Proposal for Revitalizing Communities and American Society  

Objectives:  

• Identifying and exploring the root causes of division, and providing tools/practices to the community which can result in a healthier, safer, more peaceful and sustainable society.

• Redefining how education is defined and delivered (to both adults and young people) to encourage and value intra- and inter-personal literacy, as well as eco-intelligence.

 Passionate about the root causes of suffering and discord, we offer relatively low-cost, evidence-based solutions to the most pressing problems in American society:

• Addiction prevention
• Racism
• Inability to manage strong emotions which can lead to violent crime
• Tools and knowledge to enable behavior changes around food and other forms of consumption, which can prevent or assist in the epidemics of chronic disease
• Bias and prejudice against others
• Bullying and hate speech
• Speciesism and a disregard for the environment which contributes to the climate crisis

What is a ‘Connected Community’?

 A connected community is one which comes together to prioritize and explore ways to live in harmony with one another. Refusing to leave our future to chance, we commit to redefining what it means to live in community, and to strengthen what is best and brightest about humanity.

The curriculum has 3 major components:

• connecting to self
• connecting to others with respect
• connecting to the natural world

Compassion is a core value woven throughout.  

Outline of the Connected Community framework:

1. Connecting Skillfully with SELF
   Skills/Practices include: Pausing, taking time to get to know ourselves better, making space to notice internal patterns and reactivity (body sensations, emotions, thoughts)

Noticing bias and inherited beliefs

How do we deal with discomfort? Exploring the many options we have available to us

Honoring and allowing all emotions, but learning to transmute emotions like anger before reacting/responding.
What are the top stories running in our inner operating system?

What programs do we have downloaded into our nervous system from our culture?

After seeing ourselves more clearly, we can open to change, disrupting old patterns which might not be serving us.

Many of us are very hard on ourselves and have a harsh inner critic. Being kind to ourselves is a precursor to extending kindness to others. Mindful Self-Compassion is an elegant practice to create more appreciation for our own unique gifts. Self-compassion is healthier and more valuable than self-esteem.

2. Connecting Skillfully with OTHER PEOPLE
   Skills/Practices include:

Pausing and choosing how to respond vs reacting out of anger

Mindful listening exercises (just being there for another is a gift)

Holding space for the other, even when we disagree

Inquiry and reflection

Loving-Kindness practice- when practiced regularly, empathy and compassion grow stronger. There are deliberate practices to strengthen our ability to understand and be kind to others, even when we disagree with their actions.

Non-Violent Communication (Marshall Rosenberg’s work)
Communicating respectfully and maturely can seem like a lost art sometimes. There are specific practices which can add tremendous value to communities.

Angeles Arrien’s Principles to Guide Communities:

Show up and be present.

Speak your truth without blame or judgment.

Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.

Be open to outcome and not attached to outcome.

3. Connecting Skillfully with the NATURAL WORLD and NON-HUMAN ANIMALS
   Skills/Practices include: As our circles of compassion grow concentrically outwards, the ultimate expression is to include all sentient beings everywhere, and the Earth herself. We cannot really protect that to which we are not deeply connected. Protection will come naturally once we feel and understand the interconnection.
   This work is crucially important now that we are facing a climate crisis and a mass extinction.
   This module is a combination of didactic (teaching about the magnitude of the problem, videos can be a powerful tool) and experiential (actually BEING in nature and FEELING the connection).

Practices like Forest-Bathing and contemplative practices which connect us to the elements in our own body- (earth, air water, fire) are foundational. There is no separation.
Interbeing/interconnection. Our decisions have an impact beyond ourselves.  introducing and reinforcing this at an embodied and visceral level.

Reconnecting with the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth.

Why Compassion?

Compassion is a skill/quality which can be strengthened if practiced over time. This work is important now more than ever because of how divided Americans are, as evidenced by the racial unrest, political and ideological divide, class warfare, etc.

