[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

September 28, 2015

Malka Akhenblit

[email protected]

646.837.5557

New York, NY — A new 12-week workshop is merging the worlds of psychology and�spirituality in a dynamic way.

The Connections Program was developed by Harvard psychologist David H. Rosmarin, PhD,�and Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen. Drawing from core concepts in evidence-based�psychotherapy and based on the principles of Mussar (traditional Jewish thought that deals�with personal growth) the program focuses on the acquisition of concrete tools to increase�connection between body and soul, with other people, and with God.

�I will admit that initially I was skeptical about this project,� said Rosmarin, who reported�that his training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy rarely touched on spiritual matters.��However, our initial results with nearly 50 workshop participants have been very�impressive.�

Those results, which were presented at a national psychotherapy convention in 2014,�included statistically significant decreases in stress and worry, and an increased sense of�trust and reliance in God. More fundamentally, many participants have reported�noteworthy life changes.

One individual � a young woman in her early 20s who asked to remain nameless � had been�grappling with anorexia for over a decade before participating in the Connections Program.�Since completing the workshop about a year ago not only has she maintained adequate�weight, she also has a much stronger sense of self. In her words, �It�s not about loving�myself because of how I look or even feel. It�s about loving myself because that is what my�soul is here to do� I need to take care of my body and provide for all of her needs and love�her just because she�s mine.�

Another woman in her mid-40s wrote, �This journey has been unlike anything I have�experienced. I came seeking relief from relentless anxiety symptoms and have achieved�that goal to a very significant degree. Along with that though, I have had such consistent�and deeper calm and peace. As I go through my days I’m perpetually amazed that I’m�staying connected pretty much through just about whatever I’m doing � even through the most�potentially harried times like the mad rush in the mornings getting kids to school,�driving carpool, getting to work, etc. It is really beyond belief except that I am living�through the experience!�

Rosmarin commented as follows, �We must recognize that mental health in America today�is in really bad shape. More than one in five women has a full blown major depressive�episode at least once over the lifespan, nearly one in five Americans has a diagnosable�anxiety disorder each and every year, and in 2013 one in ten doctors visits resulted in the�prescription of a psychotropic medication! If traditional Jewish wisdom has answers to�these problems, our field needs to take that seriously.�

Initially, the Connections Program was open only to participants in research studies, in�order to do an initial test of its effects. However, last year there was sufficient interest to�offer participation to the general public through Dr. Rosmarin�s clinical offices in�Manhattan and Brooklyn at the Center for Anxiety.

�We started getting phone calls from friends and family of past participants and others who�had heard about the program� said Malka Akhenblit, social work intern at the Center for�Anxiety and coordinator for the Connections Program. �People are very excited about this!� she added, noting that in the most recent workshop, ten of twelve participants said they�would recommend that others participate in the program, and the average ratings for�professionalism, workshop sessions and take-home exercises ranged from 4.4 to 4.6 on a�scale ranging from 1-5.

The next Connections Program will run weekly on Wednesday nights from 7:30-8:45pm�starting October 28th and running through the end of January. The Program will be hosted�in the Center for Anxiety�s Brooklyn office at 3692 Bedford Avenue, but remote�participation by live webinar is also available for individuals who cannot attend in person.�To learn more about the Connections Program, click here for a FREE information�session, outlining the details, goals, and structure of the program. For more�information or to register please contact Malka Akhenblit at [email protected] or�646.837.5557.