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Full Catastrophe Living --Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness
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- Last Updated: 25 November 2015 25 November 2015
Full Catastrophe Living—Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. ISBN: 0385303122.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., is one of the most recognizable names in the field of mindfulness meditation and its clinical applications. Dr. Kabat-Zinn is the Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. The Stress Reduction Clinic, founded by Kabat-Zinn in 1979, has drawn thousands of participants. Patients seek help to cope with health problems or stressful life situations.
This review focuses on Dr. Kabat-Zinn's first book, Full Catastrophe Living—Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. This book was designed to give the reader full access to the training program offered at the stress clinic. Our goal is to introduce this type of alternative material for your general information.
In the title, the word catastrophe refers the enormity or magnitude of one’s life experiences (i.e., stressful situations at work, home, or in relationships; the high-paced activity and busyness of daily life; and all the emotional activity that will result from these events).
At the core of Dr. Kabat-Zinn's program is the practice of mindfulness, a form of meditation originating from an ancient Buddhist tradition. Another term for mindfulness is “moment-to-moment awareness”, or paying attention to what is going on in one’s life, to what is going on in one’s body, and getting to know oneself.
In the book, we find that mindful breathing is the first fundamental technique used in meditation (i.e., focusing the breath moving in and out of the body).
We then learn to pay attention to sensations within the body though a technique called the “body-scan”. According to Dr. Kabat-Zinn, this technique is often used for patients who have chronic pain. A “body-scan” involves lying down in a comfortable, quiet setting, and using the mind to focus through the body, section by section (feet, legs, thighs, abdomen and so on). Within each section, we notice how it feels (including areas which may be very painful), and then redirect the focus back to breathing (letting the body soften and relax). This continues with each body part until the entire body is relaxed.
The book separates information into five main categories, delving into extensive detail about the philosophy of health, the relationship of the mind to body, stressors people might face, types of health problems that might develop, and ways to react to all of the above.
The first section provides the foundation for mindful meditation and includes many exercises to aid in meditation. Instructions and illustrations for specific techniques such as the “body-scan”, mentioned above, and a sequence of yoga postures are well described and easy to follow. The book not only explains how to do these postures (with appropriate cautionary notes on things which may not be suitable for some individuals) but it also explains what happens in the mind and body when engaging in “mindful hatha” yoga (the style used in the stress clinic). Yoga “is” meditation, according to Kabat-Zinn, and this particular style consists of gentle stretching and strengthening movements, done mindfully and purposefully, and within one’s own limits. The type of yoga he prescribes should never be competitive or focus on doing, pushing, or progressing.
The downside of this book is that there is quite a lot to read and learn about mindfulness meditation, therefore the book is quite wordy. Dr. Kabat-Zinn also incorporates numerous examples and situations from the Stress Reduction Clinic throughout the book. He describes extensively patients' medical backgrounds and feelings about their illnesses. This may appeal to some readers, especially those who seek to relate to other people’s experience.
But others may find this style too wordy and detailed, making it tiring to read and absorb. Nevertheless, the benefits of the information, insights, and skills that can be gained from this book will outweigh the negative aspects for most people. Dr. Kabat-Zinn’s readers can find this book and other material in a CD version as well as video presentations.
[Editor’s note: Since yoga has become very popular, classes in various styles are widely offered at the YMCA, wellness centers, and/or senior centers, just to name a few. This book can be very helpful when evaluating programs suitable for ME/CFS and fibromyalgia and other serious chronic health conditions. Some styles of yoga can be very intense, requiring one to maintain precise poses for long periods of time. Bickram yoga is practiced in a very hot environment (95 to 100 degree room), enabling profuse sweating thought to produce cleansing. These may be suitable for advanced yoga enthusiasts or young and healthy participants, but these are not compatible with the Kabat-Zinn program. Be sure to get a clear description and understanding about any class that you are considering, and ask if instructors offer the type of yoga practice prescribed by Kabat-Zinn.]
