Articles by CMC Faculty
Ten Percent Happier: Please Make It Stop! (January 13, 2022)
Dr. Susan Pollak shares some ways to respond skillfully and mindfully to “the new normal”. Read more.
Psychology Today: Returning to Life after COVID-19 (May 23, 2021)
“After all that we’ve been through with the pandemic, it is hard to pivot and embrace life again suddenly. What researchers call the negativity bias, the self-protective mechanism that can keep us safe from danger (and that psychologist Rick Hanson has elegantly explicated), has been on steroids… So, as you return to the post-covid world, take it slow, one step at a time.” Read more.
Psychotherapy Networker: An Eight-Step Practice for Parents (5/17/2021)
Dr. Susan Pollak shares eight steps of mindfulness practice for parents who feel like their lives have fallen apart. Read more.
Covid Transition Anxiety (April 21, 2021)
Dr. Susan Pollak shares about covid transition anxiety and how we can deal with fear as we transition to a new normal. Read more.
Ten Percent Happier: Wise Hope (April 2021)
Wise hope is grounded in the understanding that we have the capacity to relate skillfully to whatever may arise. Tap here on your phone to play the Talk in the app.
Medium.come: This Is Why Everyone Always Tells You to Meditate (March 16, 2021)
“Meditation is a practice of attention. Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD, executive director of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Cambridge Health Alliance, defines meditation as ‘focusing on an object of attention and returning awareness or returning attention to that object again and again in a way that ultimately creates cortical remodeling.’” Read here.
Psychology Today: Mindfulness for Shoveling Snow (February 21, 2021)
“It is snowing, again. Yes, it is winter, and I live in New England, but it seems to be snowing every week. It’s gray, and cold, and I’m feeling trapped by COVID and the constriction of cabin fever. And I am the designated snow shoveler.” Read here.
Psychology Today: Have You Felt like a Failure During the Pandemic? (February 6, 2021)
You are not alone. Many of Susan Pollak’s patients have shared that they feel that they’ve failed to be good parents, good teachers, good partners. Over one-third of people are showing signs of clinical depression and anxiety, mostly due to Covid-related grief, trauma, stress, loss of community, and financial concerns. Dr. Pollak suggested ways to manage Covid fatigue and exhaustion. Read here.
Ten Percent Happier: Cultivating Resilience with our Parents (February 3, 2021)
Our senior faculty Susan Pollak shared steps on how to cultivate resilience with elderly parents during the pandemic. Read more. Photo credit to Ten Percent Happier.
IFS and Chronic Pain: Listening to Inner Parts that Hold the Hurt (January 2021)
Our senior faculty Ronald Siegel and colleagues explained the role of Internal Family Systems in treating chronic pain. Read here.
The Fundamental Role of the Arts and Humanities in Medical Education (2020)
Our senior faculty Elizabeth Gaufberg published The Fundamental Role of the Arts and Humanities in Medical Education, which reviews the historic and current state of arts and humanities integration into medical education, considers curriculum and assessment methods, and provides guidance on the research and change in culture necessary for effective integration. Read here.
Mindful.org: 6 Ways to Enjoy Mindful Walking (December 15, 2020)
Research shows that walking in nature offers stress-busting and mood-boosting advantages, plus a welcome chance to stretch our legs. Chris Willard, PhD shares six ways to customize your next mindful stroll. Read here. Photo credit to Adobe Stock/Vientocuatroestudio.
Mindful.org: 8 Ways Healthcare Workers Can Reduce Stress (November 24, 2020)
Our senior faculty Dr. Chris Willard together with Dr. Reena Kotecha offer a collection of quick tips to help other healthcare professionals rediscover moments of calm and self-care, even during a grueling work day. Read more. Photo credit to Artem Sokol/Adobe Stock.
Virtual Mindfulness: One ACO’s Effort to Prepare for Tsunami of MH Needs Due to Pandemic (October 8, 2020)
Psychiatric News, a publication of American Psychiatric Association Publishing, highlighted the success of Cambridge Health Alliance's virtual mindfulness workshops during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read here.
Youtube Video: Mindful Healthcare Speaker Series with Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier
(September 25, 2020)
Join Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier, our Director, in his talk with The Awake Network’s Mindful Healthcare Speaker Series. Watch here.
