Image via WikipediaWhat is Mindfulness-Based Wellness?This program is designed to bring the best of contemporary psychology to our campus, in order to enhance mind-body-spirit wellness in individuals, and in our community. The practices we use in this program are drawn from two traditions: mindfulness practice, and positive psychology.
Much like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR; see http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/index.aspx), we offer weekly sessions in a group format, within which we teach various forms of mindfulness practice. The MBSR program has been offered for nearly 30 years to people who are looking for help in all sorts of situations, and relief from many types of problems (chronic pain, chronic illness). It has been successfully adapted (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy; see http://cebmh.warne.ox.ac.uk/csr/mbct.html ) specifically for mental health treatment, as well.
We are interested in offering the benefits of MBSR-type practice to individuals who are functioning within the “normal” range: specifically, the students, faculty, and staff here at Avila University. We are influenced by the principles of Positive Psychology (see Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology), which is a branch of psychology that investigates strengths, values, and practices that help individuals to move past the baseline of “non-pathological” into enhanced functioning, or genuine wellness.
Our program will consist of a semester-long series of weekly sessions, within which we will teach mindfulness practice and assist our participants in identifying goals (and, in particular, wellness-related goals) that are congruent with their deeply held values. We will encourage the adoption of specific achievable behavioral changes that will tend to help the participant to reach his or her goals. We will also teach and encourage yoga, and journaling practice. Each participant will be assigned a trained mentor/coach, who will meet the participant in individual sessions for additional support and encouragement. We are re-furnishing a room that is designated entirely for the use of this program, as well. Daily mindfulness practice will be scheduled in this room, as well as class sessions, yoga practice, tai chi practice, and mentoring sessions.
We are supported by a generous grant from the Menorah Legacy Foundation (see: http://www.menorahlegacy.org/ ). We are investigating the impact of this program on a variety of wellness-related outcomes, including: blood pressure, overall quality of life, self-compassion, attentional capacity, and impulsivity.
Watch this site for reports on our progress! If you have questions, please contact me through Avila University, http://www.avila.edu/ ). UPDATE: my contact info has changed. Click on the "Complete Profile" on the sidebar.
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