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NEWS | EASTERN HORIZON 59

Mindfulness initiatives work

to help Ukrainians cope with

trauma and stress of war

By Martine Panzica | AUGUST 16, 2022

Over 170 days into the Russian Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara
invasion of Ukraine, people in Brach, Daniel Goleman, Amishi Jha,
Ukraine continue to experience Trudy Goodman, and Karen Doyle
uncertainty, distress, and Grossman.
unimaginable loss. While residents
in the country may not have control 2. Moments of Refuge for Ukraine
over their surroundings, a number (Mindfulness-SOS)
of mindfulness programs, groups, “This online program is designed to
and initiatives are underway to help you learn new and helpful ways Photo by Daria Volkova.
help Ukrainians cope with the to respond to the trauma, loss and
ongoing situation. The three stressors in your life since the war. Reduction (MBSR)
initiatives below highlight those Mindfulness-SOS will teach you to “For the first weeks of Russia’s
working to help people find pay attention to your experience in full scale invasion in my country
solace through mental training, the present moment in ways that are it seemed like there was no place
community meditation practice, and accepting and compassionate towards for formal practice at all. Yet, as
mindfulness-based interventions. yourself and your experience.” terrible as things were and still
are, I noticed an underlying sense
1. SIY Global: Adaptive Resilience Moments of Refuge for Ukraine of calm and resilience in the face of
“This war showed us how we can (Mindfulness-SOS for Ukrainians) is what previously I would have found
lose everything in an instant, it made an online, mindfulness intervention overwhelming.”
us see what is truly a priority. It program being offered to
taught us that we need to connect Ukrainians. The free program aims Individual mindfulness teachers
with our own selves and learn how to empower and enable Ukrainians and MSBR practitioners are offering
to better manage external situations, to cope with the trauma and stress mindfulness training to Ukrainian
or manage ourselves. We’re the only of the war and to help them start first responders, volunteers, refugees,
ones in charge of our own emotions. to recover. The initiative is part children, soldiers, and civilians. In
And that can actually save our lives. of the global Moments of Refuge this article from the American Bar
Even in the middle of a war.” Project, a social impact initiative to Association, Valta, a mindfulness
help survivors of conflict and forced teacher in Ukraine discusses his
Over 1,000 employees of MHP, a displacement to heal and recover. experience working with nonprofit
large Ukrainian food manufacturing The free program takes place over organizations and volunteer groups
company recently joined SIY Global’s seven weeks, with includes eight to bring mindfulness and meditation
online resilience training program. brief sessions and nine audio practices to his community while
The Adaptive Resilience program mindfulness meditation practice safety is uncertain, and how online
was offered to employees by SIY exercises audio recorded in both technology has impacted meditation
Global at no cost, and included Ukrainian and Russian. spaces.
eight weeks of live programming
from teachers Chade Meng Tan, 3. Mindfulness-Based Stress Source: www.lionsroar.com EH