The roots of what we have been prioritizing as a society (exploitation, dominance, commodifying other beings and the natural world) are bearing fruit. Unless we go upstream and make changes to the very foundation of our society, any attempts at problem solving will merely be treating the symptoms. This work starts in the hearts and minds of each of us. The doing arises from the being. We as a society spend relatively little time on the social-emotional intelligence and, as a result, many are relatively illiterate in this arena.

We frequently see people who are highly educated, but who are using the knowledge to do harm to others, or who are very unhappy. We need a revolution in how we define a well-educated person. Without a well-developed sense of compassion for self and others, we will continue to struggle as a society.

If we studied the effects of a program like Connected Communities, I suspect that communities who participated would likely have less violence, less incarceration, more physical and mental health -which would translate into less money spent.

Research into these metrics, if feasible, would provide important information.

We will address inherent bias, skillful communication, managing strong emotions without tipping over into shame/blame, or needing to use substances to escape our own pain. The potential upsides would be enormous and the cost would be relatively low.

The ultimate expression of a Connected Community is how we act in the world. Compassionate acts will be encouraged, and wins enthusiastically celebrated. Compassion isn’t weak or passive. Compassion is also contagious. Here is an example of how these principles can have relevant consequences in the world.

EXAMPLE:
Years ago I was teaching mindfulness at a hospital in Boston to very low-income patients who had many psychosocial challenges. We had already introduced the basic mindfulness practices and were on week 6 when we had a class on mindful communication. The homework was to use all the tools we had learned so far to break an old pattern (at least once), to investigate a habitual pattern, disrupt it, and choose a new, more skillful way to respond.

The next week in class when I asked how it had gone and if anyone wanted to share, one gentleman eagerly raised his hand. He reported how he had been awoken one night by the sounds of someone outside trying to steal his car. His first reaction was to grab a weapon and go assault the man in his yard. The student, who happened to be a black man, had already been in prison for committing a violent crime.

He remembered the class, paused, did the brief breathing exercise and asked himself how he could respond differently. He decided to calmly walk outside and say:

‘Excuse me sir, this is my car and I would appreciate it if you’d leave my property right now.’ He told the story with a big smile on his face, as if astonished that something so simple actually worked. The other man left. My student went back to sleep. All is well. No one is dead, no one is back in prison.

This is literally what 6 weeks of mindfulness and compassionate modeling and encouragement can do.

Guiding Qualities and Principles:

• Curiosity
• Kindness
• Compassion
• Non-judgmental awareness
• Clear seeing and deep Acceptance of what is (as a solid foundation for change)
• Courage
• Hope
• Mindfulness/Heartfulness
• Playfulness
• Respect
• Love

Specifics of Implementation:

The specifics would vary depending on variables such as:

• the age of the participants
• how many weeks we would have (suggested: between 8 and 24)
• How much time we would have together each week (suggested: 60–90-minute sessions)

The fee is negotiable and most of the content can be delivered virtually,

Why Now? 

We are living in a country which has never been more divided. If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we will keep getting the same results. We can’t leave our future to chance and simply hope that people find a way to come together again .We must be bold and take innovative steps if we are to survive and thrive as one nation. 

Compassion and connection are qualities which can be strengthened through modeling, practice and repetition. We need to be deliberate and take great care to do everything we can to ensure a peaceful future for all. Shall we get started? 

With hope, 

Erin Sharaf and the Connected Communities Collaborative.

EMAIL US to to learn more and to explore options.

 Rebecca Shisler Marshall, PhD (CCC-SLP) is the founder of Centered Living and a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Georgia.

She completed her master’s and PhD in Experimental Cognitive Psychology at the University of South Carolina concurrently with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Her experience in cognitive psychology converged with speech-language pathology and inspired her research examining attention post-stroke, especially with individuals with aphasia (a language disorder). After two master’s degrees and a PhD, she describes herself as a recovering stress addict, turned intuitive healer and spiritual teacher. As a professor and researcher for over 20 years, her current research includes mindfulness and integrated wellness, using ancient practices mixed with modern wisdom to help women feel better and have more energy. She teaches women with health challenges who have tried everything to feel better and have more energy. Her integrative approach incorporates her work as a certified yoga instructor and life coach, plant-based advocate, shamanic practitioner, Reiki master, and mindfulness instructor. 

