Mindfulness-Based Chronic Pain Management (MBCPM) is a program developed and run by Dr. Jackie Gardner-Nix (right). While there are five different types of MBCPM class, they are all conducted in a similar environment, meeting rooms at various hospitals in Ontario, in an open, honest, welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.
The classes are hosted from three different bases in Toronto: the NeuroNova Centre office, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital. The room shown here is located at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in north Toronto and is the smallest of the Toronto meeting rooms.
Participants in Toronto attend the classes at the two Toronto hospital sites, while participants in other locations around Ontario join the classes by way of a secure, two-way television meeting system called Telemedicine. At any one time there can be as many as 60 people from four different sites taking part in the MBCPM class.
In the picture above we see participants of an MBCPM Level 1 class during an in-class meditation. While, there are many important lessons learned in the classes, one of the most important is that you do not need to be in a totally quiet environment, sitting on the floor with your legs crossed in order to meditate. We learn to sit or lie in a comfortable position, as the space and furniture allow, and to adopt as natural an attitude as possible.
Classes typically run for 2 hours and 50 minutes with a break in the middle. We try to accommodate as many special needs as we can during class. Space permitting, you are welcome to bring your own chair, pillow or other assistive device which will make the class experience as comfortable as possible. Animal assistants are welcome.
All of the classes are held in meeting rooms set up for Telemedicine. Participants from locations all over Ontario take a full and active role in the class. During whole-class discussions, when someone from any of the rooms is speaking, the camera focuses on them so that everyone can see who’s talking. Small group work is also a part of the class time which helps to build trust and community within each site.
