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The next courses in Bath begin on: January 26th, & April 19th, 2012.
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The Bath and Bristol 8-week Mindfulness Meditation Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) courseFor the prevention of low mood, depression, anxiety stress and related conditions. For groups, individuals and distance learners. This is a course that everyone can benefit from. It's a course that has the potential to enhance most peoples' quality of life. Courses take place in winter, autumn and spring.Background informationThe eight week mindfulness course, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, has been running successfully in American hospitals since the 1970s for the treatment of psoriasis, pain, anxiety and stress. It was then termed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. In the late 1990s the course was integrated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depression and became known as the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) course. The course comprises of about 20% CBT and 80% mindfulness meditation in its undiluted form. The courses I run in Bath and Bristol are the full MBCT courses; delivered in the same way as the course in the MBCT trials (see below). The MBCT course is an experiential, educational course and differs from individual or group psychotherapy. Although mindfulness meditation has its origins in Buddhism the founders of the courses intended the courses to be run in a secular way. I support this stance which encourages participation by those of other or no religious beliefs. However, this doesn't preclude those adhering to Buddhism benefitting from participating in the course. Indeed, some Buddhists and others experienced in meditation have benefitted greatly from the clear and coherent meditation instruction and rationale used in the course (There is a lot of misunderstanding about how to meditate which often culminates in people giving it up and feeling they are just not very good at it. This need not be so). MBCT courses help participants learn new ways to handle moods and emotions to help prevent depression and the often accompanying problems of anxiety, stress, insomnia and low self esteem. By following the course, and with some persistence and patience, participants often find significant changes take place in how they experience themselves, others and the world. A lot of what is learned from the course and one's own practice can be passed on to help one's children, partner, family or friends who may be experiencing difficulties in their lives. The techniques and approaches developed during the course can be applied to most every issue or problem to gain relief. What is learned can also help to bring about insight and understanding for the problems of others. Results from trials have shown that the MBCT course reduces relapse in depression by 50% in those who have had three or more previous episodes of depression. The course has the approval of NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) as an efficacious treatment for the prevention of depression. The majority of people completing a MBCT course report lasting physical and psychological benefits including:
Those living with or close to someone who has completed the course may also feel the benefits! What does the MBCT course entail?Mindfulness meditation is learnt in 8-weekly 2 hour 15 minute sessions and by practicing with instruction CDs each day for approximately 45minutes through out the week. Breathing meditations and yoga practices help us become more aware of the present moment, and of subtle changes in our bodies and minds. We learn a basic understanding of what causes and maintains our low moods, depression, stress and anxiety and how to spot the warning signals and what to do to look after ourselves before distress take's hold. Through enhanced awareness we begin to see the signs of potential crisis, upset and onset of low mood much sooner than we normally would. This enables us to respond in a calm, clear headed way to regain balance and perspective. During the sessions we spend half the time doing guided meditation and the other half on reflection, questions, discussion and some theme related exercises. Your inputYou get out of the course what you put in. The benefits of meditation are cumulative and therefore regular practice is needed to get the best out of the course. Very early on you may feel some important benefits but there may be times when it doesn't feel like anything is happening, times when it becomes a bit stressful (which is ironic and paradoxical of course) and demanding of your time. There are times when we feel it's just not working and at this point we need to continue with the correct attitude till the end of the programme. By the end, the benefits will have started to accrue and become apparent and the process will have started to make sense. Recommended reading is an important part of the course though not as important as doing the practices. It is recommended that you do some reading before the start of the course to orientate yourself regarding mindfulness meditation. I strongly recommend reading 'The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness' by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Also, 'Full Catastrophe Living' by Jon Kabat-Zinn(1990 Delta Books, USA or Piatkus, UK). SupportDuring the course I can be emailed with concerns or questions about the practice that can't wait till the next session. Personal psychological issues can't be dealt with in this way. I recommend having a friend, counsellor or psychotherapist who can be contacted for personal support during the course. Should the need arise I can recommend a therapist who is a mindfulness practitioner or if my schedule permits, I can be available for one to one therapy/instruction/missed sessions. This is paid for separately from the course fee (at a much reduced session rate during the course). Joining the courseTo join a course you need to contact me by email or phone to arrange for us to meet for 20 minutes to discuss together if we feel the course is suitable for you at this time. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any further questions. There is no charge for this meeting. The total cost of the programme is £225 this includes:
Mindfulness Meditation Day retreats at The Ammerdown CentreDay retreats are a good opportunity to renew and deepen meditation practice, to reconnect with members of the course group, meet members of other groups and share their experiences of mindfulness in everyday life. Retreat days are open to others who have completed similar courses or have experience of mindfulness meditation. (see links page for directions/description Ammerdown) Outline of the day retreats The days begin at 9.30am informally with tea/coffee and orientation. At 10.00am we begin the formal day retreat with brief introductions followed by a meditation practice. This will be followed by some time for participants to talk about the practices and any benefits or difficulties that have arisen since their course ended. The morning will move on to revisiting and deepening our exploration of particular themes of the mindfulness approach. The rest of the day, beginning as we sit to eat lunch, will be spent in silence. Various meditation practices will be practiced until 4.30pm when silence is lifted and open discussion takes place until 5.00pm, the end of the retreat. Retreat days cost £45. Past participants of my courses pay £35 More detail about Mindfulness and the courses can be found on my mindfulness designated website by clicking here.Mindfulness Taster Mornings Taster mornings take place every couple of months at the Combe Down Surgery. They provide the opportunity for participants to learn more about the course and to experience first hand some of the meditation practices. Dates are arranged when enough people have shown interest and are able to commit to the morning. Cost: £15 Distance learning optionA distance learning option is available for those who can't find a course local to them. Participants are guided throughout the 8-week course by a work-book and nine 45-minute, individual, telephone sessions. They then undertake about 45 minutes of home practice six days a week which entails listening to accompanying CDs which guide various sitting, walking and movement meditations. There are also some simple homework tasks and recommended reading. Due to the one-on-one nature of the distance learning option the costs are £ 450. Please contact me for more information on this. Evaluation of MBCTFor a report on the trials of MBCT see: Teasdale, J.D., Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., Ridgeway, V., Lau, M., & Soulsby, J. (2000) Reducing risk of recurrence of major depression using Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615-23 For other data from the trial, see Williams, J.M.G., Teasdale, J.D., Segal, S.V. & Soulsby, J. (2000) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy reduces over-general autobiographical memory in formerly depressed patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 109, 150-155.) Click links below to go back to: Home Counselling & Psychotherapy John Waller Links Contact |
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© John Waller For the mindfulness courses website click on: www.mindfulnesscoursesbath-bristol.co.uk |
