Queer-affirmed mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Queer-Affirmed Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L) via Zoom.
8-week course dates: Tuesday 31st August to Tuesday 19th October 2021
6pm-8pm (UK time). Two hours per session.
This course is based on the traditional mindfulness for life course, however, adaptations have been made to suit those from the LGBTQ+ community. As a mindfulness teacher, it is important you know that I identify as Queer, a cis-gendered gay man and my pronouns are he/his/him. In the true spirit of mindfulness, we welcome LGBTQ+ allies too.
Find out more and book your place at Eventbrite.
About the course
MBCT-L isn’t group therapy, rather a skills-based course, supporting the growth of mindfulness. It allows us to notice when we are on automatic pilot, which can take away our potential to life fully. Firstly, the program allows us to step out of automatic pilot and focus attention mindfully to the present moment, that way we start to see things we might normally overlook. This can help us notice if we are caught up in a world of thinking and feeling.
It is with mindfulness of the body and breathing that we can recognise our thoughts, impulses, emotions and sensations and gather the scattered mind and return back to the present moment. We can then understand that when our attention is caught up in the past or the future, we can get caught in unhelpful patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.
Mindfulness helps us recognise these automatic reactions, understand them as normal human experiences, and bring kindness and compassion to them. As we cultivate an attitude of interest, friendliness and curiosity toward all of our experiences, whether pleasant or unpleasant, we can learn skills for keeping our balance through life’s ups and downs, responding skilfully when difficulties arise, engaging with what is most important to us, and opening up to moments of joy, contentment, and gratitude. We learn to flourish.
Pre-session check-in:
It is advised that you book a free ‘check-in’ session (lasting up to 20 minutes) to ensure this course is fit for your purpose. Either, ring, text or email to book.
What happens during sessions?
If you chose to take up a place, it will run for eight weeks from Tuesday 31st August to Tuesday 19th October 2021. A Zoom link will be sent upon purchase of your ticket. Sessions will then follow a consistent pattern during the eight weeks.
We will check-in and get settled, then commence with a guided meditation practice, then a reflection on the experiences of this practice. Moving to discussions of the experiences of the home practices during the week. Each session has a theme that is woven into the discussions. We often do another short practice or a cognitive (thinking) exercise and reflect on what can be learned from that.
Near the end of each session, I will explain the home practices for the following week. It’s best to arrive a bit early for each session. This helps to ensure a prompt start.
What does home practice involve?
As a teacher, I will provide online links to recordings for the main practices and ask you to practice for up to 40 minutes each day. You may need to reorganise aspects of your life to fit this in. It could be helpful to talk with family or friends about what is involved. If you find this difficult, experiment with practising at different times of the day, and remember to keep an open mind as best you can. You may notice that your experience changes from day to day or week to week.
Who is the teacher?
My name is Rob, I am a mindfulness teacher listed on the British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches (BAMBA). This means I meet the UK Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness-Based Teachers i.e. I am suitably trained, committed to continuous professional development, hold appropriate insurance and are receiving supervision for my teaching. I was taught this course from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. I am also qualified in two other versions of mindfulness.
What are the challenges?
At first, practising meditation may feel strange or unfamiliar. As best, you can keep an open mind. It is not obvious at the outset which practices will be most helpful and you may not see benefits immediately. Gentle persistence is best, remembering we all respond differently.
The amount of practice can feel daunting. However, consistent practise may increase the likelihood of benefitting from the course. Some people feel apprehensive about being in a group. However, learning from others and seeing that you are not alone can be really beneficial.
You may face emotional issues that you would prefer to avoid. Difficulties that arise can be informative and the course will teach you skilful ways of responding to them. You may find yourself wanting to give up at times. This is common. Please speak to me about any issues that are making things difficult for you.
Practicalities
Please try to attend every session, as they build on each other. Let me know if you have to miss a session. I will try and help you catch up with what you’ve missed. If you miss a session, it may feel difficult to come back. But please come anyway!
Wear comfortable clothes and dress in layers. Sessions may include sitting meditation, lying on the floor (if you choose), simple stretches, and gentle walking.
