Mini Medical School 2008
Spiritual Medicine: Sacred Traditions from Around the World
The Health & Healing Center announces its 11th annual Roberta E. Neustadter Mini Medical School in Integrative Medicine, a free public lecture series. The series will present religious, spiritual and cultural traditions from around the world that can foster healing, give insight and meaning to our lives, and bring us closer to the sacred. This unique community education program is made possible through the generous support of Roberta E. Neustadter.
April 2
Introduction
William B. Stewart, MD
Co-founder and Medical Director, Institute for Health & Healing
Giving Spirit Form
Ellen Fishburn and Paul Jaffe
Practitioners of the Red Road Approach to healing
This evening's lecture will introduce the practices of self-inquiry and journeywork along with the Native American healing principles of prayer, song, ceremony and community to facilitate healing. Each of these tools are doorways to our essential selves and our relationship to Spirit. They can help us soften habitual defenses that keep us stuck and separate from ourselves, each other and the world. We can learn to use whatever arises in our lives to nourish our spirit's natural, organic movement towards healing and wholeness.
Ellen and Paul are not Native Americans by blood, but have each been adopted by Lakota/Dakota elders through a traditional ceremony. Ellen is a pipe carrier and Sundancer and Paul is a traditional singer. Together with members of their community, Ellen and Paul will give us a direct experience of the power of prayer and song to facilitate healing.
Shamanic Journeying
Michael Harner, PhD
Author and Founder, Foundation for Shamanic Studies
Over tens of thousands of years and in every culture, our ancestors discovered how to maximize the mind and spirit for healing and problem-solving. At the heart of Shamanism is the art of journeying, a simple way to enter non-ordinary reality for problem-solving and healing. As an anthropologist and one of the world’s leading authorities on shamanism, Michael will explore this rich tradition of spiritual communication and describe his healing work.
We are very fortunate to be joined by Michael, who is global leader bridging the worlds of indigenous shamanism and the contemporary West. His work has been pivotal in the movement to return shamanic healing to the spiritual life of people around the world. Honoring the oral tradition of indigenous shamans, Michael has conveyed his shamanic knowledge first-hand through teaching and experiential work for over 25 years.
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April 9
The Truth and Grace of Sikhism
Sat Kartar Khalsa-Ramey, MA, ACPE Supervisor
Director of Hospital Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education, Institute for Health & Healing
The Sikh religious tradition emphasizes a path of devotion, hope, optimism, humanity and social obligation. Based on a belief in one God, Sikhism recognizes the equality of all human beings, and holds that every person can develop a deeply meaningful relationship with God, self and community. Sat Kartar will introduce three Sikh principles and meditation practices, and share how they can promote a healthy, happy and holy life.
Sat Kartar brings a quiet strength and reflective, calming presence to Mini Medical School. She is an ordained minister in the Sikh religious tradition and is the Director of Hospital Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education at California Pacific Medical Center.
(The CD's used during Sat Kartar's talk were "This Embrace" by Kirtana and "Grace" by Snatam Kaur).
Jewish Perspectives on Healing
Rabbi Eric Weiss, MAHL
Executive Director, Bay Area Jewish Healing Center
Jewish tradition is filled with insights about how our body and soul are interconnected. From our first breath to our last, we move through life's joys and challenges, and gain wisdom. Come for an evening of reflection on Jewish insights into the sacred.
Rabbi Eric is an engaging and insightful speaker. He is the executive director of the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, and is formally trained in Jewish education, clinical pastoral care and spiritual direction.
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April 16
Healing the Heart: The Labyrinth as a Tool for Transformation
Lauren Artress, MA, DMin
Author, Psychotherapist and Founder/Creative Director of Veriditas
(A labyrinth will be available at this evening’s lecture beginning at 6pm).
The labyrinth is an ancient pattern that has been used in many cultures around the world as a tool for walking meditation. These cultures understood the use of symbols and imagination in healing the body, reconciling past hurts of the heart and opening our creative impulses.
Reverend Lauren Artress, PhD is an Episcopal Priest and Canon of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Lauren’s own spiritual journey led her to the Chartres Cathedral in France, where she rediscovered the labyrinth meditation, eventually reintroducing it back into Christian tradition and Western culture. She will illuminate how walking the labyrinth is a healing practice that guides our thoughts and imaginations toward health and wholeness.
Buddhist Teachings for a Modern Life
Sylvia Boorstein, PhD
Author and Founding Teacher, Spirit Rock Meditation Center
According to the Buddha, the path of kindness is the path of happiness. Sylvia Boorstein, whose conversational writing style has made her a bestselling author, will discuss her new book, Happiness Is an Inside Job: Buddhist Teachings for a Modern Life. Over the course of the evening, she will demonstrate how everyday generosity and making/mending mistakes can connect us deeply to our own inner goodness.
Sylvia is an insightful storyteller who teaches with warmth and wit. She is a co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and a meditation teacher. She integrates traditional Buddhist teachings with stories from her own life as a way to ‘take on life on life’s terms’. Using experiential learning, she reveals how the practice of mindfulness—paying attention in everyday life—can lead to generosity, wisdom and energy.
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April 23
A Spiritual Understanding of Islam
Maha ElGenaidi
Founder, CEO and President of Islamic Networks Group
Map of the Spirit: Treatment of Spiritual Disease
Michael Cantwell, MD, MPH
Integrative Medicine Physician, Health & Healing Clinic
Michael Cantwell, MD has uncovered universal concepts and stages of spirituality that cross all faith traditions and unite us in a common process of spiritual growth. As a nationally renowned integrative medicine physician, Michael practices holistic medicine, founded on the premise that physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of health all contribute to our well-being. With bright humor and clear language, Michael will help clarify when (and how much) spirituality is affecting your health.
As an engaging speaker and healthcare visionary, Michael will unveil a new model of human spiritual development which arose from years of clinical practice at the Health & Healing Clinic in San Francisco. This paradigm, outlined in his new book, Map of the Spirit, allows individuals to determine the true importance of spirituality in your life and health, your level of spiritual engagement, and how you can best foster your own spiritual health.
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Info & Registration
Mini Medical School will be held on Wednesday April 2, 9, 16 and 23, 2008 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in San Francisco. There is no charge for the lectures though pre-registration is required and space is limited. Register online or leave a message on our Mini Medical School hotline at (415) 600-2120. Parking is available for a fee at both the JCC and the UCSF Laurel Heights campus. Nursing CEUs are available.
If you have further questions about Mini Medical School, please contact Kamala Tully at (415) 600-3745.
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