John Carbone, MD, founder of Integrative Mindfulness, is a board certified Family Physician in Connecticut with extensive experience in Mindfulness Meditation. In primary care practice he witnessed firsthand the epidemic of suffering caused by stress and stress related illnesses. Dr. Carbone had direct experience of the beneficial effects of meditation in regards to alleviating his own physical and emotional suffering, and also witnessed that brief interventions with instruction of Mindfulness could remarkably improve people’s sense of well-being.

Click here to view his website:

What is Mindfulness?

From Dr. Carbone's website: 

Mindfulness is a systematic practice of bringing purposeful, non-judgmental attention to one's present moment experience. By cultivating the ability to direct one's attention in a skillful way, a person simultaneously develops the ability to:

• Reduce stress and suffering from physical or emotional causes.
• Glean greater joy and fulfillment from pleasurable experiences.
• Relinquish harmful and unhealthy habits.
• Access inner sources of peace and wisdom.
• Feel a sense of stability and freedom despite inevitable changes in life

For information on how to find Mindfulness resources and programs in CT, click here:

To view an hour long video by Patricia Dobkin, PhD from McGill University in Montreal, describing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and how they have adapted the program for Health Care Professionals, click here.

Dr. Michael Baime, director of the University of Pennsylvania Program for Stress Management, tells us why meditation and mindfulness may help us undo the negative affects of stress. He says “We found huge changes in what (program participants) report. Anxiety and depression drop by about 50%.” Click here to view 2 minute video.

Cancer and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction:  Elana Rosenbaum MS MSW BCD had been teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for 11 years when was diagnosed with cancer.  Read about how she used the teachings to deal with the disease and its treatments.  Click here. 

Congressman Tim Ryan, D-Ohio discusses Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction with HSS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on June 3, 2009.  Click here.

The 18th International Congress on Palliative Care Conference which will be taking place October 5-8, 2010, has a number of presentations on Mindfulness.  Here are descriptions of two of the them:

Mindfulness and the Care of the Dying by Ronald Epstein, Rochester Center to Improve Communication in Health care, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. 

"Being attentive to the dying--and their physical, emotional and existential suffering--places cognitive, emotional and physical demands on health care professionals. Mindfulness practice refers to the conscious and intentional awareness of the body, mind and interpersonal process during everyday work in order to approach clinical care with curiosity, beginner's mind and presence rather than burnout and withdrawal.  Mindfulness can and should be taught and cultivated, and is one of the qualities of master clinicians."

Mindful Grieving:  Penetrating the Heart of Suffering by Christophe Faure, Psychiatrist, Paris France

"Part of the pain of grieving stems from the resistance to what is:  the reality of the loved one's death.  The work of grieving then becomes a slow process of integrating that reality.  This presentation discusses this process of integration and introduces the notion of 'mindfulness' as a path to appeasing the heart."

For more information, visit the Congress website at www.pal2010.com.