SAVE THE DATE

This course will be held again on 

October 30 – November 1, 2025.

Information contained in this site is for the 2024 program.

Information for the 2025 course not yet available.

 

 

 

 

Comprehensive Education and Skills Development for an Integrated Model of Care

The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine will be held on October 31–November 2, 2024. You have the option to attend either online as the course is live streamed or in person in Boston, MA. All sessions will be recorded and made available to all participants to view online, at your convenience, for 60 days following the course.
 

COURSE OVERVIEW

Mind body approaches such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, cognitive skills, lifestyle interventions and positive psychology now boast an impressive evidence base to support their ability to improve—and in some cases, prevent—stress-related illnesses, ranging from asthma to hypertension, functional bowel diseases and pain syndromes. 

Whether you are a physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker or therapist, mind body techniques provide you with evidence-based interventions to enhance patient care and clinical outcomes. 

The Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine is a comprehensive education program where you learn how to incorporate these skills into your practice. It teaches:

  • The latest data on stress, stress management, and resilience enhancement, and their impacts on patient health and treatment options
  • The mind body approaches that form the foundation of modern self-care
  • When, where, and how you can employ mind body approaches to enhance patient care
  • Practical skills to guide your patients in the use of self-care techniques

In addition to clinical approaches and integrative models of care, this program provides:

  • Education on genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and how to leverage recent advances in the neuroimaging of contemplative states
  • Opportunities for certification

 

HOW TO BEGIN OR ADVANCE YOUR USE OF MIND BODY MEDICINE

For those who are new to mind body medicine, this program provides comprehensive education to begin using integrated models of care within your practice. For those who have experience in these methods, this program provides updates and workshops to take your skills to the next level.

 

CUSTOMIZE YOUR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

All participants can customize their learning experience. The program offers 48 skills development sessions, focused presentations, and interactive workshops. You can choose the ones that align with your specific goals and clinical interests.

 

WORLD-RENOWNED FACULTY

This program is taught by leading practitioners and experts in the field of mind body medicine—including Dr. David R. Williams, Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Martin Picard, and Katarina Blom, who are all experts in the scientific research and practical application of mind body medicine.
 

OPTIMIZED FOR IN-PERSON and REMOTE EDUCATION

The 2024 program has been enhanced for both in-person and distance learning. In addition to being held live in Boston, all sessions will be live streamed, and all sessions will be recorded and made available to participants for online viewing for 60 days after the end of the course.
 

OPTIONAL ONLINE PRE-COURSE WORKSHOPS

One day prior to the start of the Herbert Benson, MD Course in Mind Body Medicine, you have the opportunity to expand your education with two online pre-course workshops.
 

weight managementMind Body Approaches to Weight Management
Wednesday Morning, October 30, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
ONLINE, LIVE STREAMING

This half-day online pre-course presents practical and evidence-based approaches for your patients with obesity and other weight-related issues. Topics include: 

  • The epidemiology and pathophysiology of obesity
  • Medical approaches to obesity
  • Mind body approaches to physical activity, nutrition, and sleep
  • The link between chronic stress and obesity
  • Patient perspectives and experiences

Click here for full description and agenda

 

group visitsGroup Medical Visits to Guide Patients to Healthier Lifestyle Behaviors
Wednesday Afternoon, October 30, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
ONLINE, LIVE STREAMING

Group medical visits—both in-office and online—are becoming increasingly popular tools in primary care and specialty practices to help patients make healthy lifestyle changes for:

  • Symptom and chronic disease management
  • Disease prevention

This special online pre-course workshop provides a practical, evidence-based introduction to group medical visits. Unique to this program is its immersive, fast-paced, 360-degree educational experience. You will learn about how group medical visits can promote health from four critical perspectives:

  • Clinical
  • Patient
  • Provider
  • Practice

Click here for full description and agenda

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Define the body’s response to stress, known as allostasis and allostatic load, and the role it plays in the development or exacerbation of medical conditions
  • Recognize how modifiable lifestyle behaviors synchronized to circadian rhythm builds resiliency
  • Enrich patient-provider relationship to affect patient outcomes
  • Develop skills in a variety of meditation methods that elicit the relaxation response
  • Evaluate the epidemiology of provider burnout and its consequences
  • Summarize up-to-date meditation-induced brain imaging changes
  • Develop strategies to lower your risk of provider burnout
  • Enhance functional expression of empathy to improve clinical performance and personal resiliency
  • Apply mind-body interventions in the treatment of multiple disease symptomatology
  • Assess the influence of gut health and diet on mood 
  • Improve your ability to motivate patients towards sustainable behavior change
  • Deliver a more effective, integrative model of care
  • Use newfound skills and tools to improve patient outcomes
  • Identify modifiable risk factors for brain health
  • Explain mind-body science of depression
  • Acquire skill in state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral therapies applied to children, adolescents and young adults with a range of emotional and behavioral problems
  • Identify the components of the Benson-Henry Care Model
  • Support healthcare change designed to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases
  • Define the underlying influences of happiness
  • Formulate a more integrative model of patient care
  • Experience a variety of healing modalities
  • Review novel behavioral health interventions designed to influence brain health
  • Interpret the signs of cognitive decline and depression as a guide towards prevention