February 15

AANP ABSTRACT for Oral Presentation …Power Point Presentation

Contact

Paul Epstein, ND
Naturopathic Physician
Mind-Body Integrative Medicine
42 Richmondville Ave.
Westport, CT. 06880
203-226-3923
www.drpaulepstein.com
epsteinmb@aol.com

Mind-Body Integrative Medicine...Seeing with New Eyes…The Self Healing Journey

HOW BIOGRAPHY BECOMES BIOLOGY…THE BODY BEARS THE BURDEN

Dis-ease tells a story, not just about our cells and a diagnosis, but about our self and our life.
Listening to the story, we are led to the truth of what happened to us and the emotions that lie at
the core of our authentic being. In this talk on mind-body integrative medicine we discuss the
mind-body connection and the role of attitudes, beliefs, stresses and emotions in the healing
process. We will explore the importance of looking and listening within to discover the message
and meaning hidden inside stress, pain and illness. We’ll explore how our life histories,
childhood hurts, traumas and stresses affect our mind-body-heart and spirit, our whole person
health, and how healing happens when we engage our inner healer and unburden ourselves from
the wounds of our life story. Seeing with new eyes we discover that illness is an opportunity to
embark on a journey of self-healing and awakening, to come home to our true and authentic self.
Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses waiting to see us act just once, with beauty
and courage, perhaps everything that frightens us is in its deepest essence a part of us that
feels helpless and needs our love,. Rilke

Discussion topics to include...

• How biography becomes biology ... the body remembers and bears the burden
• Mind-body integrative medicine principles...treating the whole person
• Stress, trauma, PTSD, dissociation and disease
• Mind as Healer ... Mind as Slayer...the mind-body connection...body mind-connection
• How guided imagery, self-awareness, mindfulness meditation, compassion and internal
family systems therapy facilitate the self healing journey
• Listening to symptoms and inner wisdom
• Exploring healing and curing and integrating both, healing trauma
• The Healing relationship...cultivating unconditional presence
• As health care practitioners, how we be is as important as what we do, and who we are is
as important as what we know
• How to be with and embrace our truth with wisdom and compassion, spiritual maturity
• Skillful means in medicine .... illness as opportunity for awakening
• Follow your bliss, the healing power of happiness
• Integrating mind-body therapies and perspectives with naturopathic care and practice
Learning Objectives:
1. To deepen the understanding of the clinical significance of the mind-body connection
and mind-body medicine perspectives and therapies.
2. To experience and appreciate the healing power and therapeutic potential of
mindfulness meditation, guided imagery and unconditional presence.
3. To explore and discuss how to integrate mind-body perspectives and therapeutics into
the practice of Naturopathic medicine and Naturopathic modalities.
4. To appreciate that how we are with our patients may be as important as what we do,
and who we are may be as important as what we know. The power of the healing
relationship and relationship centered care.

“In curing, we are trying to get somewhere, we are looking for answers. In curing,
our efforts are specifically designed to make something happen.
In healing, we live questions instead of answers. We hang out in the unknown. We trust the
emergence of whatever will be. We trust the insight will come. The challenge in medicine is not
the choice between one and the other. We need both."

Dr. Paul Epstein, featured in an article in the May/June 2007 issue of Spirituality & Health
Magazine 'The Journey of Naturopath Paul Epstein' 'Healing vs Curing'

BIO
Paul Epstein, ND, is a Naturopathic Physician, mind-body therapist and Buddhist meditation
teacher who integrates the teachings of the Buddha, mindful awareness and contemplative
psychotherapy in his whole-person approach supporting people on their self healing journey and
spiritual path. He is a 1984 graduate of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, where he
did a residency in holistic medicine. Paul co-founded and co-directed the Israel Center for Mind-
Body Medicine. He is also a certified yoga instructor, and has studied Buddhist psychology,
mindfulness meditation, clinical guided imagery, stress reduction and psychotherapy in a spiritual
context and has successfully advocated the clinical application and integration of mind-body-
spirit therapies in health care for over 25 years. He graduated from the Academy for Guided
Imagery, completed the three year training program for Community Dharma Meditation Leaders
at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center,and has trained in the Internal Family System Model of
Psychotherapy. He currently writes and lectures extensively, leads workshops and mindful
healing retreats and mind-body medicine training worldwide. He is a core faculty member of the
Graduate Institute Masters Program in Experiential Health and Healing. Paul maintains a private
practice in Westport CT. where he is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of
Fairfield County. www.drpaulepstein.com epsteinmb@aol.com 203-226-3923