Our people page on Joan Borysenko

More from and about
Joan Borysenko
(biographical info at bottom of page)

Some tension is necessary for the soul to grow, and we can
put that tension to good use. We can look for every opportunity
to give and receive love, to appreciate nature, to heal our wounds
and the wounds of others, to forgive, and to serve.

Because gratification of a desire leads to the temporary stilling of the mind and the experience of the peaceful, joyful Self, it's no wonder that we get hooked on thinking that happiness comes from the satisfaction of desires. This is the meaning of the old adage, "Joy is not in things, it is in us." Rather than thinking in terms of good and bad, it is more helpful to think in terms of conscious and unconscious, aware, and unaware.

A spiritually optimistic point of view holds that the universe is woven out of a fabric of love. Everything that is happening is ultimately for the good if we're willing to face it head-on and use our adversities for soul growth. You are at my side, dear friends, and God is everywhere. Yet ultimately we are alone, making our way home by the candle of the heart. The light is steady and sure but extends only far enough to see the next step. Many times the light seems to go out. But another light, one held by a stranger or friend, a book or a song, a blackbird or a wild flower, comes close enough so that we can see our path by its light. And in time we realize that the light we have borrowed was always our own.

Forgiveness is not the misguided act of condoning irresponsible, hurtful behavior. Nor is it a superficial turning of the other cheek that leaves us feeling victimized and martyred. Rather it is the finishing of old business that allows us to experience the present, free of contamination from the past.

The Four Rules of Life: 1. Show Up 2. Pay Attention 3.Tell the Truth 4. Don't be upset at the results.

Perhaps the hardest lesson to learn is not to be attached to the results of your actions.

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The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.

Despite our differences, we're all alike. Beyond identities
and desire, there is a common core of self--an essential
humanity whose nature is peace and whose expression is
thought and whose action is unconditional love. When we
identify with that inner core, respecting and honoring it in
others as well as ourselves, we experience healing in every area of life.

When we are capable of living in the moment free from
the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation
that this moment isn't right, we will have peaceful hearts.

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. has a powerfully clear personal vision- to bring science, medicine, psychology and spirituality together in the service of healing. Her brilliance as a scientist, clinician and teacher have placed her on the leading edge of the mind-body revolution, and she has become a world-renowned spokesperson for this new approach to health, sharing her pioneering work with a gentle graciousness, enthusiasm and humility.

Trained as both a medical scientist and a psychologist, Dr. Borysenko has gone beyond her traditional academic training and developed depth and breadth in a number of fields including behavioral medicine, stress and well-being, psychoneuroimmunology, women's health, creativity and the great spiritual traditions of the world. She completed her doctorate in medical sciences at the Harvard Medical School where she also completed three post-doctoral fellowships in experimental pathology, behavioral medicine and psychoneuroimmunology and where she was instructor in medicine until 1988.

Also a licensed psychologist, Dr. Borysenko was co-founder and former Director of the Mind-Body clinical programs at two Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals, now merged as the Beth Israel/Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. These programs were the foundation for her 1987 classic New York Times bestseller Minding the Body, Mending the Mind.

Dr. Borysenko is a spell-binding lecturer and workshop leader who blends science, psychology and spirituality in a unique and powerful way. Her presentations are full of humor and personal anecdotes as well as the latest scientific research and practical exercises for both personal and professional growth. Her eleven books are a complete library of healing, combining scholarly wisdom with the language of the heart, and bringing body and soul together with unprecedented clarity and sophistication.

Dr. Borysenko's work has appeared in numerous scientific journals and has been featured in many popular magazines and newspapers. She is well known for her ability to bridge diverse disciplines and open up new lines of communication. A widely-sought expert for the media, she has appeared on Oprah, Sally Jesse Raphael, Sonya Live, Geraldo, Hour Magazine and Good Morning America among many other appearances both on commercial and public television. Her work has been featured in U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Reader's Digest, Success, Bottom Line, The Leifer Report, American Health, Shape, Glamour, Vogue, Ladies Home Journal, Living Fit, Success, Yoga Journal, New Age Journal, and many other magazines and newspapers.

Dr. Borysenko is equally at home presenting in corporations, conferences, hospitals, churches, synagogues and civic settings- transcending boundaries and bringing a much-needed message of peace and inspiration.

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