ASSOCIATION
FOR THE DEVELOPEMENT OF MIND/BODY POTENTIAL,
INC.
(ADMBP)
A
non-profit corporation
"Empowerment and Wellness Through Mind,
Body, & Spirit"
Our
Mission
Our
mission is to research and develop self-empowering
programs that promote health and wellness and
to cooperate with other individuals and health
professionals in such projects. To develop and
offer educational programs that serve as a means
of prevention and healing for the general public
and for those afflicted with specific diseases.
To acquire, disseminate, and organize information
related to the above state concepts, ideas or
practices; to produce or cause to be produced
documented materials, including but not limited
to, printed or published materials, audio, film/video
productions, seminars, retreats, public discussion
groups, guest panels, lectures and other similar
forums.
Our
History
Following
a near-fatal, life-changing healing crisis twenty-two
years ago as described in her Bio under About
Us, Denise Rodgers began to explore healing
principles beyond the traditional medical model.
Defying the odds of the medical community, Denise
embarked upon a healing journey that healed
her mind, body, and spirit. For eight years
she explored various methods and philosophies
of healing. She began to realize that healing
not only occurs physically, but also must occur
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In 1992,
Denise founded the Association for the Development
of Mind/Body Potential, Inc., a non-profit organization
decided to the exploration of mind, body, and
spirit for healing purposes.
Mind, Body & Spirit for the General Public
In 1993, Denise began developing Mind,
Body, & Spirit Self-Empowerment Wellness
Programs and offering them to the general public
in Tulsa, OK. She started with a 6-week curriculum,
and as she experimented with offering this program,
she found that her students wanted more. So
Denise continued creating additional 6-week
components so that each series added onto the
previous. She watched people begin to heal on
many levels and from many disorders. But more
than that, she saw that when people accessed
their inner resources, they not only healed
physically, but they were able to make many
changes in their personal and professional lives.
Nearly a thousand people participated in the
Mind, Body, & Spirit programs offered in
Tulsa during the ten years she was developing
the curriculum which now includes 24 lessons,
normally offered in four 6-week blocks. Go to
Mind,
Body & Spirit Programs for more
information.
Multiple Sclerosis
Inspired by her students’ successes,
in 1994 Denise decided to put her program to
the test. She conducted a formal research project
offering a 24-week MBS program to a group of
people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The
project was a collaborative effort with the
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
and Tulsa Regional Medical Center. The program
showed statistically significant improvements
in all measures of cognition and quality of
life, including dramatic reductions in depression.
Results were published in a leading journal
entitled the Alternative and Complementary
Therapies in Health and Medicine, Sept.
1996. She then offered the program again to
other persons coping with M.S., and added a
nutrition component and a form of body therapy,
chiropractic or massage. Results were consistent
with the first program, with an impressive 55%
reduction in depression, 29% improvement in
quality of life, and a 27% improvement in tactile
sensitivity.
Cancer
Denise’s attention then turned to
Cancer and she modified her program for various
types of cancer. Similar quality of life changes
were realized. The most dramatic changes were
seen by three women who had been given three
month-prognoses. Two women lived one year beyond
the six month program, suggesting that the program
could also prolong life.
Breast Cancer
In 1998, through a series of synchronistic
events, Denise met up with Carolyn Kinney, Ph.D.,
R.N., a faculty member at University of Texas
School of Nursing at Galveston, and a breast
cancer survivor. They decided to bring their
skills together to offer the MBS program to
breast cancer survivors. A formal research project
was begun through UTMB’s School of Nursing
at Galveston, with additional groups being held
at St. David’s Hospital in Austin, and
Saint Francis in Tulsa. The groups met for 12
weeks in 3-hour sessions. They learned a variety
of self-healing techniques to empower their
lives.
