Medical Staffs/Clinics

Use of Practices in a Hospital
—Mary Ann Steffes, R. N., Wisconsin

Hospital Work
I am an R. N. by profession and work as Night Shift Manager at a large hospital. My practicum in the Healing and Transformation program has included staff and patients at the hospital where I work. With agitated psychiatric patients I have used breath work, massage, and acupressure. In critical life threatening situations I have used touch and grounding touch. I have used the techniques of breath and touch by holding patients' hands between mine as I help them calm and center and then proceed to start treatments such as Elvis The results have been powerful. One young person was reluctant to let go of my hand, yet earlier she was glad to have me leave her space!

In collaboration with The Center To BE in Wisconsin, I have begun a series of four one-hour workshops with staff at a residential halfway house for persons with mental health diagnoses and have conducted a session entitled "Beginning Self-Healing Practices for Body, Mind and Spirit" for twelve women in Fond du Lac who were interested in learning how to take better care of themselves.

In the process of teaching mind, body, spirit healing practices, the learning for me has been the process and practice, not the perfection of an art form or discipline. In teaching this to a group of twelve women, I stressed not judging themselves, or the feelings that arose, or their "performance" of the Tai Chi moves. I instructed them to honor what they felt and continue to breathe and let go. One woman in the group came up to me and thanked me profusely, saying she felt so free to be herself and felt so respected. She did not have to be perfect. She shared this with her eyes brimming with tears.

The staff I am working with at a halfway house (a transitional care house for persons with a mental health disorder) is like a sponge, so eager to take it all in. They share how they have used the techniques with clients. They posted the finger holds on their message board and use this with clients. In our last meeting they were brainstorming which techniques would work best with a particular client who ingests objects, such as spoons and batteries. This client's mother is terminal and they were looking for specific strategies she could use in coping with her mother's dying. Finger holds were part of the plan because she can do this and no one would know what she was doing. It was imperative she remain in control and feel empowered.

In my work area, I have opportunities to share these healing practices. One woman in particular has a history of having been sexually abused as a teenager. Now a member of her extended family has sexually abused her daughter who is developmentally challenged. The whole family pretends the abuse never happened. As Easter approached, the family gathering was becoming a frightening experience. We talked about boundaries and safety, and the need to be truthful about feelings and the need to honor oneself. I taught her the finger holds, breathing and meditation. We talked about connecting with her God and breathing in God's love as she balanced the strong feelings.

Just a few days ago she shared with me how good she felt about herself and that she was making progress in dealing with her family. Her self-esteem is so much improved and her personal strength is very evident. She practiced the finger holds while in Mass. Her prayer while doing the holds was for God to help her remain humble yet strong. She shared her awareness of her wisdom, value and worth. I was moved to tears by her sharing.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this year of learning. The Capacitar training has been a tremendous educational experience and a powerful personal growth experience. I have applied the body, mind, and spirit teachings to my practice of nursing and the results have been tremendous. I approach patients, critical events, and difficult situations in a whole new manner. I ground myself and breathe deeply and know I am capable and have all that I need. I have moved from judgment to compassion. I am open-minded and look beyond what seems obvious and ask God to come into this place within me so I can serve and minister more fully. I have been told that my compassion is "fierce" as I have become an advocate for empowering individuals and raising the consciousness of us in health care as we encounter more and more broken and wounded persons. I am in awe of the hunger and thirst for the practices we teach and share. Even more gratifying are the results as evidenced by the visible changes in the people we serve.

Capacitar Practices at an Outreach Clinic for the Uninsured
—Jayne Ader, Therapist, Wisconsin

Our Outreach Clinic provides free services for the uninsured. About eighty percent of our patient population is Latino. The majority of this population speaks only Spanish. On a daily basis sixty percent of our patients attend the clinic for the first time.

The clinical team was finding that many patients come to us with high levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. This is demonstrated through both emotional and physical manifestations. Many people feel overwhelmed by the fast-paced North American culture. People feel isolated by the language and cultural barriers. Separation from family and cultural support systems greatly enhances this isolation. Due also to the intense manual labor that many of our patients participate in on a daily basis they come to the clinic with severe muscular tension.

Thus we are constantly seeking effective ways of helping people learn or reconnect with skills to work through both their physical and emotional issues. For this reason I chose to offer the Capacitar modalities to our patient population.