Priscilla Szneke BSN, MS., is a mindfulness and meditation teacher, facilitator, mentor and consultant.

Priscilla has taught MBSR for ten years and other mindfulness trainings for fifteen years to corporations, universities, and the community. She is Adjunct Faculty at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University School of Public Health. With over 35 years’ experience in the healthcare field as a nurse, medical editor, and epidemiologist she has come to understand that mindfulness is an important component in our well-being and health. Priscilla practices in the Insight (Vipassana) meditation tradition and has sat a number of short and long retreats at Spirit Rock in California and at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, MA. She has facilitated the Innerlight Meditation Group for 14 years.

In addition, she completed the 18-month Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation Training Program at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, the Integrated Studies and Practitioner Program (ISPP) at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, MA, as well as the Community Dharma Leader Program at Spirit Rock. This program authorizes Priscilla to teach Insight Meditation. Priscilla is a yoga instructor.

Courses she has completed at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital include Spirituality in Mind-Body Medicine and Clinical Training in Mind-Body Medicine.

Her MBSR trainings include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in Mind-Body Medicine: A Professional Training taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, as well as the MBSR Fundamentals course, the MBSR Practice Teaching Intensive, and Individual Supervision at the Center for Mindfulness. She was Certified through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University in 2019. Priscilla completed coursework in Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT), the Eat Right Now® program, and is a certified Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction Intervention (MB-BP) instructor offered at Brown University.

Maria Martinez Alonso, M.A.  is a European licensed Clinical Psychologist and Co-Director of the NJ Center for Mindful Awareness working as a humanistic psychotherapist, trauma therapist, sex-therapist, certified MBSR Instructor and certified Yoga Teacher.

As a clinician, she has more than 25 years of experience. Before moving to New Jersey in 2015, she maintained for 13 years a private practice in Lausanne (Switzerland) integrating Mindfulness into clinical work.

In 2016 she started collaborating as an external mental health consultant with the Staff Counsellor’s Office at United Nations developing and delivering trainings for UN employees on topics related to Resilience, Emotional Self-Regulation, Psychological First Aid, Domestic Violence, Wellness, Mindfulness, Yoga, and other self-care topics. She also guides mindfulness meditation and yoga sessions for the employees. She has collaborated with Rutgers University and with the Middlesex County Center for Empowerment delivering workshops on Mindfulness, Resilience and Self-Care in English and in Spanish. Maria continues to train psychologists, nurses and educators in Switzerland and in Italy on Mindfulness practices and other mental health topics. Through her international background and knowledge of foreign languages, she tries to integrate a multi-cultural comprehension in her work.

She has been practicing formal meditation in various traditions for over 30 years and her meditation practice is influenced by both Western and Eastern contemplative practices, including Zazen and Vipassana. Retreats with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn and Dharma Teacher Mark Coleman have helped Maria deepen environmental practices and learn the art of being outdoors with a contemplative seamless attentiveness, which she experiences as a coming home.

A passion for Primatology, Ethology and Conservationism led Maria (at age 42) to an adventure which left a profound impression: 2 months working as a volunteer at Sepilok’s Orang-Utan Sanctuary in Malaysian Borneo, a rehabilitation Center for orphaned and injured juvenile Orangs where they are nursed back to health and then released into the forest. Practicing a receptive, open quality of awareness allowed for a rich sensitivity and connection to the natural world that sustained her in the face of suffering in terms of the orphan Orangs, the increasing deforestation, and the major existential threat of poaching.

