For healthcare professionals, intense situations are part of the job, and the stress of having to relate to these moments—people bleeding on the floor and crying, for example—results in burnout for a high number of these workers. Knowing this, while also knowing the benefits of traditional contemplative practices, Dr. Aaron Snyder and others are saying that mindfulness meditation may be just what the doctor ordered.
From decades of experience working on the front lines of healthcare, while also practicing and teaching meditation, Dr. Snyder offers a unique perspective. And we think that healthcare workers—and anyone else trying to stay sane while meeting unreasonable demands—may benefit from hearing his wisdom.
In this interview with Shambhala Mountain Center, Dr. Snyder addresses the topic of burnout, as well as the nuances, benefits, and challenges, to establishing and maintaining a meditation practice. We’re especially grateful for his response to this common question: “How to find the time?!”
Enjoy the video below or scroll down to stream or download the audio.
Shambhala Mountain Center hosts Empowering the Heart of Healthcare: Embodied Presence with Acharya Melissa Moore, Dr. Aaron Snyder, Carole McKindley-Alvarez and Leslie Booker, June 23–30, 2017 — click here to learn more
Stream audio below. To download, click here.
About the Authors
Aaron Jay Snyder, MD, is the founding director of Present Moment Project, Inc and personal physician to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. A family physician, geriatrician, medical ethicist, and long-time meditation teacher, Dr. Snyder was the Medical Director of Ethics at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Travis Newbill (Good Highland Prankster) is a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, an MFA student in the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, and a student of Ikebana under Alexandra Shenpen, Sensei. Singer-songwriter, poet/writer, and fan of the band Phish, Travis resides in Boulder, CO with his partner Heather. // TravisNewbill.com