MBCT 8-week Course

Next cohort starts soon!

May 3-June 21, 2023

Wednesdays 10:30-12:00

Location: Efrat, Gush Etzion

Click Here to Register!

What is "Mindfulness"?

"The awareness that emerges through paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment to moment" (Kabat-Zinn).

About the Program

The Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy Workshop is an 8-week program that integrates mindfulness with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

This system encourages an intentional and skillful relationship with our thoughts and feelings, moods and triggers with the purpose of improving our emotional and mental wellbeing.

This evidence-based program is shown to increase:

-emotional regulation
-attuned communication
-mood balance
-stress and anxiety relief
-response flexibility
-empathy
-intuition
-insight/self-knowing awareness
-fear modulation

 

What You'll Be Getting in the Program
-8 sessions of mindfulness education
-Group practices
-Group dialogue and discussions
-Guided mindfulness meditations
-Customized home practice tailored to you

Who This Program is Designed For?

-if you'd like more intentionality in your thought patterns, behaviors, relationships or life
-you're interested in managing emotions and ruminating thought patterns
-you want to increase your skills of self-awareness, empathy, communication, and more
-you want to help alleviate your low or flat moods, anxiety, chronic worrying, depression, frequent mood changes, anger or other*
-you have a chronic pain or health condition
-you want to  better manage stress

*Please see disclaimer at bottom of page

 Research and History about MBCT

The MBCT program was originally designed by Segal, Teasdale & Williams and initially used for prevention of depression relapse.

Research demonstrated that depression relapse rates (for those with 3 or more episodes) were cut in half by attending the 8-week MBCT program.

The populations for MBCT expanded with time to include other populations: stress and anxiety, chronic pain, cancer patients, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and children.

"Participating in an 8-week mindfulness program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress" (www.sciencedaily.com).

Brain scans of children in the MBCT-C program demonstrated statistically significant changes.
The findings demonstrated that the prefrontal cortex area of the brain thickened.

Numerous research studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of MBCT programs on emotional well-being (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.700916/full).

Structure of the Course 

Session 1  Awareness and Autopilot
-Why are we on autopilot? How do we get off? And why mindfulness?
-How mindfulness changes your brain
-Guided practice to notice the difference between mindful awareness and autopilot
-Discussing reactivity versus responsive choice points
-Meditation v. mindfulness - yes, they're different!
-How (and why) to develop a compassionate, curious lens towards ourselves, our emotions
-Ruminating thoughts/being "stuck" in thought loops - what they are, why they happen, and what to do
*
Session 2  Living in Our Heads
-Learning the ABC's of how our thoughts, behaviors, and reactions are formed
-How our interpretations of events influences our response (sometimes more than the event itself!)
-Navigating a mind that is designed to notice the negative - why is it like that and what can we do?
-Mindfulness practices for everyday, pleasant events to shine a light on what's already good there
-Using the breath to connect to the body and the present moment
*
Session 3  Gathering the Scattered Mind
-Understanding how the mind automatically sorts and categorizes, exploring new ways of perception
-Guided practice in session to renew our acquaintance with how we perceive everything around us
-Mindfulness in movement with stretching
-Being versus Doing
-Discovering the "felt sense" - physical sensations of the body corresponding to emotional qualities
*
Session 4  Recognizing Aversion
-Learning more about nonjudgment and acceptance
-The difference between acceptance/letting go versus resignation
-Learned helplessness
-How struggling against our emotions or suppressing them may be causing more pain and difficulty than accepting them
-How to use mindfulness exercises when experiencing aversion to difficult sensations, emotions
*
Session 5   Allowing/Letting Be
-Deepening our practice of using mindfulness while with a present situation that is triggering
-Noticing what's present in the body, the thoughts, observing and acknowledging
-How to welcome all emotions
-Holding space for discomfort and other unpleasant sensations
-Digital hygiene
*
Session 6  Thoughts are Not Facts
-Learning how to relate differently to our thoughts
-Being liberated from ruminating thought patterns
-Awareness of our thought associations
-When context, moods, and thoughts conspire against seeing alternative view points
-"Okay, so now I'm more aware. What's next?"
*
Session 7  How Can I Best Take Care of Myself?
-Learning how we can change our moods with actions
-Exhaustion, overwhelm, depression, and unhappiness - looking at our life and what nourishes us and depletes us
-Using MBCT skills in everyday life
-Making an action plan that works for our individual life and needs
*
Session 8 Maintaining and Extending the Practice
-How will life be different going forward?
-Increasing our ability to hold space in what we hold awareness
-Being anchored in the present moment
-How to keep mindfulness in our life during difficulty, busyness, and overwhelm
-Looking back on the course, and looking forward to the future

Your Instructor

Taught by certified yoga & mindfulness instructor and psychotherapist Sarah Friedlander.

Learn more about Sarah and her background, education, certifications and trainings here.

How Much Does it Cost?

This workshop is offered according to a sliding-scale/suggested donation-based system.

A 350₪ deposit is required to secure placement in the course.
The deposit is refundable upon cancellation until 14 business days of the course beginning.

At completion of the course, participants may choose their contribution towards the teacher.

Suggested range of contribution is 900-1400₪ (but this is by no means meant to be a lower and upper limit and participants may go lower or higher than these numbers).

The intention of this flexible suggestion is to promote your free will and autonomy according to your individual financial situations as well as your desire to contribute to the livelihood of the teacher, and to support and continue the material for others to enjoy.

*It is a firm belief that money/financial circumstances need not prevent anyone from attending.*

Registration

After signing up, an intake form will be sent to you.
Upon completion of the intake form and 350₪ your placement in the course will be reserved.

This workshop is limited to only 10 people so please reserve early!

Looking so very much forward to learning and growing with you!
Have any questions?
Feel free to reach out [email protected]

Emotional Health Disclaimer

Though therapeutic in nature, this workshop is not intended to be therapy.
If you are currently experiencing severe depression, suicidal ideations, substance or alcohol abuse, psychosis, or severe symptoms of PTSD, this workshop may not be recommended for you.

Feel free to reach out to Sarah if you have any questions about your individual circumstances.
If you need more personal attention with the course material, private one-on-one sessions with Sarah are also available.