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Book SynopsisThis textbook is an evidenced-based course for interdisciplinary healthcare professionals for improving resilience and reducing stress and burnout. This curriculum improves patient-centered care by providing training in compassion and attention. It is a structured skills-based manual complete with resources for full implementation and dissemination of this evidence-based course. This textbook addresses the gaps existing in other mindfulness-based interventions.It is a unique manual that can be followed in a linear fashion or can be used modularly to suit the needs of specific settings. The curriculum contains didactic content and specific examples of practices; hence, it is easily adaptable for use by groups and classes of various sizes and structure. The authors have conducted several research studies with findings to support its use to prevent and treat burnout. Results demonstrate the curriculum’s feasibility and acceptability in healthcare professionals and students as well as efficacy in stress and burnout reduction with increases in dispositional mindfulness.Table of ContentsForeword – Sharon Salzberg, Amy Weintraub, Michael Krasner, or Susan Bauer-WuPart 1: Introduction and OverviewChapter 1: How to Use This Book: Teaching and Learning Mindfulness for NursesHealthcare ProfessionalsThis chapter serves as a guide for using this book and is geared toward students of a course using this as a textbook as well as those who will teach this manualized curriculum. This chapter reinforces that an important active ingredient of the curriculum is the development of one’s personal mindfulness practice, including that of the instructor teaching the course. This chapter provides an overview of the layout of Part 2 in which chapters are organized by a) key concepts, b) suggested activities and practices for each session, c) tips for instructors, d) hand-outs and resources, and e) formal mindful movement and meditation practice. Supplemental material for this chapter: Direction on how to use curriculum materials, resources for the instructor’s mindfulness practices, and how to create a safe space and adapt materials according to the audience. Recommendations will be provided about making the most of your setting by engaging transdisciplinary experts as instructors (e.g., leaders for meditation, yoga, and discussion).Chapter authors: Sarah Braun and Patricia Kinser Chapter 2: Evidence to Support Mindful Nurses and Healthcare ProfessionalsIntroduce and define relevant terms including mindfulness and compassion. Discuss the need in medicine and healthcare for these concepts and the trainings that cultivate them. Provide overview on the research to support the use of mindfulness by interdisciplinary healthcare professionals and students. It also includes research on this curriculum specifically, presenting quantitative and qualitative data. Spiritual dimension in the exploration of mindfulness as this is fundamental to the delivery of holistic careChapter authors: Sarah Braun and Patricia Kinser Chapter 3: CompassionThe nurses and Hhealthcare professional faces the extremes of human suffering without being taught how to handle this suffering. We forget the human element of the healthcare professional. This chapter will focus on the concept of compassion as a container in which all the skills / strategies / practices presented in this curriculum are held. Review of current resources and practices available for healthcare professionals facing suffering. existing good practice set against the challenges all healthcare professionals face when confronted with suffering, frailty and their own vulnerability and mortalityChapter authors: Sarah Braun and Christopher Guerry Chapter 4: Being Mindful in a Mindless WorldThis chapter will focus on key mindfulness concepts such as intention, attitude, and attention. It will acknowledge the often seemingly conflicting goals of professionalism and mindfulness, of practical living and emotional functioning to set the stage for delivering this curriculum to interdisciplinary healthcare professionals.Chapter authors: Jordan Quaglia , Sarah Braun, Patricia KinserPart 2: The CurriculumChapter 5: Module 1: Introduction to MindfulnessKey concepts: stress cycle, defining mindfulness, defining compassion, finding the contemplative practice that meets an individual’s needs, goals of mindfulness and compassionate intentions (creating the ‘pause’), research about mindfulness, developing a home practiceActivities and practices: Stop/Breathe/BeHand-outs / Resources: Stop/Breathe/Be, list of research articles, Artfulness link, video links, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a yoga teacher to lead a 45-minutes of gentle alignment-based yoga practice ending with a brief body scan, sequences provided as examples, 5-minute focused-attention breath meditationSupplemental material for this chapter/Tips for instructors: acknowledge paradox of perfectionism vs. realism, resources for instructor self-care, creating a safe space and confidential space, importance of and how to find guest speakersChapter authors: Patricia Kinser and Sarah BraunChapter 6: Module 2: Mindfulness to Enhance Resilience and Handle BurnoutKey concepts: check-in about home practice, define and discuss burnout, mindfulness and neuroplasticity, effortful to effortlessActivities and practices: partner/group discussion – describe a time when you were burnt out and discuss healthy / unhealthy ways of coping, formal ‘hand’ practice, signs of burnout and non-negotiables worksheet Hand-outs / Resources: handout for using stickers with Stop/Breathe/Be, signs of burnout and non-negotiables worksheet, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a yoga teacher to lead 45-minutes of gentle alignment-based yoga practice ending with a brief body scan and up to 20 minutes of focused-attention breath meditation Supplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: managing group dynamicsChapter authors: Sarah Braun and Patricia KinserChapter 7: Module 3: Applications of Mindfulness as a NurseHealthcare ProfessionalKey concepts: check-in about home practice, introduce the Yerkes-Dodson curve and finding the ‘sweet-spot’, creating space for informal practice, teaching mindfulness to othersActivities and practices: story-telling about being in the sweet-spot, informal mudra practice, walking meditation Hand-outs / Resources: meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a tai-chi or Qi gong teacher to lead 45-minutes of practice, sequences provided as examples, 10 to 15-minute awareness of thoughts meditation (e.g., leaves on a stream, conveyor belt, labelling thoughts) Supplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: being comfortable with silenceChapter authors: Patricia Kinser, Christopher Guerry, Jo Robins, and Sarah Braun Chapter 8: Module 4: Interpersonal Mindfulness and Compassionate Patient CareKey concepts: check-in about home practice, revisit personal intention statement, discuss SMART goals, teaching mindfulness to patients, awareness of automatic thoughts, compassionate listeningActivities and practices: partner teaching informal mindfulness practices, gratitude journaling, Hand-outs / Resources: SMART goals handout, 21 Ways to Practice Handout, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a yoga teacher to lead a 45-minutes of gentle alignment-based yoga practice ending with a brief body scan, sequences provided as examples, 15-minute sensation meditation (positive, neutral, and negative)Supplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: self-disclosure (what to share and how to share it)Chapter authors: Sarah Braun and Patricia KinserChapter 9: Module 5: Mindful Teams and LeadershipKey concepts: check-in about home practice, discuss team functioning, Activities and practices: self-assessment of conflict management, discuss mindful leadership concepts, awareness / understanding / responding mindfully, social intelligence, research about mindfulness in the context of leadership and teamworkHand-outs / Resources: Self-assessment of Conflict Management Quiz, video link, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Walking meditation (outside if feasible), 15-minute loving-kindness meditationSupplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: how to inspire people who might not be practicing at home yetChapter 10: Module 6: Mindfulness in the Presence of SufferingKey concepts: check-in about home practice, sympathy / empathy / compassion, empathic distress vs. compassionate responding, balancing healthcare professionalclinician goals with patient-centered care, brief intro into concepts of motivational interviewing and the righting reflex, self-compassionActivities and practices: paired compassionate listening, self-compassion breakHand-outs / Resources: Self-compassion break, video links, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a yoga teacher to lead a 45-minutes of gentle alignment-based yoga practice ending with a brief body scan, sequences provided as examples, 15-minute loving-kindness OR Tonglen meditation Supplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: preparing for participant distress (Chris Woods)Chapter authors: Sarah Braun, Chris Woods, and Patricia KinserChapter 11: Module 7: Mindfulness and Compassion in the Face of ImperfectionKey concepts: check-in about home practice, mindfulness in the context of our humanity, transparency and compassion in the face of errors, research on mindfulness and patient safetyActivities and practices: “too tight too loose” breathing meditation, panel discussion on self-care as necessity not an indulgenceHand-outs / Resources: video link, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: 15-minutes of gentle stretching, sequences provided as examples, 45-minute yoga nidra practice on carrying oppositesSupplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: how to find and organize panel speakers Chapter authors: Sarah Braun and Patricia KinserChapter 12: Module 8: Finding Balance Through Mindful LivingKey concepts: check-in about home practice, pulling together the past key concepts, resources for continued practiceActivities and practices: individual completion of worksheet and group discussion on personal intention statement, and revisiting SMART goals Hand-outs / Resources: Personal intention statement worksheet, resources hand-out, meditation recordingFormal mindful movement and meditation practice: Invite a yoga teacher to lead 45-minutes of gentle alignment-based partner yoga practice ending with a brief body scan, sequences provided as examples, 15-minute meditation by participant requestSupplemental material for this chapter/ Tips for instructors: bringing together relevant resources for continued practiceChapter authors: Patricia Kinser and Sarah Braun