You will need yoga mats and meditation cushions (if you wish to buy one). You will be attending an online course via Zoom, therefore, where possible please use a private space where you will not be disturbed so that you and the group can achieve the highest levels of participation and confidentiality. Where you are not in a private space, to support confidentiality, we ask that you use a headset or earphones rather than the speakers on your device and as much as possible have your screen facing away from the others in the room.
Please note before purchasing tickets
This is not a simple course. The term 'easy' means I offer mindfulness in a relaxed, laid-back approach. Sometimes, mindfulness practices can bring up things we weren’t expecting, therefore, please read the following:
Is this the right course right for you? Is it the right time to join?
The Mindfulness courses offered are aimed towards the general public and are not helpful or suitable for everyone. When you apply for the course, you will be asked a series of questions in the application form that will help me to understand if the course is likely to be safe and beneficial for you. Sometimes, I could advise that you consider either waiting a while to take the course, or that you explore other options, including more specialist mindfulness-based programmes designed for people experiencing specific difficulties, or support from a GP or mental health professional.
Below I have listed some of the issues that I have found can reduce and prevent some people from benefitting from my public Mindfulness courses. I know everyone’s situation is slightly different and I encourage you to speak to me if, after reading the information below, you have any remaining concerns or questions about the suitability of the course for you.
Suicidal thoughts, self-harm or mania?
The courses offered are not suitable for you if you have experienced a manic or hypomanic episode in the past six months, if you are currently self-harming or if you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts.
It isn’t that mindfulness will not be helpful for people with these conditions – in fact, we know it might very well be, but it would need to be delivered in a more specialist group.
If you are feeling suicidal, I would strongly recommend you speak to your GP or another mental health professional. We are unable to give specific advice or support to those with individual mental health problems. If you do need to speak to someone urgently, the Samaritans offer emotional support 24 hours a day on 116 123.
Alcohol and drug use?
Practising mindfulness through attendance at a Mindfulness Course involves completion of up to an hour of daily home meditation practice and other activities and it is essential that this practice takes place when your consciousness is not impaired.
If you are drinking a lot of alcohol or using other drugs, please consider carefully whether you will be able to find time each day to complete your practice when you are not under the influence of alcohol, drugs or their after-effects. If this is likely to be difficult for you, then the Mindfulness course will not be suitable for you at this time.
If any of the situations described below apply to you, please contact me before applying at robertwilliamhawkes@outlook.com.
Depression
If you are currently depressed, to such an extent that it is difficult for you to manage your everyday life, it is probably not the right time for you to do the course. We know from experience that people coming on the course need to be reasonably well. The course involves some daily home practice and finding the motivation and energy to do this whilst feeling very depressed will probably be too challenging.
Recent bereavement
If you are recently bereaved, it is helpful to have come to terms with some of the grief before starting an eight-week course. It can be difficult to recognise and work with pre-existing and longstanding habits of the mind when the bereavement is still very preoccupying.
The one-year period is an emotional time (and people will differ a great deal in when they feel ready to begin a course) but our experience suggests it is often helpful to have gone through all the ‘significant’ dates of the person who has died before moving on to start something like a Mindfulness course.
Other ongoing psychological treatment
Mindfulness is not a ‘therapy’ as such. However, it is often confusing or impractical to engage in two ‘psychological treatments’ at the same time. Mindfulness involves a big time commitment and adding it on top of another ongoing therapy may be difficult.
Stressful life events
Taking a Mindfulness course, strange though it may sound, can at times be quite stressful. There is a big time commitment since, in addition to the weekly sessions and whole Saturday session, you will be encouraged to do daily practices at home which take about an hour each day in total. If there’s too much going on in your life right now (change of job, job loss, loss of home, moving, relationship breakdown, too many work commitments etc.) adding Mindfulness to the mix may not help.
Insulin-dependent diabetes
During periods of meditation, the body may become relaxed and for some people, over time, meditation reduces stress. This may in turn have an effect on blood glucose and insulin requirements and may potentially result in a need for adjustments to the pattern of insulin administration and dosage. Please let your GP or other healthcare professional know that you are doing the course and discuss this possibility with them.