Since childhood, a great reverence for the Animal and the Natural World has evolved together with a commitment in later years to protect herself from alienation and technostress progressively moving towards a more and more deurbanized life. Maria lives in the countryside, surrounded by the woods, with her husband, beautiful dogs, 10 backyard chickens and the countless greater and smaller living beings, plants, animals, that keep them company.

Dr. Ken A. Verni is a Clinical Psychologist and Co-Director of the NJ Center for Mindful Awareness.

Building on a personal mindfulness practice of over 25 years, Dr. Verni began training with Center for Mindfulness at UMass in 2006 and he remains actively involved in the advanced trainings and supervision offered at UMass for experienced MBSR teachers. He is now a certified MBSR instructor and has taught MBSR programs for the Staff Counselors office of the United Nations Headquarters in NYC, the NYC Google offices, the NJ Juvenile Justice Commission and he was the lead mindfulness instructor in a research project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). In 2017, Dr. Verni was invited to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC. to moderate a panel discussion entitled Unlocking Successful Strategies for Achieving Mindfulness and Increasing Resilience. He is a frequent speaker about Mindfulness practice and its benefits and provides professional trainings for numerous agencies and organizations nationally with a major emphasis in the tri-state area. He is also affiliated with the Rutgers University as a training and consultation specialist providing trainings throughout the state of NJ on Mindfulness and MBSR for behavioral health care workers providing support for children and families.

Dr. Verni is also one of the core faculty at the Krame Center for Contemplative Studies and Mindful Living at Ramapo College where he facilitates MBSR courses twice a year. In recent years, Dr. Verni has been inviting others to join him in the parks and woodlands of NJ to explore the cultivation of mindful awareness right in the midst of the natural world. Dr. Verni received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University and his doctoral dissertation entitled Sitting Still in the Midst of Change focused on the positive impact mindfulness practice can have on general psychological health and wellbeing with an emphasis on adolescent identity formation and psychological stability. Dr. Verni currently maintains a private practice in Highland Park integrating mindfulness in his clinical work with young and mature adults and couples.

Cindy Gittleman, MA, MA, CAGS is the founder of Sunrise Mindfulness, is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher in the Greater Boston area.

She was trained at the world-renowned Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School in Shrewsbury, MA and, after teaching the MBSR program independently for several years, was invited to return there to teach. Cindy also holds certifications in Hatha Yoga and Yin Yoga. She is passionate about helping others live more fully, both personally and professionally, through the use of mindfulness practices. Cindy loves to learn and holds two master’s degrees, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies. Prior to teaching mindfulness, she worked in the field of psychology for 16 years, first as a therapist with underserved patient populations and later in the areas of psychological, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological assessment. In her own life, Cindy feels her mindfulness practice has enabled her to live life more fully and face life’s challenges with a greater sense of acceptance and ease. Cindy loves to laugh and to learn new things. Her favorite hobbies include doing all different kinds of puzzles, gardening, playing the cello and scuba diving.

Suzanne Freiberg is an innovative strategist and proven connector committed to expanding the vision and reach of individuals and organizations.

She has 20+ years of experience as a leader in corporate settings and 10+ years in private practice as an Executive Coach and Mindfulness Coach/Instructor.  Her focus is the art of guiding individuals and organizations from “status quo” mindsets and cultures to ones based on solutions and growth by building more mindful connections with self, others, and communities.

As a Mindfulness Instructor she has taught both groups and individuals in corporate settings and private practice.  Ms. Freiberg does not teach or tell, but instead engages her students in a dialogue where information is shared, and students are invited to take their own experiential journey on their path to greater connection.  Throughout their journey students are provided with tools and practices that help to explore root causes of division and develop healthier, more wholehearted connections with self, others, and communities.

Ms. Freiberg earned her Bachelor of Theology from the Graduate Theological Foundation and is a Qualified Mindfulness Instructor through UC San Diego’s School of Medicine, Center for Mindfulness.  In addition, she has studied Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction with Saki Santorelli, former Executive Director of University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society.  She has also received training through Mindful Schools, the MindUp program, and is both a Certified Career and Certified Executive Coach with additional training in Emotional Intelligence.