The program had already begun when the
Houston affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation awarded a grant that helped
them expand the program by training breast cancer
survivors to facilitate the program. Three survivors
were trained who then offered the MBS program
to other breast cancer survivors. Once again,
the results from this powerful project showed
statistically significant improvements in quality
of life, depression, perceived wellness, and
spiritual well-being. Results of this project
was published in The Journal of Holistic Nursing,
Summer 2003.
In 2002, ADMBP was again awarded a grant
from the Houston Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen
Foundation to take the Mind, Body, & Spirit
Self-Empowerment Wellness Program for Breast
Cancer Survivors to a free-standing breast center
for the underserved in Houston called The Rose.
Five facilitators were trained and over 75 survivors
participated in the program. For more information
on the Breast Cancer programs, click here.
Spanish Programs
In the middle of being trained to facilitate
under the Komen grant and while working fulltime
as a Patient Navigator at The Rose, Marbelly
Miranda recognized the need for a program for
Spanish speaking women. Marbelly was originally
trained as a Pathologist in Nicaraga. Marbelly
translated the entire Mind, Body, & Spirit
Program to Spanish and has already taught two
groups of Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors
in the Houston area. See Marbelly’s story
in About
Us.
Hospice
Workers
Denise's master's thesis was entitled
"Beyond Hospice: A Spiritual Enrichment
Program for Hospice Workers to Enhance the Quality
of Their Work with the Dying." This
project identified limitations in the current
hospice field and why the profession is in need
of being fundamentally revitalized. Hospice
workers are in need of moving beyond their conventional
training to seek out and utilize spiritual techniques
as valid ways of knowing and experiencing the
soul and its incredible complexities. The Mind,
Body, Spirit program helps hospice workers cultivate
their own inner spiritual resources. These resources
will not only enhance the spiritual life of
the hospice worker but can also be used to assist
those in the dying process. Denise and Carolyn
both feel that spirituality must be integrated
into conventional training for all health professionals.
Doctoral Education for Nursing Students
Years ago, when Carolyn and Denise were
first implementing the Mind, Body, & Spirit
program for Breast Cancer Survivors, interest
was growing on the campus of the University
of Texas Medical Branch, School of Nursing at
Galveston. Carolyn was asked to teach the 12-week
program to doctoral students in nursing as a
Special Topics Course. Nursing students received
credit towards their Ph.D.
Continuing
Education for Nurses
As popularity of the course continued,
Carolyn was asked to present the program as
a Continuing Education offering for Faculty
Nurses. This was followed by offering the Mind,
Body, & Spirit program to Clinical and Staff
nurses at UTMB. Approximately 50 nurses have
taken this program. In the fall of 2004, Carolyn
is planning to offer an on-line version of the
Mind, Body, & Spirit program as a continuing
education course for nurses.
EMPOWER for At-Risk Adolescents
Two bright doctoral students in Nursing
who had taken the MBS program, rose to the surface.
Under the guidance of Carolyn Kinney, Kathy
Nash and Chris Bray, were interested in modifying
the program for at-risk adolescents. Together,
Kathy and Chris created the Empower Program,
a dissertation project. The program received
the prestigious President’s Cabinet Award
from the president of the medical school. The
8-week Empower Program was piloted in a private
and public school in Galveston. Many self-empowering
changes were experienced by the teens. The program
was then expanded to a 12-week program, and
has now been offered for the past two years
in Galveston’s Independent School District.
Certified Facilitator Training Programs
As the popularity for the Mind, Body,
& Spirit program expands, our need for more
facilitators continues to grow. We are continuing
to develop our training programs to accommodate
facilitators in our locality and in other locations.
There are certainly specific steps of the training
process that are necessary, however, at the
current stage of ADMBP’s development, we
find that custom designing a program for you
or your institution’s needs is the best
method for moving forward. Through a joint creative
process, we feel we can provide a mutual advantageous
relationship for you, us, and the clients/patients
we both serve. We invite you to initiate a dialogue
regarding facilitator training. Go to Facilitator
Training Programs.
