Troy, Michigan (PRWEB) March 31, 2015

World-renowned experts will present the latest advances in holistic health, wellness, science and spirituality at the second annual Awake and Empowered Expo: Thriving in an Age of Higher Consciousness, taking place at The Met Hotel in Troy, Mich. on April 24-26, 2015.

The schedule includes lectures, workshops and panel discussions on emerging technologies in the fields of energy, vibration, and telekinesis; the benefits of adopting a Raw Vegan diet; how to detoxify the body and enhance your vitality with Chinese herbalism; the application of sound and vibrational frequencies to support the immune system and overall wellbeing; and techniques for mitigating the many toxins in our modern world, such as GMO foods and electromagnetic fields.

"There are amazing advancements and scientific breakthroughs going on all over the world today. The Awake and Empowered Expo is focused on bringing these breakthrough solutions into the hands of our attendees," said Ethann Fox, founder of Flower of Life Center and visionary behind the expo. "Our second annual event is designed to strengthen and heal the mind, body and spirit through information, technology and viable tools that allow attendees to live happier and healthier.

Highlighted speakers include Dr. Sam Osmanagich, renowned expert on the Bosnian Pyramids; Dr. Edward Group founder of one of the largest alternative, natural, and organic health internet resources; world-renowned High-Vibration Music Artist, Mark Romero; Taoist Tonic Herbalist Rehmannia Dean Thomas; Founder and Board Chair for The International Sound Therapy Association and Cymatics expert Mandara Cromwell and accomplished author, researcher and documentary producer on alternative healing and cancer, Ty Bollinger.

Attendees will enjoy a variety of interactive demonstrations, participate in the meditative and energy balancing practices of Ki Qigong, take a shamans journey and realign and strengthen the body through yoga, meditation and the vibration of planetary gongs and crystal bowls.

The Expo opens Friday evening with a free-of-charge Exhibitor Showcase from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Visitors will have access to free demonstrations, be eligible for raffles and giveaways and sample products and services that nourish the mind, body and soul and can experience an Energy Transfer and Discourse with spiritual teacher, Ethann Fox. An Opening Night Musical Celebration follows with Dixons Violin at 7 p.m. Tickets are required for the Musical Celebration.

The expo will continue on Saturday and Sunday and there are many ticket options to choose from including an all weekend pass, daily pass, yoga pass, or individual presenter pass. Participants can also purchase a special ticket to mingle with keynote presenters at a VIP Afterglow event planned for Saturday evening at 10 p.m. at the The Met. Refer to awakeandempoweredexpo.com for further details.

Accommodations are provided by The Met Hotel. Refer to the Awake and Empowered Expo website for further details.

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Flower of Life Center Announces Second Annual Awake and Empowered Expo Coming to Metro Detroit April 2015, Focused on ...

March 31, 2015 - For chronically ill patients with major depression, an approach to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that incorporates patients' religious beliefs is at least as effective as conventional CBT, suggests a study in the April issue of The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

"Integrating religious clients' beliefs into CBT does not appear to significantly reduce its effectiveness, especially in religious clients," write Dr Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and colleagues. They believe that this approach might help to make psychotherapy more acceptable to religious patients with depression and chronic illness.

Incorporating Religious Beliefs into Depression Therapy

The researchers evaluated a religiously integrated CBT approach "that takes into account and utilizes the religious beliefs of clients." The study included 132 patients with major depression and chronic illness. All patients said that religion or spirituality was "at least somewhat important" to them.

Patients were randomly assigned to conventional or religious CBT. Both approaches included broadly spiritual content, focusing on "forgiveness, gratefulness, altruistic behaviors, and engagement in social activities." What made religiously integrated CBT unique was "its explicit use of the client's religious beliefs to identify and replace unhelpful thoughts and behaviors," Dr Koenig and coauthors write.

Religious CBT was performed by therapists experienced in integrating religion into psychotherapy. Most of the patients were Christian, but some received religious CBT adapted to other faiths (Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist). Both groups received ten therapy sessions, mainly by telephone.

At the end of therapy, religious and conventional CBT produced similar improvement in depression scores. Other outcomes were also similar between the two types of therapy--for example, about half of patients in both groups had remission of their depression symptoms.

Better Response in Highly Religious Patients

Patients who identified themselves as highly religious had somewhat greater improvement in depression scores with religious CBT, compared to conventional CBT. The highly religious also tended to complete more psychotherapy sessions if assigned to religious CBT, compared to those receiving conventional CBT.

"Historically, there has been little common ground between religious and psychological concepts of mental health," Dr Koenig and coauthors write. Mental health professionals may have negative attitudes toward religion, while religious patients may view psychological treatments as "unsympathetic to their religious beliefs and values."

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'Religiously integrated' psychotherapy is effective for depression