OUR HISTORY

Founded: 2002

Founder: Dr. Jerry Sonkens

Area of expertise:

Educating health care professionals and consumers about evidence-based integrated health and resiliency “best practices.”

In 2001, Dr. Jerry Sonkens, a Salt Lake City-based doctor treating cancers of the head and neck, asked himself the question, "Why do patients with a similar diagnosis have different responses to treatment?"  He speculated that “mental attitude and emotional/spiritual resilience” played important roles, but knew of no evidence-based theories at the time that supported this conclusion. In discussing his observations with other physicians, Jerry learned that they too often saw similar results----when patients responded with resolve and optimism to their challenges, they often had a better outcome, suffered less acute side effects from treatment, and had a higher quality of life whether they ultimately outlived the diagnosis or not.  Jerry quietly speculated that there might be a relationship between “healing,” and being made whole with one’s mental, emotional and spiritual approach to the disease.  This led him to attend a 2001 Harvard University School of Medicine conference on healing the body, mind, and spirit.  It changed his life. 

 Jerry returned home and co-sponsored an international conference with Harvard in Salt Lake City in 2002.  500 attendees from 37 states and 4 countries joined together to learn the latest research on healing the mind, body and spirit integrating the best of conventional medicine with complementary care.  Enthusiasm generated by the conference was contagious; Jerry along with other Salt Lake City-based physicians, nurses, and chaplains founded SHIM (Institute for Spirituality and Healing in Medicine). The message was simple and compelling:  Emerging research showed that one’s mental state, emotional/social connectedness and deep connection to spiritual belief had a measurable impact on one’s quality of life, longevity and outcome.