Ten Percent Happier: Do You Have ‘Zoom Apnea’? (July 14, 2020)
Dr. Susan Pollak wrote, “In this new reality in which we are living, many of us now live the bulk of our lives online. From work negotiations, to talking with friends, to family interactions and even holiday celebrations we depend on our screens to keep us connected. And yet, while we are grateful for the ability to work and stay in touch with our loved ones, more and more people are commenting on how exhausted they are from all these virtual interactions.” Read more. (Photo credit to Ten Percent Happier)
Harvard Medical School: Mindfulness Can Improve Mental Health During & After the COVID-19 Crisis (July 10, 2020)
Our senior faculty Carl Fulwiler and post-doctoral fellow Julie Dunne wrote an article on the impact of mindfulness on mental health during the pandemic. They also listed tips for getting started (or re-started) with mindfulness. Read more. (Photo credit to Harvard Medical School)
Youtube Video: Mindful Healthcare Speaker Series with Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier
(May 29, 2020)
Join Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier, our Director, in his talk with The Awake Network’s Mindful Healthcare Speaker Series. Watch here.
Ten Percent Happier Podcast: How to Meditate if you’re experiencing trauma
For those experiencing trauma, it's often best *not* to focus on the breath. Dr. Susan Pollak talked about some alternatives in a 6-minute podcast. Listen here.
Harvard Business Review Podcast: Substance Abuse, Success, and Self-Realization
(May 18, 2020)
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier talked about the connection between substance abuse and underlying mental health issues, how addiction can affect creativity and career, and the hard lessons addicts can learn in recovery about their own limitations and definitions of success. Listen here.
Ten Percent Happier: You Are Not Alone with Dr. Susan Pollak (April 10, 2020)
For many of us, being confined to quarantine because of the coronavirus has been the most challenging time in our lives. The very scaffolding of our world, all that we had depended on to sustain us, has come tumbling down—work, school, friends, family, travel, places of worship, gyms, meditation centers, bars and restaurants. Read here.
HMS Osher Center for Integrative Medicine: Enhancing Self-Regulation & Chronic Illness Self-Management in Primary Care (February 14, 2020)
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier gave a talk on Enhancing Self-Regulation & Chronic Illness Self-Management in Primary Care at the HMS Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Watch here.
Psychology Today: Mindful Hacks for Holiday Happiness with Dr. Susan Pollak
(December 9, 2019)
If the tinny sounds of Christmas music triggers PTSD of holidays past, you are not alone. Many people dread spending time with family. So, if you are starting to feel anxious and not sleeping well, let me share my favorite tips for becoming more resilient and managing holiday stress. Read here.
Julie Dunne Publishing Her Paper on “Mindfulness in persons with anorexia nervosa and the relationships between eating disorder symptomology, anxiety and pain”
(December 3, 2019)
Julie Dunne, PhD, PMHNP-BC, our Post-Doc Research Fellow, recently had her article published! The paper showed that greater mindfulness was associated with less shape and weight concerns, as well as fewer eating disorder symptoms. Mindfulness may be a protective factor against some eating disorder symptomology. Read here.
Psychologists Off the Clock Podcast: Self-Compassion for Parents with Dr. Susan Pollak (November 21, 2019)
Parenting can be joyful, but, let’s be honest, it can also be a rough ride sometimes! We try to be good parents to our children and still discover we feel we are falling short. Our Senior Faculty, Dr. Susan Pollak, joins Yael for a discussion about how self-compassion can help you journey through parenting more effectively, confidently, and happily. Listen here.
Michael Datko accepted into the Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine
Michael Datko, a postdoctoral researcher at our center, was recently accepted into the Harvard Medical School Research Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine! This three-year program is offered through the HMS Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and is designed to prepare trainees for careers in academic research in the field of integrative medicine. Michael will be supported by the directors and other trainees of the program as he continues his work at CMC exploring the neural and biological mechanisms of mind-body interventions in patients seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, or frequent migraines.
Apple Podcast: The Art of Mindfulness (posted June 23, 2019)
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier talked about mindfulness - what it means, and why it's so important. Listen here.
Podcast Episode 137: Mindfulness Training for Primary Care (posted June 16, 2019)
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier explained how mindfulness can be helpful in the reduction of anxiety and depression, as well as other chronic problems where self-management plays an important role. New models that include referrals from primary care providers can greatly enhance a person’s accessibility to beneficial mindfulness programs. Listen here.
