Identifying Barriers to Integration of Mind-Body Approaches
Status: Complete
The essential question we have asked in this research is: Given what we know about how the mind affects the body, about the role of consciousness in healing, and the desire of most patients and providers to incorporate more attention to the noetic into the healing process, why is integration of this knowledge and practices into modern medicine and medical education still minimal? What are the barriers to integration of these understandings, and how have some been able to successfully integrate consciousness into healing settings?
To investigate this, we engaged in a study of barriers to the integration of mind-body medicine into healthcare, as well as an exploration of strategies used by leading healthcare professionals who are successfully integrating more consciousness-based approaches into medical education settings. This research took the form of in-depth interviews with medical doctors, medical students, and providers who have been successfully integrating consciousness-oriented understandings of the healing process into medical education and practice, and qualitative analysis of those interviews.
Principal Investigator: John Astin
Co-investigator(s): Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, Cassandra Vieten, PhD
We would like to acknowledge the following for supporting this project: The Carl and Roberta Deutsch Foundation, Social Relations of Knowledge
