Mindfulness Network CIC 33 Queen Street, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 8HG Email: [email protected] Web: www.exeter-mindfulness-network.org

Information about the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: On purpose, In the present moment, And non-judgmentally. JON KABAT-ZINN Through mindfulness practice, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can help people improve their well-being and cope better with difficult experiences.

How can mindfulness help me? Mindfulness is about awareness. When we are mindful, we pay deliberate attention, in the present moment, to things as they are rather than to how we wish them to be. Instead of ruminating on the past, which we can’t change, or worrying about the future about things that may or may never happen, mindfulness keeps us grounded in the here and now. This is helpful for the important reason that it is only in the present moment that we have an immediate choice about how to respond. Far too often, we spend our days on automatic pilot, not really attuned to what is going on in our minds, hearts and bodies. We can become accustomed to thinking and feeling in certain ways out of habit. Mindfulness teaches us to pay attention to our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations as they are right here, right now. By learning to focus on the present moment, we become better equipped to spot the build up of stress and other difficult emotions and thoughts so that we can deal with them more effectively. We can learn to recognise autopilot and chose when to "shift gears" between operating on autopilot and being in present moment awareness. Instead of subjecting ourselves to the endlessly looping tape of our thoughts and feelings, mindfulness enables us to pause. When we pause, we give ourselves the space and time to see that there may be other ways to think about situations, freeing us from the tyranny of the old thought patterns that we automatically grab onto. Most importantly, we may come to realise, on a deep level, that thoughts are only mental events. Thoughts are not facts and we have a choice about whether to give them power over our minds and hearts. This shift can be very liberating, giving people a sense of possibilities and choices about how to respond to old patterns of thinking and acting. This can empower people to make changes in their lives. Mindfulness Network CIC | Directors: Alison Evans & Willem Kuyken | Company No. 8216404 Registered in England and Wales | Registered office: 33 Queen Street, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 8HG

With the support of your mindfulness teacher, you will learn various mindfulness practices as well as ways to bring mindfulness and awareness into the everyday activities of your life. These practices may help you to: • • • • •

tune in to the present moment become more aware of body sensations, feelings and thoughts from moment to moment learn different ways of relating to sensations, thoughts and feelings recognise your habitual patterns of thinking, mood and feelings so that you can move out of auto pilot mode and be more aware of your reactions increase your compassion and kindness towards yourself and others

The words of one course participant illustrate how life-changing mindfulness can be: “If I’m distressed by something my pre-mindfulness way was to ruminate on the problem, going over and over in my mind what was said or done, trying to work out what I should have said, how I should have acted, formulating replies, letters, emails, which would take hours in an attempt to ‘get the right words’ and ‘work it out’. If I do a mindfulness practice, it’s like everything settles and seems less important, more in perspective. I feel calmer and clearer and nothing seems as big. Often, I decide I don’t need to ‘do’ anything, or I may decide to wait 24 or 48 hours and see how I feel then. I may then decide to act, but it’s out of a far less reactive place.”

What does the MBSR course involve?

The eight-week course draws on the approaches of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It involves attending nine sessions; the first is an orientation to the course where participants have a chance to meet each other and the mindfulness teacher. Each session will last two hours and it is important to make a commitment to attending each week. The course is like a ladder, each session is like a rung on the ladder. During the sessions, you will be guided through various mindfulness practices that involve sitting, lying down and/or gentle movement. You will also be introduced to other exercises that will help you build an awareness of stress/distress in your thoughts, feelings and body so that you can begin to find new, more helpful ways of responding. There will be time to talk about your experiences in the sessions and how you integrate these practices into your daily life. Although you will be encouraged to speak “from the heart”, the sessions are not “group therapy.” They are more like an enjoyable evening class. Although it can sometimes feel daunting to even think about joining a group class, what most people notice straightaway is how safe and containing the environment is. This has a lot to do with the mindfulness teacher, for their training and mindfulness 2

practice involves developing qualities of interest, compassion, equanimity and steadiness. This is central to how they run the class.

Home practice: the importance of practice

Home practice is an important part of this course since people who commit to regular practice seem to benefit most from mindfulness. The Home practice takes about 45 minutes a day. This mainly involves mindfulness practices with the aid of a CD but also some a other exercises to help you. We appreciate it is often very difficult to carve out time for something new when our lives that are already busy; the mindfulness teacher will discuss ways of fitting this into your week.

Facing difficulties The sessions and the Home practice can teach you to be more fully aware and present in each moment of life. The good news is that this makes life more interesting, vivid, and fulfilling. On the other hand, this means facing what is present, even when it is unpleasant and difficult. In practice, you will find that turning to face and acknowledge difficulties is the most effective way, in the long run, to reduce unhappiness. During the course, you will learn gentle, non-judgmental ways to face difficulties, and will be supported by the teacher and the others.

