UT Veterinary College offers stress-lowering class for humans
Dr. Elizabeth Strand, director of Veterinary Social Work, a program at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, will teach a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course this January and February. The eight-week MBSR course teaches mindfulness practice techniques for the alleviation of accumulated daily stress, chronic pain, anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, and other conditions worsened by stress. MBSR has accumulated 30 years of research supporting its effectiveness in stress management and health promotion.
MBSR is designed to increase participants’ awareness so they can respond to situations with choice rather than automatic reactions. According to Strand, “We can do this by becoming more aware of where our attention is and deliberately changing the focus of our attention, over, and over again.” She says while MBSR is used predominantly in human hospitals it has also been taught in medical schools and the work place.
The eight-week class begins Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, and will be held one night a week. A free orientation session for potential participants will be held Thursday, Jan. 3, from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. in the Sequoyah Room at the veterinary college on the UT agricultural campus. The cost of the course is $175. To learn more or to register, contact Tressie Brown at nuchols@utk.edu or 865-974-5574.
One of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine educates students in the art and science of veterinary medicine and related biomedical sciences, promotes scientific research and enhances human and animal well-being.
In addition to the programs of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT AgResearch system of ten research and education centers and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.
