Healing the Wounds of War: Gaza

Current Status:

  • 230 Gaza professionals trained in mind-body medicine
  • Leadership Team of 15 clinicians created
  • Certification program in development
  • 2100 chilren & adults served weekly throughout Gaza in 10-week cycles of mind-body skills groups
  • 20,000 people served since 2005


The Gaza program is one of the most remarkable population-wide healing programs in the world, effectively helping a people beleaguered by war and internal conflict, an embargo, malnutrition, and unemployment levels of 60% or more to release their distress, experience their own capacity to help themselves and transform their lives.

Since 2005, Dr. James Gordon and the Center’s international faculty (which Includes Christians, Muslims and Jews) have fully trained 230 Gaza health and mental health professionals and educators, and developed a Leadership Team of 15 of Gaza’s most gifted clinicians.

Under the guidance of Jamil Atti, MA, Clinical & Program Director, Center-trained clinicians and educators —who work in virtually all of Gaza’s major health and mental health programs, many grass-roots organizations, and international aid organizations (INGO)— are continually offering mind-body skills groups to men, women and children. With 10 individuals in each group, 2100 people are being served each week in 10-week cycles, offering much needed support in the ongoing trauma of life in the Gaza Strip.

Center-trained Gaza teams have provided intensive, life-transforming programs to 20,000 Gaza children and adults since the program’s inception.

An evaluation of the first 500 children and 500 adults who participated in 10-session mind-body skills groups shows an 80% decrease in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the most traumatized children and adults. There were highly significant reductions in stress and anger, improvements in mood and enhancement of optimism and hope. These gains were largely maintained at a 6-month follow-up.

Dr. Gordon, Clinical Director Amy Shinal, LCSW, Center staff and a number of our international faculty continue to work in Gaza twice a year, assisting with clinical supervision and program development.

The Center’s work is a beacon of hope and an ongoing labor of love and compassion. We hope the program will eventually become self sustaining, but right now, given all the exigencies of the situation, it requires the Center’s clinical and financial support.

 
For further information, contact: gtr@cmbm.org

 


 
The Gaza program is one of the most remarkable population-wide healing programs in the world.


 
I thank the mind-body program is a successful one in terms of healing effects...and that these techniques are consistent with our Palestinian and Islamic culture. This is the secret behind the program’s success.

- Fadel Shath, Gaza Mental Health Center