Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. Speaking Topics

• The Art and Science of Resilience: From Surviving to Thriving

  Resilience is more than the ability to bounce back from adversity. It’s a transformative process that reveals our inherent nobility, a rite of passage from pieces to peace. Mythologist Joseph Campbell called this passage The Hero’s Journey. It consists of three parts. Change disrupts life as usual. Next we’re plunged into the unknown territory between No Longer and Not Yet. There we can either despair and lose hope or• if we’re resilient• discover new strengths. The journey of resilience ends with giving back the wisdom we’ve gained to others. Modern psychology and neuroscience have clearly identified the attitudes and practices that support resilience. Both adults and children can learn these skills and help bring one another and our planet through the challenging times we live in.

• Mindfulness: The Practical Neuroscience of Leadership

  Recent research indicates that mindfulness training reduces stress, increases emotional balance, resilience, equanimity, and creativity through stimulation of the left and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC).  Mindfulness decreases mental rigidity and enhances relationality, as well as calming the amygdala, allowing for better decision-making.  Mindfulness also has health benefits that range from decreased activity of the sympathetic nervous system to epigenetic changes that reduce activity of pro• inflammatory genes. In this daylong training (also available in shortened format as a lecture or short workshop) the focus will be 3-fold involving theory, practice, and discussion.

The Cutting Edge of Mind-Body Medicine: From Immunology to Neuroscience

The most important determinant of physical health is mental health. In this research• based practical presentation, participants will learn how adverse childhood experiences set the stage for chronic illness and substance abuse later in life through epigenetic changes, neurochemistry, immune function, and brain wiring. Dr. Borysenko will examine how evidence-based psychological interventions can rewire neuro-hormonal circuitry and help restore both physical and mental balance. Some of the interventions covered include the modification of explanatory style, stress hardiness and resilience training, narrative medicine, meditation and mindfulness techniques, imagery, and cognitive approaches. Since the quality of the provider-client relationship is key to healing, there will be a focus on how to optimize the therapeutic bond.

The Guide to Therapeutic Meditation. How to Do it, How to Teach It, When to Use it

Meditation is an evidence-based practice useful in treating stress-related disorders, chronic illness, addictions, trauma, anxiety, and depression. In this in-depth introduction to the topic, three basic forms of meditation-concentration, mindfulness, and compassion• will be compared, contrasted, and taught. The physiology of meditation including its effects on the autonomic nervous system, immunity, the cardiovascular system, and the brain will be reviewed.

Psychotherapy of the Heart: An In-Depth Look at How We Help Others

.In our increasingly fast-paced technological and data-based world, it’s easy to forget the non-linear wisdom of the heart. Caring relationship to self, others and a larger Whole is the crucible from which healing emerges. Learning to embody that crucible is an important, yet sometimes unarticulated and untaught skill that can transform and amplify the power of therapy. Intuitively, human beings understand that love heals. Sociologically and scientifically, we’re beginning to understand why. Data from the emerging fields of psychoneuroimmunology and neurobiology illustrate the effects of connection and compassion on health, emotional balance, and well-being.