On March 31, 2020, the New York Times reported, “The coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 30,000 people in New York City, is beginning to take a toll on those who are most needed to combat it: the doctors, nurses, and other workers at hospitals and clinics. In emergency rooms and intensive care units, typically dispassionate medical professionals are feeling panicked as increasing numbers of colleagues get sick.” And the numbers have climbed to well over 110,000 cases as of this publication.

On April 6, Heal the Healers Now, a new initiative to bring the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique to medical providers battling the coronavirus, was announced on Good Morning America by Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation (DLF). The national program is being jointly launched and undertaken by two nonprofit groups, Maharishi Foundation USA, Inc. and the DLF Center for Health and Wellness. Watch Bob Roth on Good Morning America

A new initiative to bring the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique to medical providers battling the coronavirus was announced on Good Morning America.

A Public Health Crisis for Medical Providers

Even before the pandemic, a Harvard report called physician burnout “a public health crisis that urgently demands action,” with several surveys putting the rate of provider burnout as high as 70 percent. The American Academy of Family Physicians linked burnout to higher rates of medical errors, substance abuse and addiction, and suicide among physicians.

Stuart Rothenberg, M.D., Medical Director of the DLF Center for Health and Wellness.

Today, the situation is far worse, and demands well-documented, innovative approaches to address this crisis.

“The TM technique is an evidence-based, non-pharmacological intervention for this devastating public health crisis,” said Stuart Rothenberg, M.D., Medical Director of the Center for Health and Wellness.

“The Center for Health and Wellness has a long track record of providing TM instruction to first responders, including police, firefighters, and military personnel. Today, our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are true first responders—they are on the front lines in a literal life-or-death battle against a pandemic that threatens the very life of society,” Dr. Rothenberg said.

“The TM technique is an evidence-based, non-pharmacological intervention for this devastating public health crisis.” —Stuart Rothenberg, M.D.

Deep Relaxation and Stress Reduction

The TM technique is an easy-to-learn, enjoyable-to-practice mental technique for deep relaxation and stress reduction that has been successfully offered in hospitals and clinics as well as medical schools, academic and VA medical centers, military academies, substance abuse centers, prisons, and other settings.

The “Healthcare Provider Wellness Program” is centered on stress-reducing TM practice

Dr. Rothenberg said the “Healthcare Provider Wellness Program,” which is based on the TM technique, will be offered to healthcare providers as a stand-alone approach or as an adjuvant therapy to make existing programs for managing stress more effective.

This Wellness Program has already been offered in hospitals and clinics nationally. Most recently, for example, a three-month trial at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center found that emergency medicine physicians practicing the TM technique experienced significant reductions in physician burnout, insomnia, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

A three-month trial at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center found that emergency medicine physicians practicing the TM technique experienced significant reductions in physician burnout, insomnia, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

A Practical Approach during This Challenging Time

“After having practiced other types of meditation for years, TM has been transformative in my life as a critical care physician, researcher, mother/wife/daughter. I experienced unparalleled levels of focus, energy, and internal balance — regardless of the chaos around me,” said Patty J. Lee, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Cell Biology, and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

“As I now lead an entire division of physicians through this CoV19 crisis, TM has been my anchor, and I am petitioning our entire health system to train all our healthcare providers in TM,” Dr. Lee added.

“As I now lead an entire division of physicians through this CoV19 crisis, TM has been my anchor, and I am petitioning our entire health system to train all our healthcare providers in TM.” —Patty J. Lee, M.D., Chief of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, Duke University Medical Center

Hassan A. Tetteh, M.D., M.B.A., National Defense University Command Surgeon, Chief Medical Informatics Officer of the U.S. Navy, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, comments, “TM is proven to lower stress, high blood pressure, and depression, and this can lead to improved health. With improved health, you become more effective in your relationships, at work and in life. When you are healthy and effective in all the things you are meant to do, you move closer to realizing your real purpose in life, and this ultimately leads to happiness.”

Supporting Heroic Health Providers

“Our heartfelt appreciation goes to the heroic healthcare providers who are giving their time, resources, and expertise to their communities, especially during the current crisis,” Dr. Rothenberg said. “We are honored to offer these inspiring healers a practical approach to strengthen their resilience and support their well-being during this challenging time.”

Learn more about “Heal the Healers Now” and how you can help ►

“We are honored to offer these inspiring healers a practical approach to strengthen their resilience and support their well-being during this challenging time.” —Dr. Stuart Rothenberg