How We Started

Healing Ukraine’s Nationwide Trauma

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we committed to deploying our time-tested, evidence-based model for trauma healing and resilience building to address the impacts of the war on the Ukrainian people. In June, we trained the first 270 trainees through our 2-Day Emergency Seminar (2DES) pilot program, which combined large group instruction in the science of mind-body medicine and practical experience of its tools and techniques in supportive small groups. We announced the first phase of this work at the Clinton Global Initiative September 2022 Meeting. We currently plan to train more than 1000 Ukrainians in our model.

COVID-19 Response

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed free online resources to support the general health, resistance, and resilience of sorely challenged healthcare providers, as well as the general public. We also made our trainings and Mind-Body Skills Groups available virtually, and provided an essential service to address individual, community, and population-wide trauma.

Healing Our Troops

Expanding on ten years of partnership with the Veterans Health Administration, we created a comprehensive collaboration with the VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8), the largest division of the VA healthcare system. We trained 200 Whole Health Coaches and 150 clinical and administrative leaders to integrate our model into their daily work and to create a culture of wellness for employees as well as veterans.

Transforming Trauma is Published

Transforming Trauma: The Path to Hope and Healing by Dr. Gordon is published. The book helps readers understand how to easily integrate the CMBM model into their daily lives.

Comprehensive Wellness Program for Broward County Public Schools

In the aftermath of the February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, CMBM partnered with Broward County Public Schools to bring trauma relief, resiliency-building skills and wellness to students, educators, and the community.

The Greater Houston Healing Collaborative

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, we worked with Houston-based CMBM program graduate Gwen Brehm, MEd, LPC, LMFT, and The Center for Spirituality and Healing to bring health and mental health organizations together as the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative, a cross-sector effort with dozens of member organizations working together to promote emotional and psychological healing. In November 2017, the Collaborative began organizing a community-wide trauma relief and resilience building program for Harvey-impacted Houstonians.

Hope and Healing for Syrian Refugees

In 2017, we held our first comprehensive training program for Syrian refugees living in Jordan, empowering them to bring mind-body medicine to thousands who had been traumatized by conflict.

CBS 60 Minutes features CMBM

CBS 60 Minutes features CMBM’s program with war-traumatized children in Israel and Gaza.

Healing in Haiti

2010’s devastating 7.0 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 caused massive death, destruction and displacement in Haiti—already the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. 

CMBM responded by working with leaders in mental health, medicine, education, and religion to create a program that would serve devastated survivors and could be integrated into schools, hospitals, prisons, and shelters for displaced and unhoused people in Port-au-Prince, the south of Haiti, and the Central Plateau. Since 2010, our Haiti team has provided direct services to more than 60,000 of Haiti’s most vulnerable children and adults. Self-care basics were broadcast via radio programs, and reached hundreds of thousands more.

The Mind-Body Center of Louisiana 

CMBM program alumni created The Mind-Body Center of Louisiana (MBCLA), an independent non-profit working closely with CMBM and providing continuing support for trauma relief and healing in New Orleans and Southern Louisiana.

New Orleans and Southern Louisiana

After Hurricane Katrina, we established a greater New Orleans-wide network of gifted and committed health, mental health, and education professionals who use CMBM’s pioneering model to effectively deal with population-wide psychological trauma and stress.

Gaza 

Responding to conflict in the Gaza Strip, CMBM has trained 1500 Palestinian clinicians, educators and community leaders in our model of psychological self-care and group support since 2005. These trainees have brought the CMBM approach to more than 280,000 children and adults. CMBM continues to work closely with the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Welfare; The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA); and an additional 200 international and local NGOs.

Kosovo (pilot)

CMBM’s international faculty established a trauma-relief program that would go on to train more than 600 Kosovar clinicians and educators over five years. Our model became one of the pillars of Kosovo’s post-war, nationwide community mental health system, where it is now available to the entire population of two million people.

James S. Gordon, MD, founds CMBM

Dr. Jim Gordon, a longtime NIMH research psychiatrist, founded The Center for Mind-Body Medicine. His mission was, and remains, to help communities around the world develop the tools they need to heal population-wide trauma.