Published on Thrive Global on April 8, 2020.
By Krishna Taneja, MD and Noshene Ranjbar, MD at University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry
During my time as a medical student in Ukraine, war broke out. Suddenly, the entire country was consumed by panic, fear, and grief. My classmates and teachers were forced to go to the forefront of the war. Many parallels can be drawn between war-ridden Ukraine and the outbreak we are facing today.
As a mental healthcare provider for international students in Ukraine for five years, I experienced firsthand the traumatic effects of panic, uncertainty, and isolation on health and wellbeing. In this context I realized the benefits of mind-body medicine – how simple techniques such as meditation, imagery, breathing, various forms of movement and creative expression can help ease mental and emotional anguish. These evidence-based techniques can counteract our fight, flight, and freeze responses.
For many people, the conditions we are experiencing now related to the COVID-19 pandemic can similarly be traumatic. Trauma can wound deeply, taking a toll on our mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. Timely interventions can help.
As a psychiatrist, Dr. Noshene Ranjbar, Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, is among thousands of practitioners worldwide facilitating small groups and workshops to teach the practice of mind-body skills through The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM). Free small groups facilitated by CMBM faculty are now being offered to assist individuals to work through their experiences of isolation, stress, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.