Thich nhat hanh 2016 mini calendar9/27/2023 ![]() Q: What is something that the general public seems to misunderstand about fibromyalgia and how can people combat that stigma?Ī: Many people living with fibromyalgia say that because they have no easily visible or “fixable” injuries or symptoms, others often minimize the extent of their struggles. I’m often deeply impressed by the wise hearts FEAT participants bring to meet one another in the group. ![]() I think cultivating spaciousness, awareness and compassion in my own practice has helped me to meet others with those qualities as well. ![]() People living with fibromyalgia are often very experienced in working with suffering, and relieved just to be witnessed in an unafraid and spacious way. Q: How have your experiences studying and practicing Buddhism influenced your work with people who have fibromyalgia?Ī: My teachers over the years - including Thich Nhat Hanh in my 20s and many others since - have pointed me in the direction of balancing radical acceptance with skillful means for reducing suffering and finding greater freedom. This is great for having time, space and support for everyone who shows up. Q: How many participants do you average each month?Ī: It’s a small-group experience - between three and eight participants each time. People showed up and expressed appreciation, so we kept going. So, with the support of the Women’s Health Resource Center and Rheumatology, I decided to try offering a monthly support group. At first, when patients would ask us about follow-up peer group resources, we didn’t really have anything to offer. Those meetings proved really helpful to a number of patients, in no small part because it was often a relief for people to finally meet others who shared their experiences with fibromyalgia. Nicole Orzechowski, Section Head of Rheumatology at DHMC, invited me to facilitate Fibromyalgia Shared Medical Appointments at the beginning of that program, in early 2016. Gentle movement and suggestions for helpful resources round out our time together.Ī: Dr. From there, we move into structured opportunities to share and witness participants’ experiences. Over the years we’ve worked with clay, fibers, drawing, painting and mixed-media interventions - always with the idea that the materials are there for pleasure, play, and insight. Each of our meetings begins with contemplative and expressive arts practices that give participants a chance to approach their experiences in a curious, creative and compassionate way. Question: How would you define the work that Fibromyalgia Expressive Arts Team (FEAT) does?Īnswer: We are a once-a-month support group for woman-identifying people living with fibromyalgia. It has been edited for length, style and clarity. In an email question and answer interview, Püttgen discussed why she started FEAT and how she incorporates art and Buddhism to assist people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Saturday, March 7, at the Women’s Health Resource Center in downtown Lebanon. In 2016, Püttgen started Fibromyalgia Experiential Arts Team, known as FEAT, a support group for women diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She is also an artist and meditation teacher. Julie Püttgen is a therapist who works in the rheumatology department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where she assists people diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition to practicing somatic and expressive arts therapy at the Center for Integrative Health in Hanover. Women are twice as likely as men to have fibromyalgia. LEBANON - Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder that’s often misunderstood.Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is characterized by widespread body pain and stiffness, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and depression and anxiety.
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