In considering which mind-body techniques to recommend to patients, knowing evidence for a technique's effectiveness and safety is important. Generally speaking, all mind body practices are effective for inducing relaxation and can be used fairly safely with elderly and young children alike.
Having a good sense of your patient’s lifestyle and personality will be very helpful. Some patients may do better with a more active type of mind-body practice. Others may need the accountability and structured support of a class in order to regularly engage in a practice.
Knowing reputable MBS practitioners in your community is critical since no one speciality field has ownership of this field. Many mind-body practices do not have one uniform professional standard of practice. Some techniques have certification guidelines that enable lay persons as well as health care professionals to practice.
Recommended Resources
There are excellent resources to help your patients learn more about mind-body practices. These include instructional audiotapes and media files on the web which be downloaded onto MP3 players or audiostreamed from a home computer, as well as books and workshops sponsored by national training institutes. You can access a list of these materials in the next section that follows.