Purpose: Determine if a low cost short-term retreat format for cardiac patients can affect well-being, anger, spirituality, and, meaning and purpose in life.

Methods: A total of 139 participants have participated in the Choice to Renew Week-end retreat from 1995-1997. Pilot research data is available on 51 participants. 28 patients and 15 spouses/friends free of cardiac disease; 61% of the participants were female and 24% were >65years of age; 49% were 50-65years old. 53% had participated in a cardiac rehabilitation/support group program previously.

"Choice to Renew Retreat" is a 2 and 1/2 day life-style strategies program designed for patients with post cardiac events and their spouses to become more sufficient in self care. Program components consisted of light exercise (walking and yoga, recreational alternatives), nutrition (food served with 10% of calories coming from fat, discussion and sharing of recipes, social eating), stress reduction (progressive relaxation, breathing exercises, visualization and imagery) and social support, (cognitive behavioral principles of building self esteem, communication skills, change/conflict resolution skills), exploring spiritual principles for healing (meditation and prayer).

Questionnaires derived from the Medical Outcomes Study were used to measure well-being (depression, anxiety, and positive affect). In addition, the questionnaires included items assessing anger; spirituality; and, meaning and purpose in life.

Conclusions: Findings for the total group of participants with and without heart disease were as follows. 90.7% (39/43) participants reported increased well-being at the completion of the retreat; 88.4% (38/43) participants reported increased spirituality; 86.0% (37/43) reported an increase in the sense of meaning in life; and, 64.3% (27/42) reported a decrease in anger. The degree of change in well being correlated with the degree of change in spirituality (r= .47, p< .001), with the degree of change in meaning and purpose in life (r= .42, p< .005) and with the degree of change in anger (r= - .66, p< .001). Change in spirituality correlated .63 (p<. 001) with change in meaning and purpose in life and -.48 (p= .001) with change in anger. The correlation coefficients were similar for patients and support participants.