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Healing Brain Seminar: February 1983

THE HEALING BRAIN

A Weekend Symposium
February 19-20, 1983
Vancouver

Health Continuing Education
Division of Continuing Education & Industry Services
British Columbia Institute of Technology

We have radically underestimated our sensitivity to the social and physical environment as well as human capabilities for self-healing. Recent advances in the brain and behavioral sciences have revealed that interpersonal interactions can markedly influence physiological responses and that social support and friends may modify disease susceptibility. We are also learning more about how sensitive the brain is to environmental changes, how stress alters our immune system, and how to mobilize the brain's intrinsic healing potential.

These and other findings of major clinical importance will be explored at a two-day symposium. A distinguished faculty of researchers and clinicians will provide through lectures, panel discussions, and questions and answers, an up-to-date review of emerging trends in behavioral medicine.

FACULTY

Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medical Psychology, University of California, San Francisco and President of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge. His major interests include the function of the two hemispheres of the brain and perception and communications in the human sciences. He is author of The Psychology of Consciousness and The Mind Field, and coauthor of On the Psychology of Meditation.

David S. Sobel, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief of Preventive Medicine, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center at Santa Theresa, California and Medical Director of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge. His current areas of interest include behavioral medicine, health promotion and public health education. He is editor of the book Ways of Health and contributing editor to Medical Self-Care.

Meredith Minkler, Dr. P.M., is Assistant Professor of Health Education, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests include the problems of aging in American society, the health effects of retirement, and the role of supportive ties in health maintenance.

George F. Solomon, M.D., is Professor in Residence and Vice Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco and Chief of Psychiatry Valley Medical Center of Fresno; he also serves as director of medical education, Fresno County Department of Health. He has done extensive research on emotional factors in autoimmune disease and the effect of stress on the immune system. He is author of many scientific papers and coauthor of the book, The Psychology of Strength.

Jon D. Levine, M.D., Ph.D., is Acting Chief of the Pain Research Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco and Resident in Medicine at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Francisco. His research has been on the mechanisms of pain and analgesia in animals and the role of endorphins in placebo analgesia.

PROGRAM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Morning (9:00-12:30 p.m.)

THE HEALING BRAIN - INTRODUCTION
Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D.
The "brain" is usually thought of as a static organ. However, recent research indicates that the brain is much more plastic than previously thought. The brain changes its organization to meet different situations; the cerebral hemispheres are selectively activated and suppressed for different types of thought.

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN HEALTH
David S. Sobel, M.D., M.P.H.
Since the person is a biopsychosocial unit, social forces and mental states can profoundly affect bodily healing processes. An examination of social networks, traditional healing practices, placebo effects, relaxation techniques and clinical studies of mood and healing, reveal powerful psychosocial forces as determinants of health and disease.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Afternoon (2:00-5:00 p.m.)

BRAIN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D.
We are becoming increasingly aware of the ease with which the cerebral cortex of the brain can be changed by alterations in the external environment. Stimulation in infancy through an enriched environment can increase the size of the cortex. Even the brains of very old animals can grow in response to environmental enrichment.

PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE: SOCIAL SUPPORT AND HEALTH
Meredith Minkler, Dr. P.H.
A major and often neglected risk factor in morbidity and mortality appears to be the extent to which an individual is enmeshed in a supportive social network. Various mechanisms by which social ties influence health will be reviewed. Case studies will be presented to demonstrate the role of pre-existing and intentionally developed supportive networks in helping people cope with stressful life events and decreasing susceptibility to illness.

PANEL DISCUSSION

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Morning (9:00-12:30 p.m.)

EMOTIONS, STRESS & IMMUNITY
George F. Solomon, M.D.
Emotional distress may suppress the immune response and thereby be implicated in the multifactorial causes of infectious disease, autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, resistance to which appears to be immunologic. The central nervous system, particularly the hypothalamus, and various neuroendocrines appear to be involved in the regulation of the immune system.

PAIN, PLACEBOS & ENDORPHINS: USING THE BODY'S OWN HEALING MECHANISMS
Jon D. Levine, M.D., M.P.H.
Recent research on the intrinsic analgesia systems of the body has joined forces with research on endorphins, the endogenous opiate-like chemicals produced by the body. The role of endorphins in the placebo effect and other physiological states will be explored.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Afternoon (2:00-5:00 p.m.)

THE PLACEBO: USING THE BODY'S OWN HEALING MECHANISMS
David S. Sobel, M.D., M.P.H.
The placebo effect is one example of mobilization of the organism's intrinsic healing capabilities. The non-specific expectancy effects of therapeutic intervention may at times be more powerful than the specific pharmacological and physiological aspects of therapy. The neglected importance and clinical implications of the placebo effect will be discussed along with some possible physiological mechanisms.

THE DOUBLE BRAIN AND HEALTH: SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY
Robert E. Ornstein, Ph.D.
The major division of the human brain is the two cerebral hemispheres. In most people the left hemisphere is responsible for rational and logical thought, the right for intuitive and holistic thinking. Evidence from split-brain studies and studies recording electrical activity of the normal brain will be discussed. The implications for health will be considered along with a discussion of the many controversies in this field.

CONCLUSION

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