That the mind and spirit of an individual have a role in the
person's physical health is no longer in debate. Exactly what
that role is and how the mind/body connection works is becoming
the subject of medicine's newest frontier.
Anodyne creates an intellectual bridge between traditional
medicine and newly emerging alternative and complementary therapies.
Anodyne is effective because it recognizes and capitalizes on
the unconscious mind's vast resources and capabilities to effect
subjective experiences such as the relaxation response and the
perception of pain and anxiety. Anodyne Awareness also enables
the practitioner to effect physiological processes such as blood
pressure and heart rate as well as the patient's quicker recovery
from anesthesia and surgery using only language.
Because these phenomena are easy to demonstrate and repeat,
even the most skeptical critic of mind/body techniques can see
the value of their use. Practitioner trainees are able to use
the techniques with their patients after only a weekend of training
and co-workers are easily convinced of the effectiveness of Anodyne
when they see it demonstrated.
Larry Burk, MD at Duke University Medical Center has experienced
the effects of the training on a this large institution that
now has more than 1,000 Anodyne patient interactions per week.
He says:
"Anodyne is a natural bridge for the introduction of
mind-body methods into the high tech environment of modern medicine.
It is easy to understand and accept, and provides an institutional
foundation for further mind-body initiatives.
"Beneficial 'side effects' include an attitudinal shift
in the Anodyne practitioners as they incorporate the techniques
into their everyday work environment. The use of Anodyne makes
the daily routine more interesting and stimulating because of
the unique interaction with each patient.
"Anodyne also inherently serves as a personal stress
manager for the practitioners, allowing them to manage virtually
any situation more easily. Another noticeable effect is the transformation
toward enhanced patient cooperation as we shift from doing something
'to' the patient to a shared experience. There is also a synergistic
effect taking place as multiple trained personnel in different
parts of the hospital encounter the same patients."
