Psychotherapist's Journal - Thoughts and Tools to Inspire Wellness in Mind and Body - by Karen Gorrin

Upcoming Retreat for Women Living with Fibromyalgia

The Abundant Wellness Retreat is a three-day gathering of pacific northwest women with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

I originally posted about this program back in January, and this post is an update about this very exciting and innovative program!

You are coordially invited to retreat from the stress of daily life and focus exclusively on yourself! As an Abundant Wellness Retreat participant, you will enjoy support and educational programs, whole food meals, gentle yoga and labyrinth walks, and plenty of time for rest and renewal -- all in a beautiful, retreat setting on the south shore of the hood canal.

This retreat has been designed especially for women living with fibromyalgia. Special attention will be given to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of fibromyalgia. The program will be facilitated by mind/body psychotherapist Karen Gorrin, together with yoga instructor Melode Brewer. Both are experienced working with people living with chronic illness.

As a participant, you will learn and practice tools for reducing stress such as yoga, meditation, and guided imagery. You will learn about mind/body approaches to enhance your outlook even in the face of pain and despair. And, there will be opportunity to share stories of hope and courage, as together we create a community of Abundant Wellness women.

For more infomation, or to request an application, click here.

All About Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue: The Mind/Body Connection

Last night I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and hear Jacob Teitelbaum, MD speak about Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue at the Seattle Public Library. Teitelbaum is the medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Centers and is a patient consultant that specializes in the treatment of these conditions. He also authored From Fatigued to Fantastic among other titles.

The focus of Dr. Teitlebaum's talk was the treatment protocol he refers to as SHIN: Sleep, Hormonal Deficiencies, Infections, and Nutritional Deficiencies. If FMS/CFS are an "energy crisis," Dr. Teitelbaum believes it's possible to turn the circuit breakers back ON. Included in his talk was reference to the Mind/Body connection. Here are the qualities Dr. Teitelbaum tends to see in the psychology of his patients:

Low Self Esteem
Overachiever Seeking Approval Where It's Never Received
Trying to be All Things to All People
Taking Care of Others at the Expense of the Self
Unable to say NO

From my own clinical experience, I agree with his conclusions. I'll take a step further to say that the majority of clients I have seen with a FMS/CFS diagnosis have also lived with chronic stress, often related to childhood neglect or abuse, or due to a sudden traumatic event, and many describe poor attachment to their primary caregivers, a contributing factor to developing chronic stress and the sense of aloneness and uncertainty about oneself and the world.

Naturally, this profile does NOT match everyone diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue. But it does point to common mind/body aspects of the illness for many people. It also suggests the necessity of a multi-modality approach to healing.

I consistently use the mind/body psychotherapy Lifespan Integration when working with clients with the kind of trauma described above. Lifespan Integration helps to heal past hurts without re-traumatizing. It is especially helpful for relieving anxiety, lifting depression, and helping people re-connect with themselves and their bodies. Mindfulness Meditation also helps to reduce stress and restore people's ability to connect with themselves, and to self soothe. I believe these treatment modalities, when used together with protocols like the SHIN recommendations, can offer a very gentle yet powerful healing.

Thank you, Dr. Teilebaum, for recognizing the deep connection of mind and body in the healing journey from illness to wholeness. It was a pleasure to meet you!

Announcing Abundant Wellness Retreats

I founded Olive Tree Healing Arts with the vision to offer workshops and retreats. That's why I am excited to write about the first of these projects, the Abundant Wellness Retreat For Women Living with Fibromyalgia. We will offer two pacific northwest sessions in 2007. The dates are April 27-29 and September 28-30.

Joining me to facilitate these retreats will be Melode Brewer, my friend, colleague, and yoga instructor. Melode is one of those special people who create calm and peace just by entering a room. I feel blessed to be working with her again, and I believe retreat participants will also benefit from her presence and gentle approach.

We are equally blessed to have reserved Harmony Hill Retreat Center as our venue. Located on the south shore of the Hood Canal with spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains, Harmony Hill is the ideal setting for healing mind, body, and spirit. I encourage you to take a look at their website and you will see what I mean. I have also included a photo here to give you an idea of the beautiful setting.

Why Abundant Wellness Retreats? Having worked in psychosocial oncology for several years, I have been impressed with the community's commitment to provide psycho-social-spiritual support services to people with a cancer diagnosis. I have also been saddened to notice the lack of such support programs for people living with other chronic and life-threatening conditions. The Abundant Wellness Retreat was created to help fill this gap.

While our first retreats are designed for women living with Fibromyalgia, the vision is to offer Abundant Wellness retreats for people living with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Lupus, and other conditions that benefit from gentle movement and reducing stress. The retreats will also serve to connect people with others who share part of their life experience. It is believed that our perception of the quality of our support community has a good deal of influence on our health and well-being. What better way to strengthen one's support community than to connect with people who "get it"?

Please contact me if you would like to help bring an Abundant Wellness Retreat to your community. More information can be found on my website. Here is the brochure: Download abundant_wellness_brochure_fibromyalgia_final.pdf