Spiritual Pathways

In June, the "Twelve Moments of Meditation" series will feature a presentation by Chaplain Christiana Liem on Laughter Meditation--an unstructured session of laughter which allows participants to express their laughter like a fountain.

Laughter Meditation is a part of Laughter Yoga, which is the brain-child of a physician from Mumbai, Madan Kataria, M.D. The practice of Laughter Meditation emphasizes deep breathing and long exhalations. It begins with laughter exercises and ends with a guided relaxation exercise and positive affirmations, an experience which often leads to a healthy catharsis--a feeling of emotional and spiritual release that may last for days.

Christiana Liem is a staff chaplain and a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader and Teacher affiliated with Dr. Madan Kataria's School of Laughter Yoga.

By ERIC HANSON
Texas Medical Center News

Virgil Fry has spent most of his adult life as a chaplain serving patients and their families at the institutions of the Texas Medical Center. As the executive director of Lifeline Chaplaincy, he has seen thousands of very sick people during his career but one patient remains freshly firm in his memory. "There was a man at M.D. Anderson who had a series of facial surgeries and by the time I met him most of his face had been removed," Fry remembered. "When you looked at him, you were looking at a gaping orifice." Fry said the man had a prosthesis mask but could talk better without it and asked him if he could take the mask off while they chatted. "We had the most incredible visit after he took that mask off. He began to talk about what he had been through," Fry said. "He had a very tender heart. He said he had spent a lot of time wrestling with God and there were times when he wanted to end his own life but he didn't." Fry said the patient then began asking about him, his family, and how he came to be a chaplain.

Read the article here: Article

My Spirit Hears You: A Free Web Cast
Friday, May 8, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.
Presenter: Chaplain Marta Pena, Masters of Divinity, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

How do you communicate and minister to those with dementia or those who cannot verbally communicate? Join Chaplain Marta Pena on May 8 at 10:30 a.m. at mmLearn.org and learn about how to make the most of a visit with someone whose dementia or other challenges has robbed them of the skill to verbally communicate. Discover practical ways to make the most of a visit with a person in a nursing home or memory care facility.

Through her dynamic presentation, theological perspectives and medical training, Chaplain Pena will help you learn how you can touch the spirit of someone with dementia and learn something about your own spirituality in the process. This training is recommended for pastoral care providers, including lay ministers and volunteers, as well as family care providers.

HOW TO WATCH THE WEBCAST: The web cast will be presented live at www.mmLearn.org. Once you arrive at the website, click on Free Videos in the lower right corner. Once you reach the Free Video page, My Spirit Hears You, will the first video on the page. Click on it and the web cast will begin about 10:30 a.m. You will be able to make comments and ask questions by using the Ask function at the top of the page. Once the web cast is complete, My Spirit Hears You will be available on demand within a week.

For more information: info@mmLearn.org

The "Twelve Moments of Meditation" May program will focus on meditative practices drawn from the Hindu tradition, and will feature Mila Allam, a teacher with the Art of Living Foundation (www.artofliving.org) founded by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The body, mind, and spirit wellness programs of the Foundation encourage the elimination of stress, and the uncovering of the strength, peace and joy that lie at the core of every individual. The Art of Living Foundation vision is that of helping to build a global society that is free of stress, violence, and misery--and full of service, wisdom, and celebration.

For her presentation, Milam Allam will lead participants in guided meditation and will teach simple yogic breathing techniques for helping to release stress and for relaxing the mind.

What: "Twelve Moments of Meditation": Hindu meditation
When: 12 noon on Thursday, May 14th
Where: Freeman-Dunn Chapel (Main Campus)

Lifeline Chaplaincy is pleased to announce its upcoming "Creating a Healing Community" Workshop, to be held May 15-17, 2009 in Houston. This workshop, while intended primarily for lay pastoral caregivers, is also an excellent refresher and continuing education opportunity for professional chaplains.

A 17-hour intensive weekend workshop designed to equip spiritual care providers and other interested persons with basic listening, self-awareness and interpersonal relationship skills necessary for effective ministry.

