Insights

OCTOBER 13, 2009

Introduction to Mindfulness for Patients with Cancer and their Caregivers

Diana Winston & Dr. Susan Smalley

Mindfulness is the art of openly and actively paying attention to the present moment. This approach has scientific support as a means to reduce stress, improve attention, boost the immune system, reduce emotional reactivity, and promote a general sense of health and wellness. We will present some science behind how mindfulness works on our body and brain, and then several experiential practices where we will learn the basics of mindfulness meditation. We will discuss how it can be used specifically by cancer patients and their caregivers.

Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education for UCLA's Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC). She has been teaching mindfulness since 1993, and has brought mindful awareness into schools, hospitals, and nonprofits as well as to adolescents, leaders, teachers, activists, and health professionals. At UCLA she has been teaching mindful awareness practices to the UCLA community and the general public, including ongoing classes and a weekly group for hospital staff and faculty.

Dr. Susan Smalley is the Director and Co-Founder of MARC, and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute. Dr. Smalley specializes in the genetics of psychiatric disorders, particularly those with onset in childhood or adolescence. Her research centers on the genetics of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Related Conditions. Dr. Smalley expanded her research to understand underlying mindful awareness and to explore how practicing mindful awareness may help promote well-being in the 21st century.