Healing Brain Seminar: September 1990

The Healing Brain
Using the New Science of Mood Medicine

Continuing Education Conferences
New York City, September 22, 1990
Boston, September 23, 1990

Friends, Lovers, and Immunity •  Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D.
Mind/Body Therapies •  Margaret Caudill, M.D., Ph.D.
Seasonal Depression and Light Therapy •  Norman Rosenthal, M.D.
Mood Therapy for Anxiety and Depression  •  David Burns, M.D.
Healthy Altruism •  Robert Ornstein,Ph.D.

Plus, A Special Workshop on Cognitive Therapy
with David Burns, M.D.
Boston, September 24

THE BRAIN MINDS THE BODY, and states of health and disease are profoundly influenced by states of mind. Recent advances in the brain and behavioral sciences confirm that the body is not a mindless machine. While stress may undermine health, certain positive states of mind may build immunity. Understanding the intricate dialog of mind and body opens the way to a variety of practical therapies that can mobilize the healing potential of the brain.

Join us for an exciting day-long conference as a distinguished faculty of leading clinicians and researchers explore emerging trends in mood medicine. Special emphasis will be given to how you can apply the new therapies in clinical practice.

Who Should Attend
The conference is specifically designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, marriage and family counselors, pastoral counselors, health educators, and other clinicians and researchers in the healing or helping services.

Conference Objectives

At the conclusion of this conference, participants will be better able to:

• Understand the impact of stressful events and intimate personal relationships on immune function
• Use psychological interventions to positively influence immune function
• Integrate the relaxation response and other mind/body therapies in the treatment of anxiety, hypertension, chronic pain, and other stress-aggravated conditions
• Diagnose and treat seasonal depression with light therapy and other treatment approaches
• Use cognitive therapy techniques to modify the self-defeating attitudes that lead to anxiety and depression
• Encourage people to adopt selfless attitudes and altruistic behaviors to promote health.

9:00-10:15
Friends, Lovers, and Immunity:
Intimate Relationships and Immune Function
Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D.
There is good evidence that both minor and major stressful events have adverse consequences for immune function. However, during stressful periods the quality of one’s personal relationships can buffer the immunological impact of stressors. Psychological interventions aimed at strengthening social support and relaxation skills may enhance certain aspects of immune function. Learn how the mind and the immune system talk to one another, and how intimate relationships may influence this vital dialog, immunity and health.

Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her major research interests involve the interactions among stress, personal relationships, and immune function. She is author of numerous scientific papers on clinical psychoneuroimmunology.

10:15-11:15
The Relaxation Response:
The Clinical Application of Mind/Body Therapies
Margaret Caudill, M.D., Ph.D.
The relaxation response is an integrated physiological response which appears to counteract the harmful physiological effects of stress. It can be elicited by simple mental techniques and can be used as part of a treatment program for chronic pain, hypertension, infertility, and other stress-aggravated disorders. Learn how to use the relaxation response and other mind/body therapies in the treatment of individuals or in a group intervention model.

Margaret Caudill, M.D., Ph.D., is Director of Specialty Programs in the Section on Behavioral Medicine and the Mind/Body Medical Institute of the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. She is also a consultant in behavioral medicine for Nashua Memorial Hospital and the Hitchcock Clinic in Nashua, N.H. and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical research focuses on the integration of the relaxation response and mind/body therapies in the management of hypertension and chronic pain.

11:30-12:30
Seasons of the Mind:
Seasonal Depression and Its Treatments
Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.
The symptoms are common: depression, withdrawal, low energy, disinterest, and inability to concentrate. The cause for some may be unresolved psychological conflicts, but for many others it may be the lack of light. Nearly 20% of people suffer from the “winter blues,” experiencing marked changes in mood, behavior and physiological functioning associated with changes in the seasons. What causes the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Who gets it, and how can it be diagnosed? Learn about how light treatment can be used to dramatically reverse the depressive symptoms. Learn how other treatments for depression—including psychotherapy, medications, and diet—can be integrated with light therapy.