Massachusetts Premiere of INVISIBLE draws supportive and appreciative audience
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- Last Updated: 09 November 2015 09 November 2015
INVISIBLE
A film by Rik Carlson and Michael Thurston
Film description
Imagine what it’s like to be so sick you cannot function. Imagine there is no known pathology for your illness, only symptoms. Imagine you are too weak to find your own voice...and because you are silent and confused, your physician says “it’s all in your head.” Imagine. Because your illness is invisible, you disappear.
INVISIBLE gives voice to a select group of Vermonters who are gravely ill, and until now, have been out of sight. You will hear first person accounts from your neighbors as they talk about living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, (CFS), Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) , Fibromyalgia (FM), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME). The disease with a thousand names and no known cause or cure.
You will hear the devastating impact this illness wields, not only for those who suffer the symptoms, but for those who are left trying to understand what their loved ones are experiencing. This is a film for millions of people around the globe from your Vermont neighbors around the corner...tenacious Vermont neighbors who struggle against unimaginable odds to make their voices heard.
They are just like us, except they got sick, and they are tired of being INVISIBLE.
Discussion on the background of the film
Rik Carlson, Founder Vermont CFIDS Association
Why did you make this film?
“Because CFIDS is dismissed, relegated to hysterical women, passed off as depression, and not taught in medical schools, in most, if not all cases, patients worsen dramatically ... While this disease alone is immensely debilitating, the disregard and misdiagnoses by people of authority causes even more catastrophic results. When the true disease is denied, families are destroyed. When it’s accepted, recovery programs can be developed and healing can begin."
Who is this film’s audience?
“It is very important to share our personal stories. This film is for parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, employers, and physicians. Let the healing begin."
Michael Thurston, Vermont Filmmaker
"I am lucky enough to be well. I have watched my friend, Rik Carlson, struggle for years to return to his normal life. I knew him when he was well. The difference in the Rik I knew then versus the Rik I know now is so dramatic, had I not known the before and after, it would be hard to believe."
"INVISIBLE is the accidental movie. We aimed cameras at people who had stories to tell, not knowing what they would say. They spoke through the depths of illness, straight from their hearts. Little did any of us know how powerful their collective statement would be. None of them are INVISIBLE now."
Broader Q&A
Rik Carlson, Michael Thurston, Dr. Alan Gurwitt
Rik: Vermont CFIDS Association has developed a focus on medical education. Components include: developing a relationship with the Vermont Department of Public Health (DPH); developing a medical scholarship program; developing a patient registry; and working with DPH on physician education with Dr. Kenneth Friedman et al. (including Dr. Alan Gurwitt). A detailed 3-part interview with Dr. Kenneth Friedman is available at the Vermont CFIDS Association website.
Rik highlighted the critical need to change the name CFS to something more descriptive like ME/CFS, by putting the emphasis on ME, the term used internationally for CFS. He noted the inter-connection of overlapping illnesses like Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome, and Lyme disease.
Rik suggested we consider approaching pharmaceutical companies, like Pfizer Drug Co. (makers of Lyrica) to help fund education for doctors, medical providers and patients. He also suggested we consider nutraceuticals as supplements. They have helped him.
Alan: There are many people with ME/CFS—at least .42-1% of population have ME/CFS, and 2-3 times as many have FM. Alan is working with Dr. Kenneth Friedman (from the New Jersey CFS Association) and a group of international clinicians to create a Primer on ME/CFS for health care professionals, initially for ME/CFS in adults and hopefully a second Primer for ME/CFS in children.
All panelists urged the audience to get involved in Advocacy/ Public Policy efforts at local and national levels. It can start with you, your family and friends, and local support groups getting involved. It can expand to local and regional medical providers and public health departments.
Most Public Policy on ME/CFS is set federally. Federal Legislators control research funding at National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The panel urged that patients with these illnesses get involved in national advocacy campaigns like: CFIDS Association of America (CAA), International Association of CFS/ME (IACFS/ME), and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee (CFSAC).
Rik noted that our appeal for action is profound. It is very true that each one of us can do something, anything from the confines of our illness (i.e. letter writing) and it is important for us all to understand that even the smallest effort will have impact and garner results. As it's been said, our strength is and will be, in our numbers. Turning the tides of modern medicine is no small task.