Patience and persistence

Because we will be working to change well established habits, you will be putting in a lot of time and effort. The effects of this effort may only become apparent later. In many ways, it is much like gardening – we have to prepare the ground, plant the seeds, ensure that they are adequately watered and nourished, and then wait patiently for results. The first session is a chance to have all your questions answered, after that we ask you to, as best you can, trust what emerges form the mindfulness practice and classes. In the same way, we ask you to approach the sessions and Home practice with a spirit of patience and persistence, committing yourself to put time and effort in to what will be asked of you, while accepting, with patience, that the fruits of your efforts may not show straightaway.

Do I need to be religious to take part? No – mindfulness can be practiced by people of any religion or none. Although many spiritual traditions include meditation, this course does not require or teach any religious beliefs. It is a secular course.

Who is the course for?

The course is suitable for adults over 18 who wish to develop new ways of responding to stress and developing well-being. For participants who are coming specifically to find ways of managing recurrent depression and are currently feeling well, there are courses running in the NHS specifically designed that may meet your needs more fully. Please contact us for further information. There are some people for whom this course might not be suitable. The list of exclusion factors includes, but is not limited to, people with: current alcohol or drug 3

dependence (except for prescription medication) or a history of trauma that is likely to be reactivated and require greater treatment than is possible within the MBSR course. The course is also not appropriate for people who are currently receiving psychological therapy, or those who are suffering from major depression or psychiatric illness (bipolar disorder, psychosis, major depression, current self-harming). If any of these apply to you, but you still wish to participate in the course, please contact us so that we can make an individual determination.

Where can I find further information about mindfulness and MBSR? Relevant books for mindfulness and stress are: • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: How to Cope with Stress, Pain and Illness Using Mindfulness Meditation. New York: Delacorte. • Stahl, B & Goldstein, E. (2009). A mindfulness based stress reduction workbook. New Harbinger Publications. • Williams, J. M. G., & Penman, D. (2011). Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. Piatkus. A full book list will be given at the end of the course but the books listed above can be purchased from: http://www.exeter-mindfulness-network.org/about-usefulresources.php. Websites: • http://www.exeter.ac.uk/mooddisorders/acceptclinic • www.exeter-mindfulness-network.org • www.mbct.co.uk • http://www.bemindful.co.uk

How do I apply to take part in an MBSR course?

If you wish to take part in a course, please send an email to the Mindfulness Coordinator at [email protected]. S/he will then email further information, plus a Consent Form and Background Questionnaire. The Background Questionnaire will ask about: your physical and mental health; difficult or upsetting events you have experienced or witnessed; and other relevant information about you and your circumstances. If necessary, one of the teachers may ring you to clarify issues to make sure the class is appropriate for you. You also may wish to contact us for clarification if you have any questions or concerns. At that point, if the course is suitable for you, you will then be asked to complete the Booking Form, which contains payment information. We ask for payment to be completed before your place can be confirmed on the course.

If you have any questions….

Please contact the Mindfulness Coordinator if you have any questions at [email protected].

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Other Important Information

Data storage, confidentiality and record keeping Discussions between the teacher and course participants will be held in complete confidence. This would only be broken in extreme circumstances, e.g. if you or another person was at risk of harm. In such circumstances, your teacher would notify your GP, though every effort would be made to discuss this with the participant first. Teachers receive regular supervision for their work and, therefore, may discuss matters arising from the course in his/her own supervision. Participants’ names, though, will not be shared with the supervisor. The teacher may keep process notes of the sessions as an aide memoire. These will be kept securely and all reasonable care to protect anonymity will be made. They will be destroyed at the end of the course. Occasionally, we record therapy sessions either with videotape or audiotape. We record sessions in order to ensure that the teacher can have good supervision and make sure we provide high quality courses. However, we will not record sessions without your signed consent and you are under no pressure to do so. The camera is placed on the teacher only. Recordings will be destroyed at the end of the course. Your personal details, completed forms and questionnaires will be kept in a secure location. Only the Mindfulness Network CIC (on a need to know basis) will have access to the details that have been collected about you. This will generally be the coordinator and the teacher on the course that you attend.

Cancellation policy Any cancellation of a confirmed booking must be in writing/email and received no less than 3 weeks before the course starts at which point you will receive a 75% refund. We regret that no refund will be given if less than 3 weeks’ notice is given.

Emergencies The Mindfulness Network CIC is not a 24-hour service and cannot respond to emergencies. If at any stage you need to speak to someone urgently, you should do this in the normal way through or GP. Out of hours, your practice should have access to an “out of hours service” or, alternatively, Accident and Emergency Departments are always open.

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