Get Your Mind Right with MBSR

Over the past few years as I’ve worked to improve my mental health, I’ve become more familiar with concepts around mindfulness and begun to incorporate some techniques into my life. I’ve been a daily meditator for over two years now and I do at least one breathing exercise every day. Although I didn’t know when I began them, my gratitude practices (which I wrote about in July) are also a mindful exercise. I’ve dabbled in incorporating other techniques into my life too, such as avoiding social media while I eat, restricting cell phone usage before noon, and doing a little bit of yoga here and there.

Although these efforts were certainly helping to support my healing and spiritual journey, as well as improving my ability to focus, there were still countless blockages that I could not seem to wrap my mind around or work my way through. Then, I learned about Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), found a free self-guided MBSR program, and took a deeper dive into mindful living that has greatly improved my life. I plan to write more in the future about some of the concepts from the program that impacted me the most, but in this post, I just want to make folks aware of MBSR and highlight some resources.

A Brief Introduction to Mindfulness

Before explaining MBSR, it’s helpful to be aware of what mindfulness means. The dictionary is a good place to start:

noun: mindfulness

1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

2. a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

Mindful.org refines this definition by putting forth: “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”

Some mindfulness practices, such as meditation or yoga, require dedicated time and attention to perform. But you can also insert mindful pauses into daily life or experience mindfulness during any activity by simply choosing to pay attention to the moment in terms of identifying where you are, what you’re doing, what thoughts you’re having, and what you feel in your body.

Benefits of Mindfulness

If you google “benefits of mindfulness,” you will find countless articles citing myriad ways that mindfulness benefits us. Many mindful practices originated from Eastern and Buddhist philosophies and there have been people recognizing its importance and value for more than 2,500 years. In contemporary times, we now have the science to document and verify that these practitioners were indeed onto something. Some of the most widely agreed upon benefits of mindfulness include:

• Improved psychological well-being, including reduced anxiety and depression
• Improved mood and increases in positive emotions
• Greater physical health, including lower blood pressure and better sleep
• Improved immune responses and strengthened healing capabilities
• Increased ability to manage pain
• Cognitive improvements, including better memory functioning
• A more relaxed state and calmer demeanor

The Scoop on MBSR

MBSR got its start when Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., founded the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. The clinic began its work with patients who were experiencing chronic pain or not having success in managing their ailments via traditional treatment plans. Kabat-Zinn developed an intensive and systematic program that introduced these patients to mindfulness practices, including up to 30 minutes per day of meditation.

As his research demonstrated positive impacts year after year, curiosity grew within the medical community. Fast forward to today and the interest from scientific communities does not appear to be dwindling whatsoever; according to a recent analysis of trends in systematic reviews on mindfulness, there has been an average increase of 19% per year in the number of reviews published from 2003 to 2015. Even the National Institutes of Health promotes the benefits of mindfulness and more than 80% of American medical schools include mindfulness training, research, and/or education in some fashion as part of their degree programs.

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Ways to Learn MBSR

In its early days, folks seeking MBSR treatment had to travel to the MBSR Clinic in Massachusetts, but fortunately, it’s become much easier to access thanks to its impeccable reputation, demonstrated results, and increased awareness. Certified instructors now present the program in many geographies throughout the US and several providers also present it remotely via online course materials along with virtual meetings and retreats. 

Below are a few providers and programs you may consider, listed from the most to least expensive:

University of Massachusetts: The original site of MBSR treatment offers an online program that includes weekly live sessions, one all-day class, guided instruction and recordings, and one-on-one check-ins with instructors. Each eight-week class is limited to 35 participants and the tuition is $650.

Mindful Leader: Their curriculum includes a 2.5-hour orientation, 8 weekly 2.5-hour sessions, and a daylong home retreat. They require attendance at all sessions to receive the certificate of completion. This eight-week course is priced on a sliding scale and offers payment plans; participants may pay anywhere from $399 to $723. They additionally offer 45-minute one-on-one coaching sessions for $149.

Imagine: This nonprofit’s instructors are all certified by the University of Massachusetts and Brown University. They offer individual mindfulness coaching alongside their eight-week programs. The live online classes include a formal practice, small group time to share practice experiences, and a discussion with the larger group. They also provide an MBSR handbook, home practice instructions, and guided meditations. The registration fee is $50 and they encourage additional donations for those who can afford it.

Palouse Mindfulness: This is the program I participated in and I highly recommend it! The curriculum is structured as an eight-week program, but the course is self-guided and they encourage folks to take their time and go at whatever pace works best for them, whether that’s eight months instead of weeks and even a year or more. There are formal and informal practices each week that complement a list of videos and readings. Though it’s not required to attend, they do offer weekly drop-in meetings at a variety of times and host a Facebook group where participants and graduates can chat with each other. This program is completely free, though donations are welcome.

“Whatever form of meditation you practice, the most important point is to apply mindfulness continuously and make a sustained effort. It is unrealistic to expect results from meditation within a short period of time. What is required is continuous sustained effort.”

Dalai Lama