- Required for Lifeline Chaplaincy spiritual care volunteers
- Recommended for ministers, elders, visitation ministry leaders and others involved in providing spiritual care

Topics include:
- Defining a healing community
- Losses and their effect(s) on us
- Basic listening and communication skills
- Perception and its role in listening
- "Why me?"
- Grief and Grieving
- Caring for the Caregiver
- Role play in ministry and listening

This workshop will be held
Friday, May 15, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Light supper provided
Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch provided
Sunday, May 17, 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

To register: Call Lifeline Chaplaincy at 713-524-1055
Or via E-mail at lifeline@lifelinechaplaincy.org

Registration fee: $50.00 payable at the door
Registration deadline May 11.

ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL CHAPLAINS OUTSTANDING LOCAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Steven Spidell DMin BCC Houston, Texas
The Outstanding Local Leadership Award is given to a member in good standing who has exhibited outstanding dedication to and promotion of the Association of Professional Chaplains through active involvement at the substate, state and/or multi-state level.
Steven Spidell, from Houston, TX, is executive director of Presbyterian Outreach to Patients. He interfaces regularly with chaplains at Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Hospital and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, among others in the Houston area.
About nine years ago, Steve instituted the first annual APC South Texas Chaplains' meeting, which continues to this day under the leadership of another chaplain. e purpose of these annual meetings is to promote fellowship, continuing education and peer review. A consummate learner, Steve also has taken the lead for several years in organizing a monthly brown bag lunch for the chaplains in the Texas Medical Center. His roster of lunchtime presenters has included theologians, educators, medical practitioners and chaplains from a variety of ministry settings. One colleague writes, "Without Steve's leadership role, it could have been difficult for many of us to meet our continuing education requirement to maintain our board certification."
Long an advocate for chaplains writing and conducting research, Steve embarked on a wide-ranging research project to detail the types of interventions chaplains most frequently utilize. From this work, Steve was able to delineate more clearly how professional chaplains function with those they serve. Another colleague states, "We at our hospital have benefitted from Steve's educational research projects. His published work has enhanced the profession of chaplaincy."
Currently, Steve is meeting with several other chaplains to address the topic of hospital chaplaincy best practices. One chaplain writes, "Steve personally challenged me to convene a group to develop a best practice protocol for the chaplain's response to codes. His leadership and direction for this process has been fruitful in furthering collegiality as well as producing a useful protocol that will benefit the profession... I can say with certainty that any contributions Ioffer to APC began as a result of Steve Spidell's gentle and continuing leadership in the Texas Medical Center. An alumnus of both Wesley eological Seminary in Washington, DC and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX, Steve is endorsed as a chaplain with the Presbyterian Church USA. He was ordained in 1990
and board certified in 2000. He is married to the Reverend Cheryl Smith, associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, TX. They live in Pearland, TX, a suburb of Houston, with their 17-year-old son, Robin. Steve is also a parent to two
stepdaughters, Colly and Cayce.

"Mind as Medicine: The Radical New Science of Medicine"
James Duffy, MD, ChB, FAHPA
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Thursday, April 16, 2009
12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
Hickey Auditorim R11.1400

Monday, March 16, 2009

The year 2008 afforded many avenues for Chaplaincy to partner with the medical faculty of M. D. Anderson as it sought to provide the best of care for the thousands of patients who enter our doors.

One such project included Lois Ramondetta, M.D., associate professor in Gynecologic Oncology; the Rev. David Jenkins, D.Min., director of Chaplaincy; and AnneMarie Wallace, manager of Clinical Chaplaincy Programs, who met to brainstorm ways of providing Gynecologic Oncology residents and fellows an understanding of the multiple, intentional spiritual care approaches that chaplains facilitate during their visits with patients.

Read the article here.

Article by DANA JENNINGS
Published in the NYT: March 9, 2009

Cancer insists on its own time. If you try to defy it, it can break you, physically and spiritually. It doesn't know from deadlines and BlackBerries, from Twittering and overnight delivery. Cancer is analog in a digital world.

Dana Jennings is an editor at The New York Times. His postings on coping with prostate cancer appear each week at nytimes.com/well

Read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/health/10case.html?_r=2&ref=health