Drainage
•Light touch helps release physical tension, encourage psycho-emotional
balance, relieve stress.
•Helpful in addressing: impingement of cranial nerves,
left-right imbalances, head injuries, feelings of compression or pressure,
anxiety, depression, circulatory disorders
•Craniosacral has no contraindications for those affected by primary
breast cancer.
•Manual manipulation of the lymphatic ducts consists of gentle,
rhythmic massaging of the skin to stimulate the flow of lymph and its
return to the blood circulation system.
http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/craniosacral-therapy

11. One Perspective
Current Medical Practice-
Integrative Practice
evolving to >>>>>
Health is most often considered to be Health is seen as a vital state of
the absence of disease >>>>> physical, mental, social and spiritual
wellbeing, which enables a person to
be engaged in life
The physician tends to act as the The physician acts as a partner in the
authority figure >>>>> patient’s care
The patient is encouraged to follow The empowered and informed patient
the physician’s directions >>>>> is an integral part of the decision-
making process
The interventions are often directed Intervention designed to treat the
only towards the treatment of a illness as well as the whole person,
specific disease or trauma >>>>> addressing physical, mental,
emotional, social and spiritual factors
that influence health & disease.

12. Pause
&
Breathe

13. Evaluative Research
Measure
‘Before & After’
Shifts in Participant Health
Outcomes

14. Pathways Participants Self Assessment: Shifting From Crisis to Well-being
Within each set of indicators, participants showed significant shifts in improved well being and emotional health.
Ritenbaugh et al, BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 29;11:135. Thompson et al, BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 29;11(1):136

15. Pathways: From Crisis to Well-being
+146%
26 64
OVERWHELMED EMPOWERED
+100%
33 66
ANXIOUS CALM
+119%
26 57
EXHAUSTED ENERGIZED
+77%
39 69
HOPELESS HOPEFUL
Ritenbaugh et al, BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 29;11:135.
Thompson et al, BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Dec 29;11(1):136

16. Renewing Life
Partnering with Mind/Body/Spirit
Nourishing Relationships
Restoring Spirit
Expressing Feelings
Making Meaning
Creating Healing Spaces
Loving Life
Celebrating a Renewed Life

17. Opportunities for You
I. Renewing Life Program
 8 weeks, 2 ½ hours/week
 3 Day Weekend Retreat
I. Become a Renewing Life Facilitator
 Training program and co-facilitator field training

18. Pathways Renewing Life Program Outcomes

19. “I often compare getting a serious
diagnosis to landing in a foreign
country needing to learn the
language and learn it well because
your life may depend on it.
Pathways is the map - the
dictionary - the guidebook to the
language – whatever your new
language may be.
It’s the place where you’re
accepted - comforted - touched -
listened to. It is peaceful. It is
caring. It is hope.”
Pathways Participant

20. Staff -
Please enjoy this plant as an
appreciation -a huge token of
thanks for all that I’ve
experienced here. I found the
name of the plant fitting:
“Watch It Grow”.
Thanks for helping put
Humpty Dumpty back
together again.
Pathways Participant

21. Tim@pathwaysmpls.org
www.pathwaysminneapolis.org