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Feeling Safe Again
Mindful meditation can ease stress and promote healing.
Ronelle Grier I Contributing Writer
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
It took a breast cancer diagnosis in
1994 and a recurrence five years later to
make Dr. Ruth Lerman realize the impor-
tance of mindfulness as a method of
physical and emotional healing. When she
learned her disease had returned, despite
the most up-to-date and comprehensive
medical care, her sense of security began
to slip away.
"The first time, I acted like a doctor,"
said Lerman, an internist who special-
izes in breast health at the William
Beaumont Breast Care Center in Royal
Oak and serves as medical director of the
Beaumont Silver Linings Cancer Survivors
program. "The second time, I felt more
like most of my patients — scared. I felt
the need to look beyond the doctors'
offices for a way to feel safe again"
Learning To Cope
Lerman, who had already completed yoga
teacher training, began studying MBSR
with its founder, Jon Kabat-Zinn, profes-
sor of medicine emeritus and founding
director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and
the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine,
Health Care and Society at the University
of Massachusetts Medical School.
Then Lerman began conducting classes
and workshops for a variety of par-
ticipants, including cancer patients and
medical students.
"I found profound healing benefits for
myself, and I wanted to share it" she said,
adding that MBSR is widely respected
within the traditional medical community
as a successful means of coping with a
variety of conditions in addition to stress.
MBSR is a secular behavioral medi-
cine program based on the psychologi-
cal concept of mindfulness, defined by
Kabat-Zinn as "moment-to-moment, non-
judgmental awareness." Its effectiveness
has been confirmed by numerous studies
published in various scientific and medi-
cal journals.
"There is extensive [medical and scien-
tific] research documenting the benefits
of MBSR for individuals suffering with
anxiety, depression, psoriasis, cancer,
professional burnout, fibromyalgia, rheu-
matoid arthritis, chronic pain and eating
disorders, to name a few;' Lerman states
on her website.
28 January 2 • 2014
JP'
Dr. Ruth Lerman leads a yoga session.
Shalem Program
A few years ago, Lerman began offering the
course, called "Shalem Stress Reduction:'
to the general public at Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills. Each ses-
sion includes eight weeknight classes, plus
an all-day retreat held the Sunday before
the last class. A free informational session is
held before each session begins.
The course is co-taught by Rabbi Aaron
Bergman of Adat Shalom, who emphasizes
that, while it is not a specifically Jewish
program, it complements Jewish beliefs and
values.
"MBSR is about the integration of body,
mind and soul, and Judaism has teach-
ings about body awareness and gratitude
Bergman said. "It also provides a way to
help people who are suffering"
While Bergman was introduced by
Lerman to MBSR only a few years ago, he
has been meditating on an almost-daily
basis since age 9, a practice he learned from
his parents.
"For me, it's a way of feeling my emo-
tions in a healthy way, without repressing or
judging them:' Bergman said. "It's a way to
look them [emotions] in the eye and make
friends"
There are weekly individual "homework"
assignments, which include practicing the
Future Stress Reduction Classes
A
series will be held from 6:30-
9 p.m. Wednesday evenings,
Jan. 22-March 19 (no class on
Feb. 19) at Franklin Athletic Club, 29350
Northwestern Highway, Southfield. An
all-day retreat (open to current and former
MBSR students) will be held 9:30 a.m.-5
p.m. Sunday, March 9. Cost: $350.
Those interested in participating are
asked to attend one of the following intro-
ductory/registration sessions: 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 8, or Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Cancer Survivors Program
Silver Linings is a mindfulness-based stress
reduction program for female cancer survi-
vors, including those currently undergoing
treatment. Led by Dr. Ruth Lerman, this
free course addresses common concerns
such as fear of recurrence, body image and
sexuality, and "chemo brain," a condition
affecting memory and/or thinking that
sometimes occurs as a result of chemo-
therapy.
The program, held at Royal Oak
Beaumont Hospital, includes eight Tuesday
evening sessions and one all-day retreat the
weekend between the sixth and seventh
classes.
All participants receive CDs of the medi-
tation and yoga practices taught in class to
support home practice, a crucial compo-
nent of the program's success.
Interested candidates must attend an
informational registration session before
starting the program. Free. For informa-
tion, contact pjablonski@beaumont.edu
or call (248) 551-4645.
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techniques learned in class as well as new
concepts, such as the "mindful meal" This
involves eating alone, slowly and deliber-
ately, without television, music, cell phones
or other distractions. Lerman believes the
individual exercises are enhanced by the
group setting.
"The power of being with other people
who are also working on difficult things,
along with the blend of wisdom and com-
passion, makes the group a safe and accept-
ing place she said.
Some of the exercises focus on relation-
ships and how to change negative pat-
terns of communication and behavior.
Participants are encouraged to take time
when responding to challenging people and
situations instead of reacting automatically
and angrily.
"I believe I am able to respond to people
with a more open heart because I feel more
comfortable with myself and in my own
skin," said Laurel Fink of West Bloomfield,
a participant in one of Lerman's MBSR
courses.
While Lerman and Bergman agree that
MBSR can help a wide variety of people,
they emphasize it is not a "quick fix" nor a
way to avoid stress by tuning out the world.
"Meditation is not just about relaxing;
sometimes it's also about dealing with all
the things that irritate you ... it can be the
opposite of escaping" Bergman said.
Lerman added that, while those going
through life-changing events, such as seri-
ous illness or divorce, are often more primed
to make lasting changes, almost anyone can
benefit from mindful meditation.
"I think the most valuable thing I have
learned from MBSR is that by facing down
and giving full attention and honor to the
`negative' feelings I have or difficult chal-
lenges I face, I am able to regulate my
responses without feeling overwhelmed"
Fink said.
Participants agree one of the most valu-
able lessons was learning to focus on the
present moment, without judgment, instead
of mentally fast-forwarding to the next chal-
lenge or imagined crisis.
"We catastrophize and believe we are
suffering all sorts of things that haven't hap-
pened or may not ever happen," Lerman
said. "MBSR gives us the chance to reel our
minds back in."
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For more information, contact
shalemstressreduction@gmail.com or go to
www.shalemstressreduction.com .