Seeing more clearly: A mindful approach to stress

We have developed a four session mindfulness course, targeted at learning practical research-based skills to see your thoughts and feelings in a different way, so that they have less influence and stress over your life. It starts on March 5th 2012.

Here's a brief outline of what you'll learn:

Session 1 - Setting a direction:

a) getting clear on how you want to behave and what's important to you; an introduction to stepping out of the usual method you have of coping with difficult situations.

b) An introduction to learning to be present - what is mindfulness, learning how to pay attention, mindfulness of the breath and of your senses.

Session 2 - Mindfulness of thoughts - learning how to notice and defuse from the stories that your mind tells you.

Session 3 - Mindfulness of emotions - learning how to be with emotions without them controlling you or you having to push them away.

Session 4 - Troubleshooting mindfulness - how to work with problems you have encountered in this approach and tips for continuing to practice.

Each session is 90 minutes duration with a break in the middle. The sessions are designed to be teaching sessions so that you leave with practical skills to help make your life more engaging and meaningful. The sessions are not group therapy. You may be asked to comment on what you notice as you participate in the skills we teach, but there is no requirement to do this.

The sessions are designed to go together, each building on the previous week, so for this reason you will be asked to pay upfront for the four sessions at a total cost of $120 ($30 per session).   We are offering this substantially discounted rate, because we recognise that the skills that we teach here have been shown to dramatically improve people’s lives, if they choose to practice them and that one-on-one therapy is not for everyone.

For some people the skills will be revision and for others they may be entirely new. All are welcome.

The skills we'll focus on are drawn from a mixture of research-based therapies including Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). The course will be run by Dr Mary Grogan.

Time: 7 to 8.30pm
Seminar dates: Monday March 5th, Monday March 12th, Monday March 19th and Thurs March 29th
Venue: To be confirmed
Cost: $120 ($30 per session), payable by Eftpos on the first night

To help you decide if our four session mindfulness skills based approach is right for you, consider the following questions:

When you are under stress do you start engaging in behaviours that don’t fit with your ideal self? e.g., becoming more snappy with family/work colleagues, eating more junk food, drinking more alcohol, avoiding people and places, or engaging in other behaviours you later regret?  Maybe you start trying to control things more, making more to-do lists, over-thinking, demanding more perfection of yourself?

When you are under stress do you stop engaging in behaviours that fit with your ideal self? e.g., going out with friends/family, exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep?  Maybe you know exactly what is needed, but can’t get yourself to do it?

If so, you're not alone! These are common reactions to stress. Our mindful approach to stress 4 session course is for you, if you identify with these behaviours and coping strategies and would like to learn a different way of relating to your experiences.

To enrol, email us!
Please note questions about the course cannot be answered before 20th February. Apologies for the inconvenience.