Mindfulness for stress (eight-week course)
Our mindfulness for stress programme consists of eight two-hour group sessions, where there will be guided mindfulness practice and theoretical teachings. Each week participants are taught a number of different mindfulness meditation practices that can be incorporated into daily life to reduce stress and aid general well-being.
Between sessions you will practice at home by using the CDs that will be given at week one, we estimate that the home practice will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes per day. The home practice forms an important part of the programme and there will be an opportunity in each session to talk about your experiences of these practices.
Benefits of mindfulness
Thousands of peer-reviewed scientific papers prove that mindfulness reduces pain, enhances mental and physical well-being and helps people deal with the stresses and strains of daily life. Here are a few of the main findings:
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Mindfulness can dramatically reduce pain and the emotional reaction to it.
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Clinical trials show that mindfulness improves mood and quality of life in chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and lower-back pain, in chronic functional disorders such as IBS, and in challenging medical illnesses, including multiple sclerosis and cancer.
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Mindfulness improves working memory, creativity, attention span and reaction speeds. It also enhances mental and physical stamina and resilience.
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Meditation improves emotional intelligence.
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Mindfulness is a potent antidote to anxiety, stress, depression, exhaustion and irritability. In short, regular meditators are happier and more contented, while being far less likely to suffer from psychological distress.
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Mindfulness is at least as good as drugs or counselling for the treatment of clinical-level depression.
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Meditation enhances brain function. It increases grey matter in areas associated with self-awareness, empathy, self-control and attention. It soothes the parts of the brain that produce stress hormones and builds those areas that lift mood and promote learning. It even reduces some of the thinning of certain areas of the brain that naturally occurs with ageing.
Cost
The cost of attending the eight week programme is £250 and this includes a workbook and three audio CDs.
Further information
http://www.lewispsy.org.uk/services/mindfulness_for_stress_wolverhampton/