"By cultivating mindfulness, MBCT creates a space between your thoughts and actions, empowering you to shift into new responses and find freedom from old habits.
MBCT helps us gain awareness into our minds. By coming into more presence, the grip of our conditioned responses softens and we come to place of greater calm, emotional balance and inner peace."
What is MBCT
MBCT can help if you're experiencing any of the following:
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Symptoms of depression and/or anxiety
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Negative thoughts, stress or overwhelm
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Reactivity and trouble managing emotions
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Sadness or lack of direction
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Trouble experiencing pleasure or purpose in life
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Frustration or anger
Benefits of MBCT
Benefits of MBCT:
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Greater self-awareness and presence in the moment.
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Improved ability to respond to challenges with calmness and clarity.
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Increased self-compassion and acceptance
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Tools to manage difficult emotions and reduce emotional reactivity
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Enhanced overall well-being, a more balanced outlook on life
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Decrease in negative thoughts, feeling overwhelmed and sad
The MBCT Curriculum​​​
In this 8 week online program, the following topics will be covered, along with teaching a variety of meditations and cognitive exercises:​
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Session 1: Awareness and Automatic Pilot - Becoming aware of our minds and noticing how they operate.
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Session 2: Living in Our Heads - Recognizing how our thoughts create suffering within the mind.
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Session 3: Gathering the Scattered Mind - Learning and practicing how mindfulness can help calm the scattered mind.
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Session 4: Recognizing Aversion - Identifying patterns of avoidance and resistance, how this causes suffering and learning to approach difficult emotions with curiosity.
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Session 5: Allowing/Letting Be - Developing acceptance by allowing experiences to be as they are without judgment or suppression.
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Session 6: Thoughts Are Not Facts - Exploring the nature of thoughts and learning to disengage/let go from unhelpful mental patterns.
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Session 7: How Can I Best Take Care of Myself? - Building self-compassion and creating habits that support emotional and mental well-being.
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Session 8: Maintaining and Extending New Learning - Integrating mindfulness practices into daily life to sustain growth and prevent relapse.
FAQ
Do I have to have meditation experience?
No experience is necessary. MBCT is an introductory course. We will cover the basics and many types of meditations and you will use what works for you.
What if I can't clear my mind of thoughts?
Having a busy mind is normal and this is the purpose of practice. As you practice MBCT, you will begin to develop a new relationship with your thoughts and mind.
Do I have to share a lot in the group?
Sharing is to your comfort level but we do not share about childhood or stories.
You can choose whether or not to have your camera on.
Is it ok to miss sessions?
What you put into MBCT is what you will get out of it. Creating shifts within our minds and our lives requires commitment, practice and doing something differently. Clients who have the greatest shifts are often the clients that dedicate themselves to the program and attending sessions. A pre-planned trip or illness that requires missing a session is accepted and you are able to watch the session recording.