New medicine man

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1998 by Suzanne Gerber

Then, in 1974, Gordon had an experience that turned his life around. While doing yoga, he threw his back out. For two months he was unable to get any relief for his intense pain. The NIH doctors with whom he consulted treated him disparagingly, practically accusing him of lying about his condition. His compassion for what patients go through at the hands of medical "experts" immediately deepened.

Growing more desperate, he visited an osteopath--a first for him. The spinal manipulations helped, but the comfort was short-lived. At the suggestion of a friend, Gordon turned to an acupuncturist named Shyam Singha. Singha's prescription: Epson salt baths and a pineapple diet. Skeptical but desperate, Gordon followed his orders. In a week's time, he felt much better. "Now go see your osteopath," he was told. A few more adjustments restored his vitality--and convinced him of the efficacy of alternative modalities.

Keeping pace with Gordon's growing repertoire of healing techniques was his interest in spirituality. In 1979, as part of a research team for the Carter administration, he made a two-month-long trip to India--his first--studying their ancient healing systems (including Ayurveda) and furthering his own spiritual practice. Three weeks with the infamous spiritual leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh laid the foundation for Gordon's book The Golden Guru (Stephen Greene/ Viking Publishing, 1987) "I was impressed with the way Rajneesh pulled together Eastern meditation and Western psychotherapy, and I thought I had a lot to learn form him. But I was never a true disciple--I never liked the authoritarianism. My relationship with Rajneesh was was a long and complicated one. He was a very great and very flawed teacher."

Throughout the '80s, Gordon's spiritual and healing philosophies continue to evolve, and he began to envision a larger more integrated healing practice; the only thing lacking was funds. But when a wealthy client pressed a $5,000 check into his hand after a workshop he led in 1990 and exhorted him to "follow his dreams," he quickly established the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. In Gordon's words, "the center is working to create a more compassionate, open-minded and effective model of health care and education by addressing the mental, emotional, social and spiritual, as well as the physical dimensions of health and illness. It's grounded in a conviction that all of us have a great and largely untapped capacity to understand ourselves, to improve our own health and well-being and to help one another."

Eight years after its founding, the center has a staff of six; an advisor, board that reads like a Who's Who in progressive medicine (including Dean Ornish, Jon Kabat-Zinn, James Duke and Joan Borysenko); and a roster of 350 volunteers. At its core are "mind-body-skills groups" for people with life-threatening diseases or depression or anyone who is simply seeking optimum wellness. Though the center's nonprofit status necessitates its charging fees for services, no one in need is ever turned away because they can't afford to pay.