Being Well Podcast: Healing Shame with Compassion
Dr. Chris Germer, our Senior Advisor and Instructor, talked about the power of self-compassion in healing shame. Dr. Germer explored the edges and essence of self-compassion as well as how our cultural influences affect our ability to have compassion for ourselves. Listen here.
Tufts Now: Twice the Pressure with Audrey Evers, our former Research Fellow
(May 10, 2019)
There’s pressure, and then there’s pressure. As a student-athlete, Audrey Evers, A19, knows all about that. When she was a freshman member of the women’s lacrosse team, she found herself thrust into the position of starting goalie the entire season. She continued as a starter for the subsequent three years—and is now a key part of the nationally ranked team that’s headed to the NCAA tournament. Read here.
Mindfulness and Compassion for Parents - Psychology Today (posted March 16, 2019)
Susan Pollak, our senior faculty, said, “We have decades of solid research that show that mindfulness and compassion can lower stress, decrease depression and anxiety, develop resilience, and make us kinder and more generous to others. But can it help with parenting? I believe that it can make a difference.” Read here.
Study: Mindfulness programs prevalent
Nicholas Barnes, M.D., a resident physician in psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, conducted a study on mindfulness activity within academic medicine. He said, “mindfulness is no longer a fringe concept but rather one with a substantial foothold in medicine.” Read more.
Psychology Today: Technology-Assisted Meditation: Is this the future of meditation? (December 11, 2018)
Our Center recently held the first symposium on Technology-Assisted Meditation. The symposium was a thought-provoking and comprehensive look into this emerging landscape of technology in meditation practices. What are the risks? What are the benefits? Is this how we will all learn to meditate in the future? Read more.
CMC was awarded a research grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Our center was awarded a grant titled “Mindfulness Influences on Self-Regulation: Mental and Physical Health Implications” to participate in the NIH Science of Behavior Change Initiative. This grant will support CMC’s participation in the Mindfulness Research Collaborative with other institutions such as University of Massachusetts, Massachusetts General Hospital, Georgetown University, Brown University, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Popular Science: Too impatient to meditate? A mild shock to the scalp could help (December 2018)
The benefits of being mindful take time, but there might be a way to speed them up. Researchers are exploring whether a technology called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can help make meditation easier and get more people to do it regularly. Read more.
Our Team Wins Award at Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Network Forum
Our research team received a first-place award for best poster presentation at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Network Forum on Friday, November 16, 2018, at the J. B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School. Read more.
WGBH Living Lab Radio: Want To Start Meditating? There's An App For That
Meditation is an ancient practice dating back thousands of years. In its original form, it requires nothing more than a place to sit. But meditation and mindfulness have gained newfound popularity in recent years. And, as with everything else in our lives, technology seems to be creeping in — from meditation apps to experiments with brain-stimulating electronic signals.
Experts gathered in Boston at a symposium at Harvard University to discuss the possibilities and ramifications of technology-assisted meditation. Read more.
With mindfulness, life’s in the moment - Changing minds in more ways than one
The popularity of mindfulness has been bolstered by research suggesting that it reduces stress, improves attention and memory, and promotes empathy. Dr. Suzanne Westbrook, one of our MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) instructors is featured for her work teaching mindfulness at Harvard. Illustration by Kathleen M.G. Howlett. Read more.
Psychiatric News: Compassion and Mindfulness Go Hand In Hand
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier, explained the importance of compassion in the progression of mindfulness practice. Read more here on page 6 and 9.
Harvard Gazette: How Mindfulness May Change the Brain
The Harvard Gazette shares how researchers have been studying the ways mindfulness meditation can change the brain in depressed patients. Our Center is among the featured groups in this article, exploring meditation’s effects on the brains of clinically depressed patients, a group for whom studies have shown meditation to be effective. Read more.
BASIS - Harvard Medical School: One Moment at a Time: Mindfulness, Meditation, and Hope for Addiction Treatment
Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier, helped conduct the first federally-funded, randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness intervention for addictive disorders. In an op-ed, he shares his personal journey toward mindfulness meditation and incorporating this practice into addiction treatment. Illustration by Kathleen M.G. Howlett. Read more.
Scout Cambridge Magazine: Shifting Out of Autopilot: The Health Benefits of Being Present
Some researchers say the average person has 50,000 thoughts a day. Our Center offers a mechanism to quiet that inner traffic. Scout Cambridge, a bimonthly local lifestyle magazine, ran an extensive feature on our Center in its latest issue, focused on tools for wellness. Read more.