Her professional highlights include an original body of work, “The Gifted Vocation”, which is a self-exploration program helping individuals identify and develop their natural talents.  This work led to an invitation, as 1 of 4 Executive Coaches, to the White House Forum on Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and subsequently was invited back as a featured speaker, presenting “The Gifted Vocation” at the White House Forum for Employment Ministries and Job Clubs.

She has served as the Southern CA Chapter Leader for Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Center’s, Business Conference for Social Ethics in Business; Partner at Department of Labor’s Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships; Faculty member Archdiocese of Los Angeles University Series; co-founder and leader of St. Julie Billiart Church’s Reconnect Employment Ministry; and Chairperson/member of St Julie’s Pastoral Council.

Roxanne Forgue, M.Ed has a deep concern for her students’ social and emotional well-being and has been an educator for over 20 years.

Primarily, Roxanne has been working with elementary students. She was employed as a Reading Specialist for 14 years in the public school system in Rhode Island. Over the years, Roxanne has been trained as a Reading Recovery Teacher with the focus on prevention of reading challenges for children. She has also had training in many areas of curriculum and philosophy such as, Responsive Classroom and Guided Reading/ Writing through the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University Teachers College. Over the last several years,  Roxanne has been focused on supporting her student’s social and emotional well being through deepening her practice of mindfulness, yoga and meditation. She has deepened her practice by training to be a mindfulness teacher, Reiki Master, and Kidding Around Yoga teacher. Over the past few years, while teaching second grade, she has implemented many mindfulness  practices in her classroom including a Zen Zone for her students to utilize throughout the day. She also taught an 8 week yoga program for students in grades K-2. Currently, she is completing her 200 hour yoga teacher training to further her understanding of yoga and living a yoga life.

Patricia McLaughlin, Esq.

Ms. McLaughlin has been a member of the R.I. Bar for over 30 years, a professor of law and has held various leadership positions in education. She is a certified yoga teacher and mindfulness instructor who teaches a variety of offerings of in-person classes and online courses in workplace sessions and community settings.

She is also a facilitator for Meditate Together, hosted by Mindful Leader, a worldwide program that offers free live group meditation sessions, 24 hours a day, five days a week in an effort to help as many people as possible during these challenging times. Patricia brings a calm, clear, playful attitude to her classes. A deep desire to create a better world drives her to share contemplative practices with others.

Erin Sharaf, MA PA-C

Erin Sharaf practiced as a primary care provider for 10 years and did her Physician Associate training at Yale University School of Medicine. She has a master’s degree in Integrative Medicine and is a professor of health sciences. She has extensive training in mindfulness and is certified by International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association, the leading professional association in the mindfulness field. Courses she has completed at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital include Spirituality in Mind-Body Medicine and Clinical Training in Mind-Body Medicine.

Her MBSR trainings include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in Mind-Body Medicine: A Professional Training taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, and the Teacher’s Development Intensive. She is qualified to teach Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the world renown Center for Mindfulness at UMass, and Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT).

Erin is an advisory board member for Sigal Professorship in Humanistic Medicine, Brown University School of Medicine and is also on the community advisory board for the new Mindfulness Center at Brown.

Erin has been teaching and creating mindfulness content for over a decade and is the founder of the All That Matters Mindfulness Teacher Training. Erin has a depth and breadth of knowledge around pragmatic, accessible practices which can transform individuals and groups into a more peaceful, compassionate, connected state. She has created and delivered mindfulness programming for a diverse range of institutions around the country including Boston Medical Center and Wyoming After School Alliance.

She has been featured on NPR and in Mindful magazine and creates content and delivers mindfulness-based interventions for corporations, schools and hospitals. She delivers virtual wellness initiatives as a teacher for eMindful. Her great joy is getting to share transformative practices with others in order to create a more peaceful, just and sustainable society.