Ensuring The Courses Are Right For You In This Moment

Welcome.  Thank you for your interest in mindfulness.  And offer gratitude to yourself for your curiosity of the course – Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Before registering, please read through some details of what mindfulness may involve for you and exclusions of who should not enroll in MBSR in this moment.

Mindfulness focuses gentle attention to whatever is present in the moment. A person explores inherent qualities, such as calmness, kindness, wisdom, and compassion.  We cultivate these qualities and build skillful practices to enhance wellbeing and goodwill in life.  Sharing the benefits of these skills with oneself and others throughout life.

The MBSR course is experiential. There are no books required, no written exams.  Rather, MBSR focuses on the body, feelings, emotions, and thoughts that arise in the present.   A person may have strong emotions or memories associated with past events of life.  It is possible some of these may arise during mindfulness practices. These memories or emotions may be familiar and deep within you.   Or they may be experiences of the past that well up unexpectedly.  In either event, a person may lack skills to address these intense emotions and conditions.  During participation in this course, please be certain you have access to a person, a therapist, pastor, rabbi, counselor or other qualified person, who can listen to you should the need arise.

If you are under the care of a physician or therapist for major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other behavioral condition, please reflect and discuss with that provider whether now is an appropriate time for MBSR.  Mindfulness may provide a compassionate and kind support for any such condition(s).  Yet, there may be challenges encountered, that without supportive guidance, may limit benefit(s) of MBSR for you.

Some conditions prohibit MBSR course recommendations in this present moment.  These include the following: suicide (persistent thoughts or attempts), untreated or unmedicated psychosis, active substance abuse (drug, alcohol, other), or early recovering substance abuse of less than one year. If you have any of these conditions, and are not yet in treatment or therapy, please seek support and assistance now.  Begin by phoning 988 or 1-800-273- TALK, a free national telephone connection to support for emotional distress health services.

In kindness,

Robin