History:
Three different approaches were used to share these valuable practices. The same day that the patients came for medical attention the Nurse Practitioner or other providers would refer the patient to me to teach one-on-one practices, such as acupressure, Thought Field Therapy, and visualization. The patient could immediately use the practices to address their current issue.

As part of the community outreach project we offer a Neuromuscular Integrative Action (NIA) course. This allows the people to engage in a positive exercise experience. NIA combines positive imagery with dance, yoga, and movement. At the end of each NIA course we have been able to integrate Tai Chi movements. It is a way to enhance the meditative aspect of NIA.
The third approach was to offer various Capacitar classes in which the community could participate. In these classes I used the Tai Chi movements, Finger Holds, Deep Breathing exercises, Acupressure, Visualization techniques and hand-foot massage.

Outcomes:
Most participants experienced a change in their physical or emotional state. The following comments give indications of these changes:

Pre-Capacitar Comments:
I come with a sore neck and I would like to avoid taking Ibuprofen.
I feel depressed and suffer from low energy.
I feel the need for connection. I felt isolated.
I have had a headache for three days.

Post Capacitar Comments:
My neck feels much better. I do not need a pill now.
I feel energized.
I feel hopeful.
This is the first time my head has felt so clear in a while.

Evaluation:
In the courses offered to the community there were twenty participants in total. Five of these participated in more than one course. Six Capacitar courses were offered.
Twenty Tai Chi segments were added to the NIA course. Over 100 people were taught practices one-on-one.

I continue to seek ways in which the modalities that I have learned in can best meet the needs and schedules of our patients and the south side community. The variety of ways in which Capacitar can be adapted allows more people to utilize these wellness techniques. The participants have enjoyed the courses and have used them as a forum to share their own healing knowledge. It is fascinating to hear practices from places such as Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico. The biggest barrier to fully sharing the Capacitar program is my own trust and comfort level with expressing the dynamic of energy. As I continue my own practices I feel that my confidence will grow. Thus the sharing of these techniques can expand and become more profound.

Hospital Work with Behavioral Health and Therapy Groups
—Lucy Christopoulos, R. N., Psychotherapist, Wisconsin

My Capacitar group has been meeting at our hospital weekly for one hour over the past ten months. Group members are patients in the behavioral health partial hospitalization program and attend various therapy groups daily. The group is entitled "Holistic Health Promotion", is co-ed with members ranging in age from 16 to 85 years. They are being treated for a wide variety of problems, but generally include symptoms of anxiety and\or depression. I chose this group because of the accessibility for me to be able to continue on an on-going basis initially; however, with the good reception that I have experienced by providing this group, I feel mental illness cannot be treated solely with cognitive therapy and medication to be completely successful. The Capacitar practices offer individuals increased control and comfort with their "disease".

My greatest challenge faced is the continual turnover in group members with fluctuating lengths of stays. Members participate in our group anywhere from one to six times, so I like to expand with more practices with returning members as well as introduce to new members the basic concepts.

The practices that I use vary according to member needs and capabilities. Breathwork and guided imagery I use with new members, connecting it to the medical model with some discussion of mind-body-spirit premises. With repeat members I add acupressure and energy tapping. Sometimes I get special requests to repeat previous topics or the group naturally heads toward where it needs to go, so I keep the format flexible.

I receive my feedback informally from about one quarter of the group either directly from the members following the group or by report from other staff. Comments have been quite positive, generally focused on how members like an alternative choice to pills that are readily within their grasp. Following breathwork and relaxation techniques, it is typical for members to start sharing how simple and effective this works immediately. I have received several follow-up calls weeks later from members in gratitude for adding this new comfort to their lives that they have continued to practice and expand on their own.

The most recent anecdote of this is from a woman who left me a voice message over the weekend saying how she needed additional medication to control her "new manic feelings"—this woman adds new symptoms on a regular basis and has made it the primary focus in her life, so it was a very typical message that I have heard for ten years from her. The amazing part was hearing another voicemail from her left three hours later saying that she did not need more pills after all. While waiting for a response she decided to use some of the practices from group and decided that she must have "just been anxious, because I was able to feel better on my own"! Yessss!!!!!

As a behavioral health nurse for 25 years, I feel much satisfaction in being able to offer people an additional way to help themselves and others, improve the quality of their lives, decrease their suffering and feel a new sense of control in their future.

