*** NOTE on COVID-19. All Cedar Tree staff and presenters are fully vaccinated. In light of public health protocols and to insure safety for everyone, participants will be required to provide proof of vaccination upon arrival.
NOTES ON “PAIN AND PLEASURE”
February 24 – 27, 2022
5 P.M. Thursday – 12 (noon) Sunday
(3 – 5 P.M. Registration)
Las Vegas, Nevada
PROGRAM:
Since its founding in 1995, The Cedar Tree Institute has sponsored 25 retreats and seminars across North America that have brought together small groups to explore various experiences of “engaged spirituality.” Many of these events have focused on environmental and justice issues, others on the dialogue between East and West, some on the link between prayer and social action. Participants are invited to connect both inner (personal) and outer landscapes. These retreats have been held in monasteries, retreat centers, remote cabins, and on American Indian reservations.
This year’s retreat focuses on the mind/body relationship, spiritual life, and intersections with the experiences of pain and pleasure. Neuroscientist and author Layne Kalbfleisch, Ph.D., joins a social worker, a physician who works with addictions, an ethicist/theologian, and a faith community leader to explore how these two basic human emotions shape personal meaning, identity, and religious life.
RETREAT FORMAT:
Informal presentations, interviews with workers in the Las Vegas entertainment industry, local health professionals, and religious leaders working with the poor will provide the frameworks for discussion and reflection. Each morning participants have the option to begin the day with an introduction to mindfulness and Tai Chi exercises. Presentations on how the brain processes both pain and pleasure will provide background for our retreat experience. There will be time for personal reflection, interfaith prayer opportunities, and rest throughout our time together.
TRAVEL, MEALS, AND LODGING
Three nights lodging will be provided at the Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City, a short distance from Las Vegas. Group meetings will take place in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. Single rooms are provided for all participants and included in retreat costs. (Shared rooms are available upon request.) Transportation is provided by the Cedar Tree Institute throughout the retreat. All meals include healthy options.
FACILITATORS and GUEST PRESENTERS
Layne Kalbfleisch, M.Ed., Ph.D., owns 2E Consults ® LLC, a practice providing assessment and coaching services for families and children and organizations who work on behalf of families and children. She is affiliated in Pediatrics at The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and in the College of Education at Northern New Mexico College, Espanola, NM. An educational psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist, she received the inaugural ‘Scientist Idol’ award for messaging science to the public from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and is a member of the US Department of State Committee on Exceptional Children. Kalbfleisch has been featured on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, SiriusXM Doctor Radio, and The Coffee Klatch – Special Needs Radio, Rhode Island PBS ‘School Talk. Layne is author of “Teaching to Every Kid’s Potential: Simple Neuroscience Lesson to Liberate Learners” scheduled to be published in September 2021 by W.W. Norton and Company.
Ruth Almén, MSW, ACSW is Clinical Manager for Social Work with the Cleveland Clinic/Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. She previously served in numerous leadership positions with hospice agencies and community mental health agencies among the rural poor across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Ruth has also served an instructor with Northern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Joseph Piccione, J.D., S.TH.D. is an ethicist and theologian. His training includes a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. where he worked as a domestic public policy analyst. He formerly worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and was a staff member of the National Commission on America’s Urban Families and the National Commission on Children. Since 1993, Joe has been a bioethicist practicing in Illinois and Michigan. He recently authored a book on the intersection of Zen and breath meditation practice.
Mike Grossman, M.D., is a family physician and hospice director in Northern Michigan. He currently is a consultant and medical provider Great Lakes Recovery Center, a network of substance abuse treatment programs in Northern Michigan. He 2002, he was named Michigan’s Family Medicine Physician of the Year.
Jon Magnuson is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, parish and university pastor. He has held teaching positions at the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and Northern Michigan University. He is a licensed mental health provider and current director of The Cedar Tree Institute, a nonprofit organization, based in Northern Michigan, that initiates projects and provides services in the areas of mental health, religion, and the environment.
