Pediatric Mind Body Medicine Program

Overview

Founded in 2018, the Pediatric Mind-Body Medicine Program at Mass General Brigham for Children is one of the first of its kind in the nation.

The program’s mission is to destigmatize and educate about the connection between mental, emotional, and physical suffering and empower children, adolescents, and young adults living with chronic gastrointestinal illness, especially Disorders of the Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI), to improve their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

By providing patient-centered care and extended appointments with our clinicians, we ensure our patients feel seen, heard, and understood. We help patients recognize how stress, especially from mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD, can manifest as and/or exacerbate physical symptoms, and how to utilize the bidirectional connection between the mind and body to return to health.

In addition to medications known as gut-brain neuromodulators, our program uses a variety of mind-body interventions such as gut-directed hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and biofeedback. We also educate about the self-care practices of meditation, physical exercise, healthy sleep hygiene, and social connectedness, all of which buffer the effects of stress on the body, reduce symptoms, and build resiliency.

Given the high frequency of mental health conditions associated with DGBIs, the Pediatric Mind-Body Medicine Program is embedded within the Divisions of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, ensuring a comprehensive treatment approach for every patient. Our program is also closely affiliated with the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, a world-renowned clinical and research institution, which allows us to incorporate the latest knowledge from cutting edge research into our treatment strategies.

Our multidisciplinary team brings over 45 years of collective clinical experience and includes Sarah Shea, PhD, assistant clinical director and head of psychological services; Aarya Rajalakshmi, MBBS and Matthew Gerace, MD, both child, adolescent and adult psychiatrists; and Hillary Ditmars, PhD, a pediatric and adult psychologist. The team is led by founding clinical director Mark Salvatore, MD, MS, a pediatric gastroenterologist and consultant pediatrician to the Benson-Henry Institute and Child Resiliency Program.

Conditions Treated

We treat all chronic GI conditions in children, adolescents, and young adults up to 21 years of age, especially:

• Disorders of the gut-brain interaction (DGBI)
• Chronic abdominal pain
• Functional nausea and vomiting
• Functional dyspepsia/bloating
• Visceral hypersensitivity
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Difficult-to-treat or currently undiagnosed GI disorders

Services Provided

• Help patients and their families better understand the mind-body connection and how psychological and emotional stressors can manifest as and/or exacerbate GI symptoms.
• Introduce patients to a myriad of mind-body interventions, which buffer the effects of stress on the body, reduce physical symptoms, and build resiliency.
• Work in conjunction with a pediatric psychiatrist and psychologist to address any comorbid anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD and/or PTSD, which are commonly associated with DGBIs.
• Provide a second opinion regarding a difficult-to-treat or currently undiagnosed GI disorder.