MIND-BODY
The foundation has an
outreach programme in Port-au-Prince in Haiti
combine it with some energy work it becomes so much more powerful. So we layer the therapies as required, using either some or all of them. “We wouldn’t normally use movement
with someone at end-of-life care. We’re always careful to meet patients at their stage of the journey, to help bring them into the present moment, and not to assume we know what’s best for them. “A great thing about the therapies is
that they’re designed to be performed hands-on or hands-off with the same effect, as many wellness practitioners going into a medical setting may not be able to physically touch patients.”
Therapist self-care Another interesting aspect of the UZIT programme is the prime emphasis it puts on the wellbeing of practitioners: the self-care and nutrition modalities are targeted at them. UZIT trainees are required to develop a daily yoga and meditation practice, to eat healthily, and be under the care of a personal mentor. As someone who still actively
practises in a private spa setting with yoga and massage, Cilibrasi is only too aware of the dangers of burnout that therapists and practitioners face. “I’ve seen many massage therapists burn out in 10 years or less because they haven’t set out with a strategy of self-care,” she says. “I’m still going strong after 15 years because I’m able to employ the strategies that we teach our trainees. I’ve made my home a very spa-like sanctuary where I can take care of myself – otherwise how will I ever be able to take care of others? “Compassion fatigue is a real danger.
UZIT practitioners especially will be going into very challenging settings where they may be required to spend long periods of time with patients who are very ill. They need to be able to deal with all situations as they show up, how to be with the living and the dying, and not impose their teachings on a patient or relative.”
UZIT expansion Currently the UZIT programme, which is funded mostly by donations and board participation, is only available at selected US centres. Cilibrasi says the past five
years have been spent consolidating the training and refining it, while the next five to 10 years will focus more on expansion around the US and beyond. “We’ve been in talks with
organisations in Europe, Japan and India about how we can expand the UZIT programme and work in different cultures, and several pilot projects that could be scaleable and exportable are currently in the early stages here in the US. We’ve also been taking our outreach work to places like Port-au- Prince in Haiti to further develop and enrich our programme.” In addition, Cilibrasi says there’s
now a very popular public programme available at partner wellness facilities around the US – various yoga studios where anyone can experience the UZIT modalities in public Urban Zen classes. “We’ve actually been quite
overwhelmed by how popular these programmes have been, often becoming the most attended classes at a facility – we’re talking about 40 people turning up to a class on a Saturday night in New York’s Soho!” she says. “So many people are looking for balance and
68 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
healing in their lives. The guy next to you at work – you may have no idea what he’s going through or what kind of healing journey he may be on.” While it’s not likely to happen in the
immediate future, Cilibrasi nevertheless foresees a time when there will be standalone UZIT centres alongside hospitals, as well as in wellness settings such as spas and health clubs. She says: “Our programme is a
natural fi t in both acute and preventative wellness settings. Our future growth will be fuelled by attracting more and more spa and wellness professionals to come and take our training and send this work further out into the world. “As Donna always says: ‘Everyone
will be a patient one day’ – but I truly believe that using the UZIT programme in both sickness and wellness care can make the journey better.” ●
This feature fi rst appeared in Spa Business issue 2 2015
August 2015 © Cybertrek 2015
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