This expansive text offers a comprehensive mind/body/spirit framework for relieving individual patients of the debilitating effects of long-term disease while reducing the public burden of chronic illness. It introduces the patient-centered Pathways Model, featuring a robust scientific base for psychotherapy, complementary and alternative modalities, and a religious/spiritual element, in progressive levels of treatment from self-help to professional help. Chapters spotlight component skills of the model, including treatment planning, patient rapport, and choosing therapies for optimal well-being. The authors advocate for interventions ranging from lifestyle change to mindfulness, and biofeedback to pastoral counseling. In addition, in-depth case studies detail memorable patient journeys from diagnosis and referral to assessment, engagement in treatment and outcome. Among the topics covered: * Mind, body, and spirit in chronic illness. * The need for an integrative model to support comprehensive health-supportive change. * Chronic disease from a functional medicine perspective. * Mechanisms by which religious engagement and religion-based variables affect health. * Complementary and integrative medicine for the Pathways Model. * PLUS: Pathways approaches to chronic pain, caregiver stress, diabetes, mood disorders, PTSD, brain injury, heart disease, cancer, and more. Emphasizing patient individuality and clinician creativity, Integrative Pathways models a compassionate approach to lessening persistent suffering for use by health psychologists, physicians, counselors, health coaches, and other practitioners involved in complementary and integrative medicine, pain medicine, and rehabilitation. "The Pathway Model addresses what clinical researchers in the field have been calling for, a research-based approach to health and wellness that clearly explains important concepts and provides an optimal foundation from which to approach health interventions." Patrick R. Steffen, PhD, BCB, Brigham Young University

This expansive text offers a comprehensive mind/body/spirit framework for relieving individual patients of the debilitating effects of long-term disease while reducing the public burden of chronic illness. It introduces the patient-centered Pathways Model, featuring a robust scientific base for psychotherapy, complementary and alternative modalities, and a religious/spiritual element, in progressive levels of treatment from self-help to professional help. Chapters spotlight component skills of the model, including treatment planning, patient rapport, and choosing therapies for optimal well-being. The authors advocate for interventions ranging from lifestyle change to mindfulness, and biofeedback to pastoral counseling. In addition, in-depth case studies detail memorable patient journeys from diagnosis and referral to assessment, engagement in treatment and outcome. Among the topics covered: * Mind, body, and spirit in chronic illness. * The need for an integrative model to support comprehensive health-supportive change. * Chronic disease from a functional medicine perspective. * Mechanisms by which religious engagement and religion-based variables affect health. * Complementary and integrative medicine for the Pathways Model. * PLUS: Pathways approaches to chronic pain, caregiver stress, diabetes, mood disorders, PTSD, brain injury, heart disease, cancer, and more. Emphasizing patient individuality and clinician creativity, Integrative Pathways models a compassionate approach to lessening persistent suffering for use by health psychologists, physicians, counselors, health coaches, and other practitioners involved in complementary and integrative medicine, pain medicine, and rehabilitation. "The Pathway Model addresses what clinical researchers in the field have been calling for, a research-based approach to health and wellness that clearly explains important concepts and provides an optimal foundation from which to approach health interventions." Patrick R. Steffen, PhD, BCB, Brigham Young University

This book, designed for professionals, introduces a psychobiological model for understanding the paths that lead people to illness and provides recommendations for alterations of maladaptive pathways so that health is regained. Research findings are incorporated to identify causal variables for illness that can be targets for change. Evidence based recommendations for healthy behaviors and therapies are described. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize recognition of turning points on the path to illness that, through informed decision making and implementation of behavioral change, can be re-directed to pathways to health. This book presents case material to illustrate the directions that lead people to illness or to health. The pathways metaphor provides an organizing force, both in addressing variables contributing to illness onset, and in identifying interventions to restore health. This approach will guide the clinician to understanding how people become ill and the types of interventions that are appropriate for stress related illnesses. The clinician will also become better informed about ways to help clients make better decisions, mobilize clients' survival skills, and implement an interactive model of care. The book includes chapters on stress-related illnesses with high prevalence in today's society. For each illness, the genetic-psychobiological etiology is explored with enough detail so that the clinician understands the best method of patient assessment and treatment. One of the strengths of the book is the step-wise system of interventions that are applied to the stress-related illnesses. Beginning with re-establishment of normal daily psychobiological rhythms and continuing to evidence based state of the art interventions, the professional is presented with detailed intervention plans. For example, the section on "Applications to common illnesses: metabolic disorders of behavior: diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia" considers the confluence of genetics, behavior, and maladaptive mind body interactions to produce the metabolic syndrome. Then the personal and professional assessments are described to establish the baseline for recommending treatment while fully engaging the patient. Finally, multilevel interventions are formulated for these disorders. The plan begins with clinician guided self care recommendations to re-establish the normal rhythm of appetite and satiety. The next level of interventions consists of skill building techniques, such as relaxation and imagery. Lastly, psychotherapy and advanced applied psychophysiological interventions are detailed. Case examples are used throughout to illustrate the pathways to illness, the turning points, and the pathways to health. From the patients' viewpoints, the pathways metaphor is a motivator. The patient is guided to understand the paths that led to illness. Subsequently, the patient becomes empowered by the pathways framework to begin to make choices that lead to health.