Medical Meditation, Eisenhower Program Works to Relieve Stress

[bc_video video_id="6148205933001″ account_id="5728959025001″ player_id="Hkbio1usDM" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" max_width="640px" width="100%" height="100%"] A new morning ritual is helping frontline workers at Eisenhower Medical Center cope with the intense stress of the job. A twenty minute guided meditation is helping the hospital employees take better care of their patients and themselves. "I thought we should start off with a quick guided meditation and then we can follow up with some psychotherapy tips and tricks to help you get through the day and to help you great through other challenging times," Nina Ruedas, local Marriage and Family Therapist, said during one of the morning sessions this week. From 6:30 a.m. to 6:50 a.m., psychotherapists, psychologists and meditation teachers from around the world volunteer their time to reach the ones who need clarity the most. "I want to be of service to those who are working the frontlines so for me, this is a gift," Ruedras said in an interview with NBC Palm Springs. Several Eisenhower employees tune in on Zoom for the sessions. "It’s been really, really nice and a beautiful experience to be able to all go online at the same time," Dr. Eliane Coffler, a mental wellness expert at Eisenhower and leader of the meditation program, said. The program is only a week old but it has made a big impact. Ruedras said she receives messages from workers after every session. "One of our meditation teachers mentioned that one of his colleagues is starting up a similar project in Oakland," Dr. Coffler said. "So we’re kind of a trailblazer in starting this trend and we hope it kind of spreads." Eisenhower is contemplating a nighttime meditation in addition to the morning meditation due to the overwhelming positive response.