For further information on the film, go to the INVISIBLE website.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
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- Last Updated: 25 November 2015 25 November 2015
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
By Pat Fero
(Courtesy of the Wisconsin ME/CFS Association)
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is the perfect book for me. The heft and print size are exactly right. It's not too large and heavy, it is not very long, and the print is very readable. The title causes me to ask the questions: If the snail is wild then who hears it eating? Is that even possible? Why write about a snail eating anyway?
The reviews say the book is “beautiful and moving and funny and sweet and wise and profound.” Did you know that Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s book has just been named to the top ten books of 2010 in Science & Technology by the American Library Association's Book List Editors?
Elisabeth wrote The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating for us . . . for those with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a book written about "being" . . . about observing . . . and about escaping the confines of illness.
Elisabeth is bed bound, moved from her farmhouse to a studio apartment where she has caretakers. A friend sets a small pot filled with violets dug up from the woods beside her bed and says “I found a snail in the woods. I brought it back and it’s right here beneath the violets.” Elisabeth wonders why she would enjoy a snail and what on earth would she do with it? She is unable to get out of bed to return the snail outdoors. Yet, now she is responsible for this tiny living thing. The thought overwhelms her.
WHY? You know the answer. People with incapacitating ME and CFS can barely take care of themselves let alone another living creature. We are confined by illness and the challenges it brings are always with us.
Elisabeth writes on page 5: “When the body is rendered useless, the mind still runs like a bloodhound along well worn trails of neurons, tracking the echoing questions; the confused family of whys, whats, and whens, and their impossibly distant kin how…. Sometimes my mind went blank and listless; at other times it was flooded with storms of thought, unspeakable sadness, and intolerable loss.
I am hooked on this book. I understand what the author is feeling and I want to know more. What about the wild snail?
On page 6: “It was all I could do to get through each moment, and each moment felt like an endless hour, yet days slipped silently passed. Time unused and only endured, still vanished, as if time itself is starving, and each day is swallowed whole, leaving no crumbs, no memory, no trace at all.
Do you feel what she means? Our sense of seconds, hours, days, weeks, months and years change once this devastating illness has hold of us. What about the wild snail?
Chapter 2 is called Discovery. Elisabeth watches the snail. It is alive and moving slowly. On successive mornings, she sees small square holes in scraps of paper, postcards, and envelopes that had been propped against the lamp on the bed table. Thinking that the snail might need some other food, she places withered flowers at the base of the pot. The snail moves to eat. “The sound was of someone very small munching celery continuously…the tiny, intimate sound of the snail’s eating gave me a distinct feeling of companionship and shared space.”
Early on Elisabeth discovers that the snail can move a distance in her bedroom before returning to the flowerpot in the morning. What if someone stepped on its delicate brown shell? Caretakers find a glass terrarium and landscape it with moss, leaves and bits of native plants. Elisabeth reads that snails like to eat mushrooms and a portabella is placed in the “little green kingdom.”
There you have it. Elisabeth cannot get out of bed, but over months she has so many questions about the snail that she lives those questions.
Chapters weave Elisabeth's limits and lack of “functional capacity” with the phenomenal abilities and quiet habits of a snail. Snails live in small colonies, yet they each live very hermit-like lives. “I knew there were other people homebound from illness or injury, scattered here and there throughout rural towns and cities in the world. And as I lay here, I felt a connection to all of them. We too were a colony of hermits.”
Elisabeth Tova Bailey, an observer of Gastropods, read so many books and articles on snails, that she has become somewhat of an expert. On another level, Elisabeth is an expert on living with this devastating illness. It took her four years to write The Sound of A Wild Snail Eating.
I am still thinking about Elisabeth’s observations. This is a good read—realistic—but also inspiring. The book can help educate your family members, your doctor, and your friends about the reality of living with ME or CFS.
Please help spread the word, go to your bookstore, go online, or request The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating at your local library.
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Notice about names
The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS.
Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.