February 2017 workshop: managing pain mindfully
In her February 28 presentation, “Mindfulness and Chronic Pain Management,” Susan Flannigan (CNP, MPH) from the University’s Center for Spirituality and Healing (CSH) discussed non-pharmaceutical methods of dealing with chronic pain. In addition to exercise and “waiting it out,” she described another method, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), offered through CSH (csh.umn.edu).
This program has long-lasting effects in coping with chronic pain and illness, without reverting to pills. Developed in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, it is offered in more than 700 medical centers in the U.S. and around the world.
Susan, who teaches MBSR, defined mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment without judgment. With training and practice, mindfulness and meditation help to manage pain and also to change neuropathways in the brain. She demonstrated exercises in breath and body awareness and explained how to conduct a “36-minute body scan.” She also described ways to incorporate loving-kindness meditations for ourselves and toward others.
Recommended sources include MBSR meditations and classes (with discounts for University retirees) listed on both the UMRA and CSH websites. The American Mindfulness Research Association (AMRA) offers online readings and carries 25 topics per month relating to mental health issues. The monthly U of M “Current” also offers tips on well-being and news about upcoming health-related events.
Thanks to Susan for an excellent presentation.
— Larry Johnson and Gwen Perun, UMRA members
February workshop leader will discuss non-drug practices in managing pain
Tue, February 28 2017, 1:30pm
Campus Club ABC
This workshop will be led by Sue Flannigan, a nurse practitioner who has worked in a Fairview family practice clinic for 25 years and Hazelden Betty Ford treatment center.
She is board certified in Adult, Gerontology and Women’s Health Care. Her interest in health promotion and preventive health was influenced by her background in public health.
Personal meditation and awareness practices led her to become a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. She is also working on integrating mindfulness tools in pain management, chronic illness, women’s health, and chemical dependency.
Ms. Flannigan says that learning to turn off the stress response through mindfulness practice helps reduce pain. These practices have been brought into mainstream medicine over the last 30 years by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program.
Thirty years of research have shown benefits in dealing with anxiety, depression, addictions, the aging brain, pain management, chronic illness, resilience in the workplace, and facilitation of learning in educational settings. The presentation will present short mindfulness practices that can be used in daily life.
The workshop begins at 1:30 p.m. in Campus Club ABC following the UMRA luncheon. You need not to have attended the luncheon to participate in this workshop. Everyone is welcome.
— Earl Nolting, UMRA program committee
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.