Norman Rosenthal, M.D., is currently Chief, Unit of Outpatient Services, Clinical Psychobiology Branch, IRP, National Institute of Mental Health and director of light therapy studies at the NIMH. He is a pioneer researcher and clinician in the field of seasonal studies and is author of numerous scientific papers as well as the popular book Seasons of the Mind: Why You Get the Winter Blues & What You Can Do About It.

3:45-5:00
Healthy Altruism:
The Health Benefits of Selfless Pleasures
Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D.
Sometimes the best way to improve yourself is to forget yourself. By caring for and about something outside yourself—whether it be pets, plants, people, politics, or the planet—one may do much more to improve health than many self-centered health promotion regimens. Human beings are social animals. Connecting with and helping others, being part of the larger human organism or social body is vital to health. Learn about the possible benefits of altruism on mood, health and immunity and why it is therapeutic to help people strengthen their social connectedness.

Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D., is President of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge and a lecturer, writer and researcher in the human sciences. His books include The Amazing Brain, The Psychology of Consciousness, The Healing Brain, and Healthy Pleasures.

2:00-3:20
The New Mood Therapy:
Fast and Effective Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
David D. Burns, M.D.
Cognitive therapy is an exciting, efficacious approach in treating mood disorders. A growing body of research data now testifies to the effectiveness of this fast-acting therapy. This practical treatment approach will be illustrated showing how patients can be helped through a systematic training program to gain greater control over the self-defeating attitudes and behavior patterns that lead to anxiety and depression. Also learn how these techniques can help people cope with the anxiety and depression associated with significant medical illness.

David D. Burns, M.D., is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a practicing psychiatrist at Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia. He is one of the pioneer developers of cognitive therapy for anxiety, depression and marital problems and the author of numerous scientific articles as well as the best-selling books Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, Intimate Connections, and most recently The Feeling Good Handbook.

Course Coordinators:
Margaret Caudill, M.D., Ph.D.
Charles Swencionis, Ph.D.

A growing body of research data affirms the effectiveness of cognitive therapy for treating anxiety and depression. More and more clinicians are integrating these powerful techniques into their work.

Cognitive therapy is based on the premise that patients can learn to increase control over their emotions. Through a systematic training program aimed at modifying self-defeating attitudes and behavior patterns, patients can learn fast-acting techniques for avoiding unhealthy emotions and fostering self-acceptance.

In this workshop, David D. Burns, M.D., a principal developer and practitioner of cognitive therapy, will teach you how to use this powerful approach in the treatment of mood disorders. You will come away with new approaches for helping the difficult patient and ways of maintaining your own emotional well-being.

Who should attend
This workshop is specifically designed to enhance the skills of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage and family counselors, pastoral counselors, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, health educators, and others in the healing or helping services. Participants are encouraged to bring questions on typical problems in their own practices.

The Program

Fast and Effective Treatments for Anxiety and Depression
In this part of the workshop you’ll learn practical approaches to helping patients modify the distorted thinking patterns that lead to depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety disorders such as phobias and panic attacks.

Helping the Difficult Patient
In this session you’ll learn how to establish rapport with angry, demanding patients through developing empathy. You’ll also learn how to develop the spirit of cooperation with resistant, uncooperative patients through agenda-setting strategies.

Healing the Healer
Dealing with difficult patients can provoke the therapist to feel at times angry, frustrated, guilty, inadequate, depressed, or overwhelmed. In this part of the workshop learn how cognitive therapy techniques can help you better manage your own feelings and foster more effective therapeutic collaboration.

David D. Burns, M.D., is a gifted teacher and inspired workshop leader. He is one of the pioneers in the development of cognitive therapy for anxiety, depression, and marital problems.

He is the best-selling author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, Intimate Connections, and The Feeling Good Handbook. A winner of the prestigious A. E. Bennett Award for research on the chemistry of emotional distress, Dr. Burns is now Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and a practicing psychiatrist at the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia.