Many thanks to James Gordon, MD, for joining me on this episode of "The Art of Medicine" to speak about his book, “The Transformation.” Dr. Gordon is a psychiatrist at Georgetown University and the Founder and Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.
Several months ago, I was invited to write an article on Dr. Gordon’s mind-body skills groups for physicians dealing with the stress of COVID-19. As part of that assignment, I participated in several of his online mind-body skills sessions. A video interview based on those experiences appears on Medscape.com. I was intrigued by Dr. Gordon’s approach and read his book, “The Transformation.”
In today’s 20-minute interview, Dr. Gordon explains how he became motivated to find solutions for all of us to address the various traumas in our lives. While some people have experienced childhood or adult traumas such as physical and sexual abuse, even those of us who lead relatively mundane lives may still have to deal with chronic pain, a life-threatening illness, or long-term disability. Ultimately, all of us must face the trauma of our own mortality and those of our loved ones.
Dr. Gordon employs tools that empower self-awareness and self-care. The Center for Mind-Body Medicine has brought these techniques to thousands of people, including those struggling with trauma in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, war-torn Kosovo, and to child-soldiers in Mozambique. Dr. Gordon observed, “Everybody has the capacity to use these tools and techniques.” These are carefully described in “The Transformation,” which can serve as a stand-alone manual or as a companion to mind-body skills group training.
Please join me in this fascinating interview with Dr. Gordon.
