Resources

Deb H., cover art from her new CD

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. has a powerfully clear personal vision -- to bring science, medicine, psychology and spirituality together in the service of healing. Trained as both a medical scientist and a psychologist, Dr. Borysenko has gone beyond her traditional academic training and developed depth and breadth in a number of fields including behavioral medicine, stress and well-being, psychoneuroimmunology, women’s health, creativity and the great spiritual traditions of the world.

Also a licensed psychologist, Dr. Borysenko was co-founder and former Director of the Mind-Body clinical programs at two Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals, now merged as the Beth Israel/Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. These programs were the foundation for her 1987 classic New York Times bestseller Minding the Body, Mending the Mind . For books and tapes by Borysenko, see www.vhl.org/bookstore/wellness.htm

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, teaches mindfulness meditation as a way of managing stress and chronic pain. One way to envision how mindfulness works is to think of the mind as the surface of a lake or ocean. There are always waves, sometimes big, sometimes small. Many people think the goal of meditation is to stop the waves so that the water will be flat, peaceful, and tranquil—but that is not so. The true spirit of mindfulness practice is illustrated by a poster someone once created of a 70-ish Indian yogi, in full white beard and flowing robes, atop a surfboard and riding the waves off a Hawaiian beach. The caption read: "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." For books and tapes by Kabat-Zinn, see www.vhl.org/bookstore/wellness.htm

Deb Hogan (top), a singer in the Boston area, was diagnosed with VHL in 1998. Singing songs of faith gave her renewed strength. She decided to make a CD to share these songs with others going through crisis. "I have had to face my own mortality in the last few years, and that’s been very hard. But my faith has given me peace and given me joy." Forever In His Care is Deb’s first CD, a collection of songs to help others overcome fear and gain contentment. They are songs of her Christian faith and hope, especially focused on a path away from worry and into trust in God. CDs are available from www.walkoutofworry.com