Mindfulness-Based Groups
for Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way:
on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally."
-Jon Kabat-Zinn
Dr. Sears is collaborating with the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati to do mindful stress reduction groups (based on MBSR and MBCT). The next mindfulness course is being offered 8 consecutive Mondays, March 26 through May 14, 2012, from 6pm to 7:30 pm. A free stress reduction info session will be held Monday, March 19, at 6pm. For more information, contact the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine, 6400 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236, 513-791-5521. To download a flyer, click here.
What is mindfulness training, and what can it do for me?
Mindfulness involves learning to pay attention to and wisely work with our thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions. The practice is learned through simple meditation exercises, through which you eventually come to bring a richer awareness and presence into your daily life. This reduces ruminating thoughts, helping to prevent stress, anxiety, and relapses of depression.
The training groups are modeled after the evidence-based practices of Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Zindel Segal and colleagues' Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The group consists of education, discussion, practice of mindfulness meditation, light stretching exercises, and homework assignments.
"The MBCT group has significantly increased my awareness of my thoughts, my emotions, and my body. I am better able to be fully present through both joyous and distressing times." - Past participant in Dr. Sears' mindfulness group.
The specific themes addressed in the program are:
- Class 1: Automatic Pilot
- Class 2: Dealing with Barriers
- Class 3: Mindfulness of the Breath
- Class 4: Staying Present
- Class 5: Allowing and Letting Be
- Class 6: Thoughts are Not Facts
- Class 7: How Can I Best Take Care of Myself
- Class 8: Using What’s Been Learned to Deal with Future Challenges.
Over the eight weeks of the program, the practices help you:
- to become familiar with the workings of your mind.
- to notice the times when you are at risk of getting caught in old habits of mind that re-activate downward mood spirals.
- to explore ways of releasing yourself from those old habits and, if you choose, enter a different way of being.
- to put you in touch with a different way of knowing yourself and the world.
- to notice small beauties and pleasures in the world around you instead of living in your head.
- to be kind to yourself instead of wishing things were different all the time, or driving yourself to meet impossible goals.
- to find a way so you don't have to battle with yourself all the time.
- to accept yourself as you are, rather than judging yourself all the time.
from www.mbct.com
Who can participate?
Anyone with a desire to reduce stress, or to prevent relapses of depression and anxiety, is welcome to inquire. A commitment to attend all 8 sessions, and to do 45 minutes of practice per day, is required.
Health care and business professionals are also invited to learn these skills to be more effective in their daily work, and to help facilitate work-life balance. Psychologists can earn up to 12 Continuing Education hours by submitting a Single Course Review form with payment to OPA-MCE.
What is the cost?
$475 ($100 discount if registering one month in advance, $50 discount if registering 2 weeks in advance). The course includes 8 weekly 90-minute sessions, handouts, a guided audio practice CD, and a graduation certificate.
Who is the facilitator?
Dr. Richard Sears is a board-certified clinical psychologist licensed in the state of Ohio. He is Director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness and Meditation at Union Institute & University. For more information about Dr. Sears, click here.
Where are you located?
The groups are held at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine, 6400 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Dr. Sears' office located within Union Institute & University, 440 E. McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206.
Can I learn the material privately?
If you cannot make the group times, or prefer to work with Dr. Sears individually, contact Dr. Sears to discuss an individualized program.
For more information:
For questions about the program, send an email to Dr. Sears at richard@psych-insights.com or call 513-487-1196. To register for the 8-week course, call the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine at 513-791-5521.
Links for more information about the program content:
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) (www.mbct.com)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/index.aspx)
Established individual clients can pay by credit card by clicking here