Mindfulness Meditation in Clinical Practice

This training program is a rich opportunity for colleagues to delve deeply into clinical material and learn how to understand challenging clinical issues from a mindfulness perspective. Mindfulness is at the heart of Buddhist psychology. This ancient, contemplative tradition is currently converging with the Western, scientific model of psychological inquiry, resulting in innovative advances in clinical theory and practice. This course is designed to foster the investigation of mindfulness in order to enhance the clinical relationship, the quality of clinical interventions, and the well-being of the clinician. It is open to physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, palliative care workers, and others in the helping professions.

Mindfulness is a simple formula—awareness of present experience with acceptance. It is based on the ancient discovery that our attempts to avoid pain and cling to pleasure cause our miseries to multiply. In contrast, openly embracing life as it is presented, with all its difficulties, leads to happiness and a greater sense of connection with others. Each element of mindfulness—precise awareness, present-centredness, and radical acceptance of the moment of experience—can give the clinician additional traction in meeting the demands of the clinical encounter.

The aim of this course is to provide 1) a solid theoretical understanding of the psychological principles of mindfulness meditation practice, 2) personal, “embodied” practice of mindfulness meditation, and 3) the application of mindfulness in clinical work.

This course includes a detailed study of the compelling challenges that “Buddhist psychology” presents to the clinical models most of us use from day to day, especially in terms of working with difficult physical and mental states, understanding the differences between pain and suffering, and the synthesis of mind and body. Unlike conventional professional continuing education programs, this course requires the personal practice of meditation during and between classes.

Each module offers —

1) Personal practice of mindfulness meditation with one-on-one support from Michael Stone and distinguished guest faculty
2) Study of the psychological framework (Buddhism and Yoga) out of which mindfulness techniques are derived
3) Comparing and juxtaposing Eastern models with contemporary Western perspectives on clinical technique and concepts of health and well-being
4) Using mindfulness to improve the quality of the clinical relationship and the therapist’s presence
5) Design and application of mindfulness techniques for different populations
6) Using mindfulness as a vehicle for psychological awakening beyond symptom relief

Each module includes silent meditation, discussion, and didactic presentations.

Module Dates and Descriptions:

Friday and Saturday, once a month, 6 hours per day

Module 1: February 1 & 2

Michael Stone, M.A., is a psychotherapist in private practice who teaches Yoga and meditation in conference, academic, and monastic settings internationally. Michael teaches mindfulness-based courses for clinicians and is well known for his ability to integrate Eastern and Western approaches to the relationship between mind and body. He is a faculty member at Loyola Marymount University in California and visiting faculty member at many academic institutions. He has recently collaborated with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama on the integration of Yoga, Buddhism, and psychology, and leads the Centre of Gravity Sangha, a community of Yoga and Buddhist practitioners in Toronto.

Michael has academic degrees in philosophy, psychology, and psychoanalysis, and is a long-time student of Yoga in the tradition of Krishnamacharya. His principal teacher is Richard Freeman. Michael is the editor of Centre of Gravity Journal and author of the forthcoming book The Psychology of Yoga, as well as numerous articles on mindfulness and clinical work. Visit: www.mindbodypsychotherapy.com .

Alan Wallace, Ph.D., is a dynamic lecturer and progressive scholar, and is one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. His current work seeks innovative ways to integrate contemplative practices with contemporary neuroscience to advance the study of the mind and brain.

Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation throughout Europe and America since 1976. Having devoted 14 years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College, and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford.

With his unique background, Alan brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world.

He is the author of many books, including Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge, The Taboo of Subjectivity: Toward a New Science of Consciousness, Buddhism and Science: Breaking New Ground, and his latest, Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training. After leaving his university post in June 2001, he spent six months in a solitary contemplative retreat in the high desert of California. He now lives in Santa Barbara, where he is the president and founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies. He also teaches Buddhist philosophy and meditation throughout Europe and North America. His websites are www.alanwallace.org and www.sbinstitute.com .

Alan Wallace will present the recent scientific data that corresponds to the mindfulness theory and practice discussed by Michael.

David Loy, Ph.D., is a leading scholar in the burgeoning field of meditation and Western psychology. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone, did his undergraduate studies at Carlton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and for a year studied analytic philosophy at the University of London’s King College. He did post-graduate work in Asian philosophy at the University of Hawaii, where he received a masters degree. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Singapore and taught for many years in Singapore and Japan. He now holds a post at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

He is the author of Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy; Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism, and Buddhism; A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack; and The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory. He is also the editor of Healing Deconstruction: Postmodern Thought in Buddhism and Christianity and coauthor of The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy.

In addition to his academic work, David Loy is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage of Zen Buddhism for which he completed formal training under Zen Master Yamada Koun Roshi.

David will be teaching on the psychology of meditation and the Eastern and Western conceptions of self, anxiety, and the fear of death.

Norman Feldman is one of Canada’s foremost meditation teachers. He began practising meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition of Southeast Asia while travelling in India in 1971. Since then he has practised and studied with many teachers in the Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions, as well as meeting with a number of teachers in the Advaita-Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. He has spent long periods without a home, practising intensively in retreats in both Asia and the West. Since 1986, Norman has been leading Insight Meditation (Vipassana) retreats in Asia, Europe, and North America. He also leads study classes in the Buddhist texts, offers support to meditation groups and individuals, and accompanies small groups on pilgrimage to the sacred Buddhist sites of India and Nepal. Norman emphasizes the integration of meditation into daily life as a support for wisdom and compassion. Currently living in Guelph, Ontario, Norman teaches extensively throughout Canada, the United States, England, and Israel. Visit www.devas.org/9norman-molly.htm .