View online presentations and videos of past wellbeing lecture series.
Past Presentations and Lectures
Ruth Stricker Mind/Body Lectures
About the Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecture
Each year the Center brings a world-renowned leader in mind-body medicine to the Twin Cities metro to talk about topics at the forefront in integrative health and wellness. Usually held in April, these well-attended and inspiring programs are made possible through a generous gift from Ruth Stricker. The Annual Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecture is produced by the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing and co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Henry L. Taylor Professorship in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement and the School of Kinesiology in the College of Education and Human Development.
Previous Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecturers
2018: Barbara Fredrickson "Prioritizing Positive Emotions to Meet Our Toughest Challenges," presented on May 18, 2018, in Coffman Theater at the University of Minnesota. This lecture was not recorded.
2017: Chungliang Al Huang "Balancing the Dance of Living"
2016: Rudy Tanzi, PhD "Super Brain and Super Genes: The Road to Radical Wellbeing"
2015: Dacher Keltner, PhD "Survival of the Kindest: A New Science of Compassion"
2014: Kelly McGonigal, PhD "The Willpower Instinct and The Neuroscience of Change"
2013: Steven Southwick, MD "Bouncing Back: How Science Informs Resilience"
2012: Esther Sternberg, MD "Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Wellbeing"
2011: Stuart Brown, MD "The Neuroscience of Play"
2010: Jacqueline Olds "Exploring the Importance of Human Connections to Our Health and Wellness"
2009: Peter Whitehouse "Positive Aging Across the Lifespan: Myths About Alzheimer's Disease and How to Create Healthier Intergenerational Stories of Brain Aging"
2008: Matthieu Ricard "Train Your Mind change Your Brain: Cultivating the Inner Conditions for Genuine Happiness"
2007: Dr. James Lynch "The Mind is the Teacher of the Soul but the Body is its Book"
2006: Dr. Mimi Guarneri "Integrative Approaches to Cardiovascular Disease"
2005: Richard Leider "Mindful Aging: Claiming Your Place at the Fire"
2004: Martin Seligman "Positive Psychology, Health and Well-Being"
2003: Dr. Michael Lerner " Why Personal & Environment Health are Inseparable in the 21st Century"
2002: Jean Achterberg "Frontiers in Mind-Body Healing"
2001: Mihaly Csikszentmihaly "The Creative Person and the Creative Process"
2000: Jon Kabat-Zinn "Mindfulness, Meditation and Healing in 21st Century Medicine"
1999: Kenneth R. Pelletier "Sound Mind, Sound Body: A New Model for Lifelong Health"
Earlier lectures
1998 Herbert Benson, MD
1997 Erica S. Froelicher, PhD, RN
1996 Patricia M. Dubbert, PhD
1995 Bonnie G. Berger, Ed.D.
1994 Diane Wiese-Bjorrnstal, PhD
1993 William P. Morgan, PhD
1992 Ruth A. Stricker
Ellerbe Becket Optimal Healing Environments Lecture Series
As emerging research reveals that specific healthcare environments can reduce stress and encourage healing, integrative techniques for practical application are being explored. The University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality & Healing is at the forefront of this important and growing field. In a pioneering partnership with Ellerbe Becket, a Minneapolis-based international architectural/engineering firm, the Center for Spirituality & Healing is proud to announce the lecture series on Optimal Healing Environments.
Video: Eve Edelstein: Creating Healing Spaces - Neuroscience & Architecture
Special Guest Lectures and Presentations
Video: Alejandro Chaoul: Tibetan Yoga - Awakening the Sacred Body
Video: Van Jones: Green Jobs - Rx for a Healthy Economy and Healthy Environment
Presentation: Thomas Moore: Healing Through Illness - Celebrating Art and Life
Presentation: Alex Stark: Designing Healing Spaces
Presentation: Marja Verhoef: Whole Systems Research - What it is and Why it is Important
Presenation: Esther Sternberg: Brain Immune Reactions
Video: Richard Davidson: Buddha's Brain
Online Modules
Whole Systems Healing
Explore ways to cultivate health and wellbeing of individuals, communities, societies, and the environment by living and acting with awareness of the interconnectedness of all living systems.
Integrative Nursing
Start with the Introduction to Integrative Nursing module, then practice integrative nursing with a virtual patient in three interactive scenarios.