Amy Cavalleri leads a small group in simple, practical skills for managing stress and healing trauma. // Photo courtesy Tyler Faires
A News Café readers might recall an August 2019 interview with Amy Cavalleri, who became a facilitator and coordinator of mind/body skills groups through the Center for Mind Body Medicine following the Carr Fire. She was drawn to the trauma healing project after witnessing its effectiveness firsthand.
The Center for Mind Body Medicine has now trained 82 local facilitators to lead skills groups in the North State. These small groups and workshops are being offered free of charge to the community. Due to the social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 crisis, these groups and workshops are available in an online format.
At least four small groups are being offered in April and May. A full schedule of groups and workshops can be found at www.shastaselfcare.org.
This collaborative effort of the Community Recovery Team (CRT) and the Shasta Health Assessment and Redesign Collaborative (SHARC) aims to equip residents with self-care skills to effectively manage trauma and stress.
“We know that stress and trauma can negatively impact our health,” Cavalleri said. “This model has proven to be a powerful, healing force for thousands of people. We are so fortunate to have this resource in our local area.”
The CMBM model was developed by Dr. James Gordon and draws on modern and ancient healing traditions from around the world. Tools such as meditation, guided imagery, movement and breathing are taught and practiced in a safe, small group environment. The evidence-based model has been utilized in communities around the world as a catalyst to build resilience after a collective trauma. CMBM is being implemented in the North State as part of the wildfire recovery efforts, but the self-care skills can be helpful for anyone.
-Source: CMBM Project press release
