| Mindfulness, awareness of the present moment with acceptance, is
a deceptively simple way of relating to experience that has been
practiced for over 2,500 years to alleviate human suffering. Recently,
mental health professionals are enthusiastically discovering that
mindfulness holds great promise both for their own personal development
and as a way to enhance therapeutic relationships. It is also the
central ingredient in a number of new empirically validated treatments,
and is proving to be a remarkably powerful technique to augment
virtually every form of psychotherapy.
Day One: Mindfulness and Personal Fulfillment
The
first workshop day is designed to help you to understand mindfulness
practice theoretically and experientially. Through lecture,
demonstrations, participatory exercises, and small group discussion, we
will see how mindfulness can enrich and enliven our lives both inside
and outside of the therapy hour.
We
will explore how mindfulness practice can help us to deal with the
personal challenges of living in an ever-changing, uncertain world
filled with complicated interpersonal relationships . We will
investigate the role of mindfulness in working with thorny existential
issues such as loneliness, alienation, illness and loss. You'll learn a
variety of formal and informal mindfulness techniques, and gain
insights from both scientific and Buddhist Psychology into paths and
obstacles to greater well-being.
8:30 -10:00 am
Life is Difficult, for Everyone
Mindfulness: What Is It, And Why Should I Care?
Cultivating Mindfulness: Formal and Informal Practice
10:15 - 12:00 am
Working with Restlessness, Doubt, and the Self-Critical Mind
Narcissism: Not Just a Character Disorder
Mindfulness as an Antidote to Alienation
12:00 noon Lunch (on your own)
Optional Eating Meditation
1:30 - 3:00 pm
Tracking the Flow of Connection and Disconnection with Others
Developing Empathy for Annoying People without Becoming a Saint
Using Mindfulness to Enhance Intimate Relationships
3:15 - 4:30 pm
Using Mindfulness to Tolerate Not Knowing
The Problem with the Pleasure Principle
How to Be Happy: Lessons from Science and Buddhist Psychology
Day Two: Mindfulness-Based Clinical Interventions
Today
we will focus on the integration of mindfulness practice into
psychotherapy. First we'll examine how mindfulness practice can enhance
therapeutic presence and transform understanding of the causes of
psychological suffering. We will then discuss when and how to introduce
various mindfulness techniques to our clients or patients. Special
techniques for treating depression, anxiety , chronic pain,
stress-related medical disorders and childhood distress will be
introduced.
Throughout
the workshop, we will examine contraindications for using mindfulness
techniques, as well as creative ways to deal with the obstacles and
challenges that arise when working with particular disorders and
personalities. Upon completion, you will have a foundation for
integrating this exciting, potentially transformative practice into
both your personal life and your therapeutic work.
8:30 - 10:00 am
Common Elements of Mindfulness Practices
Empirically Tested Mindfulness-Based Treatments
Tailoring Mindfulness Techniques to Particular Patients
10:15 - 12:00 noon
Mindfulness for Parents and their Children
Working with Depression: Entering the Dark Places Together
Moving Toward Experience to Wake Up and Come Alive
12:00 noon Lunch (on your own)
Optional Eating Meditation
1:00-2:30 pm
Overcoming Anxiety by Befriending Fear
CBT on Steroids: The Wisdom of Insecurity
Beyond Pain Management: Mindfulness in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
2:45-4:30 pm
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: Our Evolutionary Design Flaw
Using Mindfulness to Treat Stress-Related Disorders
Psychophysiological Disorders as Doors to Personal Development
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