Avon Program
Introduction to Meditation and Healing
Women with breast or gynecologic cancers often experience significant anxiety and distress. Stress, behavioral habits, and lifestyle can affect recovery. A practice of meditation-based stress reduction and lifestyle change can help women with these conditions learn skills to better cope with stress and improve their quality of life.
The Program
The Avon Foundation Program for Meditation and Healing is a comprehensive twenty-week course in meditation based stress reduction and skills learning. The program offers individualized instruction and time tested methods in a positive educational atmosphere.
Each class is comprised of about 15 participants. Each person will go through an intake interview that will last one hour. The twenty weeks are comprised of two parts:
- 8 weekly sessions learning meditation skills
- 12 weekly sessions facilitating skills that promote lifestyle change
Each of the eight meetings of the initial program involves 90-minute group sessions. Participants will be exposed to new ideas and tools to better understand and cope with their reactions to the challenges of living with illness. During these sessions, participants are guided through exercises such as awareness of breath, healing imagery, and deep breathing which help them better control responses and practice self change.
This initial course is followed by 12 weekly sessions of mind/body skills learning. The aim of these sessions is to promote changes that improve quality of life. This practice can help participants unlearn disease-prone habits and develop a healthier outlook, attitude and lifestyle.
Both sessions are supported by daily practice using audiotapes and reading materials
Who's Eligible
This program is available for women who have completed treatment for stage I-III breast cancer or other gynecologic cancers within the previous year.
Weill Cornell's meditation-based stress reduction program is part of a clinical research program that has been funded by the Avon Foundation as part of its Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. This research program is free for participants.
This program is offered by Center of Complementary and Integrative Medicine and the Weill Cornell Breast Center. If you are interested in participating or have any further questions about the program, please contact us at 212-746-1679.
Program Instructor
Dr. Joseph Loizzo MD PhD is a board-certified psychiatrist and has been a student-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhist meditation since 1973. His Ph.D. in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies is from Columbia University where he teaches science and religion. Dr. Loizzo is the Founder of the Center for Meditation and Healing at Columbia-Presbyterian Eastside and has a private practice of psychotherapy in Manhattan.