Work with Health System Staff and Local Community
—Sister Rita Schmidt, Hospital Chaplain, Wisconsin

"I'm doing something for "ME", and it feels so good." A statement made by a woman participant in the wellness sessions offered through our health system in Wisconsin. She was led to take responsibility for nurturing her own health and stimulating her natural healing capabilities in her own body. She and 75 other participants have strengthened the connection between mind, body and spirit. The sharing of mind, body, spirit practices with health system staff and the local community has helped them find ways to live with stress as a fact of life, and to re-channel their healing energy in creative and new ways.

A wholesome life is repleting, not depleting. It is in some sense always a healthy life. The problem with words like "healthy" and "healing" is that we are inclined to think of them only in terms of recovery from physical ailments. My life experience and training in clinical pastoral education has helped me to realize healing actually means to "make whole" the brokenness of our hearts, the confusion of our minds, the doubts that plague our spirit, the depression that draws us low.

Neon signs were signaling that overstress was afoot as I walked the halls of the hospital where I work as a chaplain. I wanted to help, but how to "make them whole"? Restructuring units, a move to a completely new hospital facility this past year and the day-to-day demands on health care workers, resulted in many stressors that were pervasive and persistent and weighed on their bodies and spirits.

To my good fortune, with Capacitar's program and holistic perspective on wellness, I could utilize the practices for my own healing and then share the stress-reducing techniques and natural healing practices with staff and the greater community of Oshkosh.

I began sharing the wellness practices I learned with nursing staff on a medical surgical unit. The timing and interest was not the best. Just another thing for the staff to DO in their already stressed lives. Yet, four nurses participated in three one-hour sessions. I shared with these women, Tai Chi, visualization, relaxation techniques facilitating breath and energy work, and acupressure techniques to relieve stress and pain. They found the time beneficial, invigorating and enlightening.

To spread the word of the value of the Capacitar program and share my learnings with more people, I enlisted the health promotions/marketing department. Tai Chi and other wellness practices were promoted. Staff and people from the surrounding community gathered for two, hour and a half sessions. Forty people learned visualization, tai chi, energy and breath work, hand massage, seated head, neck and shoulder massage and acupressure. The response was very positive. A waiting list was forming for ANOTHER series of classes.

A second series of five evening sessions on Tai Chi and other wellness practices was offered with an enrollment of 32. Participants included health care workers and members of the community at large. In the five, hour and a half sessions, visualization, Tai Chi, breath and energy work, Pal Dan Gum exercises, seated head, neck and shoulder massage, hand~massage and acupressure techniques were offered.

I have found this program a catalyst for my own growth and transformation. In sharing my learnings with others, I too, have been empowered to recompose my own life in ways that have been more creative and fulfilling.

Some of the feedback from participants: "I liked the gentle movements of Tai Chi. It was a revelation to learn I don't have to 'work hard' to exercise to be an effective workout".

"I now value my breath more and its power to energize and relax me for better health".

"Tai Chi and the other healing practices helped me to release stress in my life and rebalance my energy alleviating my headaches and insomnia".

"All the mind-body-spirit practices you shared, helped me to center myself, find relaxation and peace...what I have been so needy of in my fast-paced life".

A Journey to Wellness
—Pattie Wellner, R. N., Oncology Nurse, Wisconsin

The program I co-presented with colleague Sue Bourill at our hospital was entitled 'Learning, Living, and Loving', and consisted of ten different sessions including: Acupressure and Therapeutic Touch, Tai Chi, and Walking the Labyrinth. The program was initially offered to people experiencing life-altering illnesses. At each of the sessions we gave a brief history of the therapy, demonstrated the techniques and had participants practice the therapies with our guidance. Handout materials were made available to participants to take home for later reference.

The first sessions had only four attendees, a dialysis patient and his wife approximately in their late 50's to early 60's. The other two were elderly women with respiratory difficulties, one of which was on oxygen all the time. Both women become short of breath very easily. The rest of the sessions were better attended, they were also better advertised. Some of the challenges we faced were locations of some of the meeting rooms including distance from parking lot and disturbances from the adjoining rooms. We were also faced with space limitations and room arrangements.

The Tai Chi session was very well received with 27 participants ranging in age and physical condition. Those who could not physically participate were encouraged to do what they were capable of doing or to visualize the movements. The reactions to this session along with the session on walking the Labyrinth were overwhelmingly positive with calls for the classes to continue.