Today we’d like to introduce you to Miriam E. Cameron.
Hi Miriam, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Healing has always fascinated me. Even though I had no money and was the first female in my family to go to college, I obtained local and federal funding to earn my BS and MS in Nursing, MA in Philosophy/Bioethics, and Ph.D. in Nursing/Bioethics at the University of Minnesota (U of MN). In addition, I did postdoctoral work in Nursing and cross-cultural Ethics at several universities.
In 1997, when I was a postdoctoral fellow, my husband Mike Ormond and I traveled to Tibet. The Himalayas were spectacular and challenging! While visiting Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical Institute in Lhasa, I met Tibetan medicine doctors who explained Tibetan Healing. They said that the purpose of life is to be happy and that well-being is a lifelong process of living in harmony with self, others, and our planet. I was eager to learn more about this profound understanding of mind and body.
Later, our Tibetan guide, Karma, led us up a steep, rocky path to a small nunnery. Mike and I sat in the courtyard, hearts pounding, suffering from altitude sickness, breathing deeply in the thin air. A little elderly nun came over to me and took my hand. In her healing presence, I experienced Samadhi (bliss). I felt healed physically, mentally, spiritually. As a registered nurse, I was mindful of suffering. I visualized being a bridge to take Tibetan Healing back to the U of MN. Tibetan whole-person health can heal suffering, create happiness, and promote compassionate treatment of individuals, communities, and our planet.
Back at the U of MN, I joined the Graduate Faculty of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing in the School of Nursing. With support from colleagues, I founded and directed the Tibetan Healing Initiative (THI) and the Yoga Program. Faculty teach academic courses, conduct research, give presentations, serve as community resources, and publish books, articles, book chapters, and columns. I have taught Tibetan Healing and Yoga in academic institutions in the US, Tibet, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and other locations.
During one course, our students study at Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharamsala, India. Dharamsala is where His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and a large Tibetan refugee community live in the foothills of the Himalayas. His Holiness has met with many of our student groups in Dharamsala. Over 2,500 students have taken our life-transforming courses.
Colleagues and I collaborated with the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM) and other Tibetan organizations to host two visits of His Holiness at the U of MN. My research team tested, refined, and published the “Constitutional Self-Assessment Tool” (CSAT) and “Lifestyle Guidelines Tool” (LGT) that are used around the world. His Holiness wrote the foreword for my third book, Karma and Happiness: A Tibetan Odyssey in Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing. Tenzin Namdul, Ph.D., Tibetan Medicine Practitioner, and I published my fourth book, Tibetan-Medicine and You: A Path to Well-being, Better Health, and Joy, with a blessing from His Holiness.
Recently, I retired from the Graduate Faculty, and Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer, Bakken Center Director, appointed me a Senior Fellow. Mike and I are donating our life savings to help THI flourish. We are thrilled that Tenzin is the new THI Director. Tenzin and I have collaborated for over 20 years. I am joyful that my 1997 vision of serving as a Tibetan Healing Bridge has come true. With help from our worldwide THI community, Tenzin and the Bakken Center will continue the transformative work of Tibetan Healing. As Tibetans say, may THI benefit all beings!
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been relatively smooth so far?
Tibetan Healing is life-transforming. However, The Tibetan Healing Initiative (THI) needs sufficient funds to do the work. Funding is the primary obstacle.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a Senior Fellow, I enjoy helping with the Tibetan Healing Initiative (THI). My plan is to write another book about Tibetan Healing.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
When I was 16, I worked in a nursing home. One of the elderly residents said to me, “I wasted my life!” Since then, I’ve focused on creating a happy, productive life and doing my part to heal our world. Thanks to everyone who has collaborated with me. I’m grateful for the harvest of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://csh.umn.edu/bio/center-for-spirituality-and-he/miriam-cameron;
- Tibetan Healing Initiative (THI): https://csh.umn.edu/academics/focus-areas/tibetan-healing-initiative;
- Complete the CSAT and LGT: https://csh.umn.edu/academics/focus-areas/tibetan-healing-initiative/learn-about-your-constitution;
Image Credits
Members of our groups took most of these photos and gave them to me. All the U of MN students signed photo releases before going to India. The Official Photographer for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, took the photo with him and gave it to our group. The Official Photographer for the Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharamsala, India, took the photo and gave it to our group.
