Group Topic

My 8-year ethographic study of interdisciplinary healing circles was recently published in the July 2014 issue of Global Advances in Health and Medicine, and I'm happy to share a pdf (send email to mjordan@ciis.edu). The "healing circles" are an experimental model of interprofessional collaborative communication among 8 different medical or healing traditions (from allopathy to somatic education, Ayurveda, TCM, chiropractic, naturopathic medicine, psychotherapy, and more) as practitioners sit in circle with a patient with multiple, complex chronic diseases, often facilitated by an integrative or holistic RN specializing in behavioral health.The circle gives the patient an opportunity to witness a cross-dialog between practitioners of widely different philosophies. The ethnographic account is rich with findings about the crux of collaboration.  I invite your comments and further dialog.  Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, CWP, Clinical Medical Anthropologist, California Institute of Integral Studies.