Mindfulness meditation with Susanna Scamell«

Some of us become unwell through the effects of stress and others are suffering from stress as a result of a condition or illness. Stress has far reaching mental and physiological effects, and easily can undermine the quality of day to day life. Stress and depression are very closely related.

Often we spend time pushing away things we don’t want and trying to get hold of what we want : this can take a lot of energy, and can be the cause of some of the distress we are stuffering from. In the meantime we may be too distracted to notice the joyful moments of our lives.

Mindfulness meditation is paying attention to our experience moment to moment, in a kindly, open hearted way.

Becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations may not sound like an obviously helpful thing to do, however it has surprising results: many people report finding new strength to help make wise decisions about their health and life.
Mindfulness is also known as ‘insight and recently it has been extensively researched* and has been proven to be of benefit in improving the quality of life for many different groups of people.

This course is based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. Since its inception in the 1970’s it has been run across Europe and America. It has benefitted people with depression, cancer, cronic fatigue, anxiety, ME, MS, eating disorders, stress, addiction and specific groups such as pregnant women, victims of violence and prisoners. It is now prescribed by the NHS to prevent relapse after depression.

You will be part of a group of between 10 and 16 people. We will meet for 2 ¼ hours each week to learn various mindfulness techniques and skills to help you manage the effects of stress which may have been undermining your quality of life.
You will be supplied with CDs to lead your home practice.

By the end of the course you will have :

• established a daily meditation practice
• discovered that having a busy mind and a million thoughts does not mean you can’t meditate!
• have learnt tools to use in everyday life to be with the precious moments life offers
• have learnt tools to allow the difficulties and unpleasant events life brings not to take over and determine negative experiences
• have leant about the way stress impacts on the body and how this can be worked with.

This list is not exhaustive; as individuals we will all have our own experience of stress and our own experience of over coming its effects: this course embraces the notion of our own uniqueness.
It may be helpful to think of this course as eight weeks of daily meditation practice with a weekly support session. The benefits of mindfulness will only be experienced if you fully commit to the home practices of 45 minutes a day. Please think carefully about whether this is possible for you at the moment.
If you feel that this course might be benefit you, please contact me. A telephone consultation is conducted to help you ascertain if this course will meet your specific situation and needs.

Susanna Scamell 01263 740392 susannascamell@btinternet.com www.yoga-meditation-relaxation.co.uk/mindfulness

Susanna has been meditating for 25 years, and qualified as a meditation teacher in 2001. She is currently studying for her Masters in Mindfulness with the University of Bangor. She teaches mindfulness at UEA. She is also a yoga teacher.

Dates: Thursdays starting 27th January Day of practice March 12th 10am – 3pm Time 7.00 – 9.15pm

Venue: Kelling Studio, Holt, NR25 7EW

Cost: £180 Low income/student/unemployed/repeat: £98

Recent published research on mindfulness; it may yield information for you on papers relevant to your particular area of interest.

http://www.mindfulexperience.org/

The Mental Health Foundation published a report entitled “The Mindfulness Report” in January 2010. It outlines the supporting evidence for the use of mindfulness in the NHS.

To read about mindfulness:

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/welcome/

OR:

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/media/news-releases/news-releases-2009/4-january-2010/?locale=en

To order the report (£15):

http://www.bemindful.co.uk/about_mindfulness/mindfulness_evidence#

Here are some recommended papers;

Baer, R.A. (2003). Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review.

http://psy7501.alliant.wikispaces.net/file/view/Baer2003.pdf

Grady, M.L. & N. (1995). Investigation. Listening as Deeply as We Possibly Can. http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1996b/narayan.htm

Goleman, D. (2003) Finding Happiness: Cajole Your Brain to Lean to the Left  http://www.bemindful.org/golemanart.htm

Hayes A.M. et al (2004). Clarifying the Construct of Mindfulness in the Context of Emotion Regulation and the process of Change in Therapy.

http://jimhopper.com/pdfs/HayesFeldman2004.pdf

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003) Mindfulness-based Interventions in context: Past, Present and Future.

http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~pgoldin/Buddhism/MBSR2003_Kabat-Zinn.pdf

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An Outpatient Program in Behavioural Medicine for Chronic Pain Patients Based on the Practice of Mindfulness Meditation.

http://brainimaging.waisman.wisc.edu/~perlman/0903-EmoPaper/kabatzinn-mbsr-1982.pdf

Kenny, M.A., Williams, J.M.G. (2006). Treatment-resistant depressed patients show a good response to Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808477/

Lazar, S.W. et al (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002/

Lutz, A., Slagter, H.A., Dunne, J.D., Davidson, R.J. (2008). Attention Regulation and Monitoring In Meditation. Trends In Cognitive Sciences. Vol 12.No 4.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18329323

Santorelli,.S.F. (1996). Mindfulness and Mastery in the Workplace.

http://www.nhchc.org/Curriculum/module2/module2B/
RP1MindfulnessandMasteryintheWorkplace.pdf

Shapiro, S.L., Carlson L.E., Astin J.A., Freedman B. (2006). Mechanisms of Mindfulness.

http://www.rickhanson.net/wp-content/files/papers/MechanismsofMindfulnessLR.pdf

Shapiro, S.L., et al (1998). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Medical and Premedical Students.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/rv62q98671062146/

Shapiro, S.L., et al (2005). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals:Results From a Randomized Trial.

