Coldwaltham couple run retreat in India

The theme of the event was integrating spirituality into healthcare, and a hundred and twenty doctors and healthcare professionals attended.

Chrissie McGinn of Wisborough Transformation was invited to work on the design of the week long Conference and then to deliver it with her partner, Richard Hewitt. “There were eight of us in the delivery team” Chrissie said, “with a larger team of international facilitators leading small group discussions.”

One of the aims was to introduce more experiential and creative learning methods to the more traditional approach to medical education.

“We integrated these methods with the more didactic, staged dialogues and panel discussions” said Chrissie.

Richard said: “We worked quite hard during the week, beginning with meditation at 6.30 each day. The afternoons were free but there were trips to a local hospital, a temple and nearby villages, followed by evening sessions back at the Centre. We haven’t been to India before and so it was a totally new experience!

“What was the main message to come out of the Conference? For me, there were many.

“If people want to deliver compassionate care, and manage their own stress levels, it appears to help if they are comfortable with their own spirituality, and have a regular spiritual practise. We also saw in the local hospital that meditation can help patients recover more quickly and stay well.”

Chrissie explained that the reason they had been asked to work on the Retreat was because of their work on the Janki Foundation’s Values in Healthcare Project, and Wisborough’s various leadership programmes.

“Most of our work is around running leadership programmes and we’ve very interested in working with values and spirituality in the workplace. The work in India has inspired us to want to set up a discussion group in the Pulborough area on leadership and spirituality,” added Chrissie.

For more info about Chrissie and Richard’s work go to www.wisborough.com or email [email protected]

There is a Positive & Powerful Leadership Programme starting on 20th November.

Submitted by Chrissie McDinn and Richard Hewitt