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Book SynopsisThe dangerous decline in vaccinations in many developed countries is at the heart of a lively debate that confirms how important the subject is today. Vaccinations are among mankind’s most important scientific discoveries, yet they continue to be viewed with suspicion by part of the public – the victims of disinformation campaigns, instrumentalization and unfounded fears. There is, however, also an evolutionary explanation for these irrational beliefs, and countering the growing social opposition will be extremely difficult without grasping it. This book, which sheds new light on the safety and importance of vaccinations, is intended both for parents and those readers who want to understand the role of vaccinations in contemporary society, where the ease of access to knowledge is both a great opportunity and a great responsibility. The chapters follow a historical progression and conclude with a discussion of the most recent cognitive theories on how to overcome this opposition to vaccinations.Trade Review“The book covers what the author sees as the future of vaccines and even a section on effectively communicating resistance to the anti-vaccine trend. While the book is translated from Italian and includes many European examples, it also incorporates examples and citations from US and Canadian sources and remains relevant to an American audience. The extensive reference list could be useful for anyone studying this topic.” (C. A. Tomlinson, Choice, Vol. 56 (6), February, 2019)Table of Contents1. The parents of unvaccinated children 1.1. The 80s, the beginning of the crisis (or resistance) 1.2. Education about risk 1.3. Social changes: The doctor-patient relationship in jeopardy 1.4. Unexpected impact of late fecundity 2. A brief history of the anti-vaccination movements 2.1. The anti-vaccination movements between 1700 and 1800: Roots of obligation and objection 2.2. The anti-vaccination movements in 1900: Media and politics 3. Web alarms: autism, mercury and immune overload 3.1. Conspiracy on the Internet: separating fact from fiction 3.2. Economic criticism: Big Pharma and the allure of patents 3.3. Logic errors: the precautionary principle and the equal balance mistake 3.4. False or manipulated data: Autism 3.5. Prejudices and ideologies: Purported overload and weakening of the immune system <4. The antivax “experts": five ways to recognize them 4.1. Alternative philosophies: homeopathy, anthroposophy and Waldarf -Steiner schools 4.2. The "alternative therapies": Five clues that reveal a charlatan 5. Past, present, and future of vaccines 5.1. Evolutionary history of naturally acquired immunity 5.2. Artificially acquired immunity: success and safety of vaccines 5.3. Therapeutic vaccines of the future: cancer and neurodegenerative diseases 6. Conclusions 6.1. A new alliance between scientists and citizens for a “knowledge society” 6.2. Some tools for good communication strategies to combat anti-vaccination resistance

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Book Synopsis

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