http://www.eusoulyoga.com.br/gerente/_UPD/Arquivos/Mindfulness-Based%20Stress%20Reduction%20for%20Health.pdf

Speeth, K.R. (1982). On Psychotherapeutic Attention.

http://www.noeticus.org/uploads/1-Speeth-On_Psychotherapeutic_Attention.pdf

Teasdale, J.D., (1999). Metacognition, Mindfulness and the Modification of Mood Disorders. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. 6, 146-155

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/61007512/abstract

Teasdale, J.D., (2003). Mindfulness Training and Problem Formulation.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118891547/abstract

Teasdale, J.D. et al. (2000). Prevention of Relapse/Recurrence in Major Depression by Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~pgoldin/Buddhism/MBCTrelapsedepressionTeasdale2000JCCP.pdf

Williams, J.M.G. (2008). Mindfulness, Depression and Modes of Mind. Cogn Ther Res. http://www.springerlink.com/content/
qv6773846005/?p=9372cb70db2e4cf2aa004c95a54d5855&pi=0

Additional Articles recommended by The University of Bangor. These may be available on line.

Baer R.A., 2003, ‘Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review,’ Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 125-143.

Grossman P., Niemann M.A., Schmidt S., Walach H., 2003, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Health Benefits: A Meta-Analysis, (In Press), Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Kabat-Zinn J., 1996, Mindfulness Meditation:What it is, What it isn’t, And It’s Role in Health Care and Medicine, in Haruli, Y., Ishii, Y., and Suzuki, M. , Comparitive and Psychological Study on Meditation, Eburon, Netherlands,  p. 161-169.

Kabat-Zinn J., 2003, ’Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context:Past, Present and Future’, Clinical Psychology Science and Practice, 10. 144-156.

Ma S.H., Teasdale J.D., 2002, ‘Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depression: replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects’, J Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Mason O.J., Hargreaves I.  2001. ‘A qualitative study of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depression’, British J Medical Psychology, 74, 197-212.

Teasdale J., 1999, ‘Emotional Processing, three modes of mind and the prevention of relapse in depression’, Behavior Research and Therapy, 37 s53-s77.

Teasdale J., 1999, ‘Metacognition, mindfulness and the modification of mood disorders’, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 6, 146-155.

Teasdale J.D., Segal Z.V., Williams J.M.G, 2003, ‘Mindfulness Training and Problem Formulation’, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 157-160.

Teasdale J.D., Segal Z.V., Williams J.M.G. et al., 2000, ‘Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy’, J Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(4): 615-23.

Teasdale J.D., Segal Z.V., Williams J.M.G., 1995, ‘How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help?’ Behavioral Research and Therapy, 33, 25-39.

Williams J.M.G., Teasdale J.D, Segal Z.V., Soulsby J., 2000,‘Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Reduces Overgeneral Autobiographical Memory in Formerly Depressed Patients’, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(1), 150-155.

For further information please visit: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness/index.php.en?menu=0&catid=0

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight week course developed by Kabat-Zinn in the 1980’s for participants with a wide range of physical and psychological issues. In the 1990’s the course was adopted, modified and renamed Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) by Williams, Teasdale and Segal specifically to prevent relapse for patients who had suffered two or more episodes of depression. The eight week course is also offered and tailored to other groups such as victims of domestic violence, cancer patients, pregnant women, prisoners, and those with eating disorders. These various courses will be referred to as Mindfulness Based Approaches (MBAs).

MBAs employ a variety of informal and formal practices to generate opportunities to experience the interaction of thoughts, feelings and body sensations; and become aware of the ability of any or all of these three to influence mood and consequent experience in the wider arena of everyday life.

Crane, R. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. East Sussex: Routledge.

Germer, C, K. (2009). The mindful path to self-compassion. New York: Guilford.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2004). Full Catastrophe Living. London: Piatkus. Santorelli, S. (1999). Heal Thy Self. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Segal, Z,V., Williams, J.K.G., Teasdale, J.D. (2002). New York: Guilford.

Kornfield, J. (2002). A Path With Heart. Rider Books.

Williams, M., Teasdale, J., Segal,Z., Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007). The Mindful Way through Depression. New York: Guilford.

You have a real gift as a teacher and ability to enrich lives with what you teach. BP

I've found the course to be amazingly useful in very many different ways.

Prior to attending I wasn't 100% sure what the course entailed but I'm now constantly aware of the benefits it's brought about.  The one thing I found most useful was the group discussions; the sharing of thoughts relating to the meditation, possibly more than the practise itself.  It was sharing of a group forum with a heightened sense of listening, sharing and patience.

It's relatively easy ( I find ) to manage one's own personal meditation but much harder to find / create a group with the characteristics of the one you brought us all into.  I found this more 'special' because of it's rarity. JF.

Susanna is a very caring person and this comes across in her presentation. She is very inspiring as she directs you carefully through the practices. PF.

It has enriched my life immeasurably because I have regained contact with my SELF. I now feel less afraid of everything because meditating has given me the certain knowledge that ‘the centre will hold’. That if everything else were to be taken away from me, the inner me is indestructible. RH.

I wish the course could continue; I will miss it. Chloe

What a wonderful course, made especially so by Susanna – Thank You. BP.

The course has helped me:

...to accept myself as I am. To let it be. Paul

...to learn to have self compassion and be able to calm the nervous system. Anonymous.

...learning that I am not alone with life’s difficulties! Jill

...to be more aware, present. Bella