Outline

What is Mindfulness?

• Core Principles
• Application in the MBSR Curriculum
• Universality and Adaptability (to specific populations and conditions)
• Research on its Benefits
• Limitations of Research and Possible Risks

What is MBSR and How it Works

• Why MBSR was Created and the Evidence of Improved Outcomes
• What MBSR Works Best for
• MBSR Ground Rules and Fundamental Beliefs
• Establishing a Culture of Safety, Connection and Commonality
• How to assess if an MBSR Approach is Right for Your Client

Formal Mindfulness Practices: Guided Experiential Sessions-Practice the Techniques and then Debrief through Mindful Inquiry

• The Body Scan
• The Sitting Meditation with Awareness of Breath
• The Sitting Meditation with Sound, Sensation, Feelings, Thoughts and Open Awareness
• Mindful Movement and Yoga
• Adaptations to Yoga
• Walking Meditation
• Loving-Kindness Meditation

Informal Mindfulness Practices: Practice Interventions Clients Can Use in Daily Life in Minutes or Less

• The S.T.O.P. Technique
• The Three Step Breathing Space
• One Moment Meditation
• Urge Surfing
• The R.A.I.N. Technique
• Creating Home Practices
• Mindfulness Cues

The MBSR Curriculum: Experiential Learning: Making Practice Practical 

• The Sequence and Themes of the MBSR Sessions
  • Class 1-3 – Grounding Mindfulness in the Body
  • Class 4-5 – Stress Reduction versus Response
  • Class 6-7 – Communication and Interpersonal Mindfulness
  • Class 8 – Summation and Bringing Mindfulness Home
• Establishing Goals and Expectations for Your Clients
• The Use of Language
• The Power of Intention
• Anchoring and Sustaining Attention
• The Process of Mindful Inquiry – An Underutilized Tool
• Home Practices, Reinforcing Mindfulness
• Communication Strategies with Clients
• Inter-Personal Mindfulness Strategies and Techniques

Emotion Regulation

• Perception: The Lens of Experience
• The Role of Arousal: Stress Reaction vs. Response
• Working with Thoughts
• Working with Feelings: Pleasant and Unpleasant
• Cultivating Acceptance
• The Use of Compassion
• Identify Habitual and Conditioned Reactions to Anxiety, Chronic Pain, and Depression
• Obstacles
• Application of Neuro-Science Research

Practice in Introducing Mindfulness and MBSR-Informed Adaptations

• Adaptations for Groups vs Individuals
• Adaptations Specific for Children & Adolescents vs. Adults
• Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
  • The Four R’s
  • Supporting Safety and Stability
• The Window of Tolerance
• Symptom Specific Adaptations for:
  • Anxiety & Stress
  • Chronic Pain
  • Depression
  • Addictions
  • PTSDs

The Therapist as the Vehicle of Change

• Embodiment: The Power of Presence
• Communication: Verbal and Non-Verbal
  • The Use of Language
  • The Use of Movement
• Personal Practice-Taking Mindfulness Home