Wellbeing Conference: Body, Mind, and Soul 2007

I attended the WellBeing Conference on Saturday afternoon at the Cove (location: Xenia 140, 71, 21). Although I could not be present at all of the sessions and festivities (see my posts on the Worlds AIDS day and ECONOMAN Triathlon), I did get the opportunity to reconnect with fellow health and wellness professionals and sit in on a couple of different lectures.

Most of the presenters were already health and wellness professionals in their real-life. In this case, SecondLife served as another platform to communicate their health messages and ideas. The conference covered topics on coping with cancer, alcohol addiction, HIV, spirituality, meditation. (Click on the schedule to view full conference events.)

I attended Rivka Thorne's presentation on "Your Body's Best Friend: Practical Steps Towards Embracing and Supporting your Physical Self." She reiterated the importance of listening to your body and trusting your instincts. After all, you're the only one who knows you best. And I think this is especially worth remembering in a time where there is a lot of skepticism about our nation's healthcare. By trusting the messages from our bodies, we can develop healthier habits and ensure our longevity.

Avalon Birke (a SL and a RL counselor) discussed "Virtual World - Real Emotions." Her lecture was supported by the belief that "our perceptions make up our reality." So, if your experience discomfort, sadness, happiness in a virtual community - it's no different than experiencing those feelings in a RL environment. Your brain won't know which is stimulated by 'virtual' versus 'real' world. Avalon's work experience in SL have ranged from counseling RL clients with their RL issues via SL (much like e-counseling) to SL clients with their SL issues (such as relationships between avatars). In fact, sometimes she sees patients who are struggling with maintaining both their SL life and RL life.

The expo was small, but effective (yes, there was an expo - what's a conference without an expo, right?) American Cancer Society had a booth promoting their "Relay for Life." There was representation from SL Wellness Coaches and Hope Island (SL's Cancer Surivors).

I wonder if the conference hosts administered an evaluation. It would be interesting to gather feedback on the attendee experience. In other words, does attending a virtual health conference an effective medium for delivering health messages and promoting wellness? If so, how effective is it?

I hope there are more events like this to come. I would definitely attend another one!