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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Cogntive Therapy Group
Our Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Cogntive Therapy Group is an 8 week program that teaches mindfulness meditation to help with stress, anxiety, depression, and coping with difficult life events.
Participants attend weekly sessions and an all day silent retreat between the 7th and 8th week. Sessions focus on cultivating mindfulness (non-judgmental present moment awareness) to more skillfully work with difficult thoughts and emotions, and to connect more directly with ourselves, our bodies, our lives and others.
Homework assignments consist of practicing mindfulness exercises with the aid of five guided audio CDs and completing exercises related to stress, automatic thoughts, and common reactions to various types of events. It is clear that the benefits of mindfulness practice is proportional to your commitment to regular daily practice, for about an hour a day.
Participants also receive a 3 hour DVD presentation by Dr. Britton on the physiology of stress and on research related to stress and mindfulness. The DVD, five CD's, and practice workbook can be used to support an ongoing mindfulness practice after the group ends.
Group leader:
The groups are co-led by Willoughby Britton, Ph.D. Dr. Britton received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona, and serves on the faculty of the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She was a Research Fellow at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA/NIH) and at Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. She spent several years in Asia studying meditative techniques and received her mindfulness instructor certification training at the Center for Mindfulness at the UMASS Medical School.
Considerable controlled research has shown that mindfulness based therapy groups (MBSR and MBCT) result in lasting reductions in medical and psychological symptoms across a wide range of medical (chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and gastrointestinal disorders) and psychiatric disorders (anxiety and depression) as well as increased psychological resilience and stress tolerance.
From past participants:
Below are some comments from past participants in Dr. Britton's mindfulness based therapy groups
"I have felt better than I had for many years. I don’t mean to imply
things are some kind of smiling Garden of Eden, but I had been down
and hopeless for a long time and since the program I've experienced
a gradual and steady improvement in mood and outlook. It feels so
good to be hopeful again and to know, even on bad days, that things
do get better..."
"The mindfulness based program and my month long surgery recovery
period have combined to help me, at the age of 35, Finally love
honor and respect my SELF so that I can be present, set limits, live
a life of integrity and generosity. The quality of my life is
DRASTICALLY improved as a result of practicing meditation and
mindfulness."
"I am more self-confident and serene. I trust myself more than I ever
have before. I am able to tune into a deeper wisdom or intuition
that lives inside my body and my physical sensations. It has been
like discovering a new color. I never had this dimension of
knowledge before, and I strive to cultivate it."
Paying for our mindfulness based groups:
The cost is $450 for participation in the group, includng the day-long retreat, and all instructional materials (5 CD's, DVD, and practice workbook). The group is not insurance billable. The fee must be paid in advance by sending a check or by credit card.
For more information and to schedule:
The group will meet on Monday evening from 6:00 to 8:30. The first session will be Monday March 29. To register for the group, or for more information, please call 401 351 7779, extension 100.