By Nicholas Gallagher, PT, DPT, Director of Opportunity Programs
Thursday, August 10th, was a special day for the Opportunity Programs Department. This day marked the end of the 2023 Summer Scholars Program, and it was quite an adventure… literally. Nine summer scholars, 2 directors, 1 teaching assistant, and 1 student ambassador embarked on a journey to the Mercy Ecospirituality Center in Benson, Vermont.
The Mercy Ecospirituality Center is a work of The Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy focus their social justice efforts on 5 critical concerns: anti-racism, earth, immigration, non-violence, and women. Although the Ecospirituality center holds all 5 critical concerns to their heart, they commit to reflection, education, and living with the Earth. The Ecospirituality Center is housed on 39 acres of beautiful Vermont land and can accommodate single day and overnight retreats. The Center has guest rooms, daily meals (using ingredients grown on the property), walking trails, gardens, animals, and much more.
We may skip the details associated with travelling to the center, but they did include:
- 8:00 AM arrival to campus (a not-so-popular time)
- 2-hour bus ride for arrival
- Determining the amount of work I can do within 2 hours
- Problem solving how much I can annoy Matt Galletta without getting kicked off my own trip
Arrival to the center was serene; it was quiet and calm, which is a perfect combination for the summer scholars after working diligently in the summer program. The visit consisted of 3 main objectives: reflection, decompression, and mindfulness.
Many of our 2023 summer scholars would like to join the healthcare field in either a clinical, or nonclinical role; both essential to the operations of the field. With a quick review the 5 critical concerns of The Sisters of Mercy, we were to reflect on how we may influence progression of the critical concerns though our intended career. I may let our summer scholars share their own reflection experience, but let me tell you that we should all be excited for the future practice of our students. Health care should involve the understanding of holistic wellness. Caring for the earth, women, immigration, anti-racism, and non-violence is a staple when entering the health care world, along with daily life.
As we take a moment to read this, we understand how taking the time to decompress is important. Decompressing typically involves some form of either rest, low-level activity, or simply performing something you enjoy. However you decompress, the typical goal is to remove the mind away from that “compressive” situation. Compressive states do not need to be taken in a negative light, rather they are situations that shape us into who we are; they are… opportunities. The Ecospirituality Center allowed much decompression time in the form of relaxation and nature therapy. Decompression allows us to analyze our thoughts so we may continue on a path that aligns with our inner self. We don’t judge the mode, frequency, or duration of decompression, but often should assess how we feel about it, and then even assess the decompression itself! Have you noticed the pattern of navigating the self should involve some level of assessment with small refinements or acknowledgements as needed?
The Ecospirituality Center guided us through an activity called a Cosmic Walk, which is a 0.2 mile trail walk through a portion of their woods. Throughout the trail there were painted slabs called, “moments of grace” and they guided the individual through the 13.7 billion year history of the Universe. The instructions were simple; we were to walk the path independently, leaving much space between each other, and to not talk. Our goal was to use as many bodily senses as we could when walking the path. Trust me, it took everything out of me to not yell, “Okay, but no sense of taste please!”, but I had full confidence in the Ecospirituality Center leaders. Their instructions paralleled the beginning of mindfulness. Can you argue mindfulness holds components of reflection and decompression? Sure, but only including those factors would greatly devalue its practice. Mindfulness encompasses thoughts, feelings, movement (or no movement), purpose, intention, evaluation, open-mindedness, awareness… should I continue? Mindfulness may be viewed as a forever practice; you feel more confident in performance over time, and there seems to be no end point. We don’t say, “Okay, I was mindful for a few years… I am now done. I will now always be mindful and it will be effortless.” The individuals at the Ecospirituality Center guided us though a wonderful beginning to mindfulness. We were to even reflect in small groups on what senses we used during the walk.
I was told to include a little about myself professionally, but for those who know me, you understand I do not enjoy talking about myself. In the spirit of Mercy Week, I will try. I hold a doctorate in physical therapy. My skills allow me to examine, evaluate, differential diagnose, develop a prognosis, implement interventions, and overall assess progression in various body systems. I introduce, teach, and manage equipment, devices, and technologies. I am able to implement various therapeutic modalities. I hold patient safety and protection to the highest standard, while holding a professional line. I push research boundaries and strive for evidence-based practice. Although I do not see patients at Maria College, I am the Director of Opportunity Programs and a promoter of health and wellness. The skills listed above do not stop at pathology, impairments, limitations… rather they allow me to assess and elevate the academic progression of students. My background allows me to understand the demands of clinical work, academic excellence, and constructing research; our students all strive for academic excellence, and the remainder of my experience just allows me to be that much more confident to guide them along their journey. Personally, I am a secret introvert, forever-learner, and have immense passion in assisting others.
I wish your Mercy Week has been filled with reflection, decompression, and mindfulness.