Mindfulness groups

Many instances are offering Mindfulness groups these days. The need for stress reduction has become an unfortunate condition in daily life. At times it seems like the need for stress maintenance is akin to the need for sleep, exercise, etc.

One way to do stress maintenance is through mindfulness exercises. MBSR- Mindfulbased Stress Reduction Training is one form of stress reduction and maintenance utilizing mindfulness techniques. MBSR- Mindfulbased stress reduction schooling was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn) of the Massachusetts stress clinic, where it has been used with remarkable results since the 1980’s. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Daniel Siegal, Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Rebecca Crane for instance have written extenisively on the subject for sometime and there is a world of books on Mindfulness available. I suggest heading to the library or online if you are interested.

I completed Kabat-Zinn’s 8 week MBSR program under psychotherapist Clara Wikström with the Finnish Psychophysical Psychotherapy Association at which I am a member. There are many places to study MBSR and they should all be based on the same program. The exercises I did during this program and in my other courses and practices have helped me get more out of life. After this program I have been holding courses myself and the participants have had the same type of experiences I have had, such as:

- “It feels like I have gained more time”

- “I feel more in control of what I am doing”

- “I get more out of what I do and enjoy myself more”

- “My stress levels are down and I sleep better”

The courses I hold are based on MBSR as mentioned above as well as MBCT principles and other theories and techniques I have studied, such as:

- Psychodynamic Body Psychotherapy Downing -Method course at the Finnish Psychophysical Psychotherapy Association in Turku, Finland

- ACT - Acceptance and commitment therapy developed by Steven C. Hayes and others, originally called "comprehensive distancing", which uses strategies of mindfulness, acceptance, and behavior change. (In Finnish this is HOT – Hyväksyntä-Omistautumisterapia training).

The goal of the group is to increase your capacity for concentration and for being present in the moment, through which your work performance and experience of work enjoyment will be enhanced. Working in a group gives a powerful setting to investigate and modify our own behavior, patterns of thought and even experience bases. The group methods used include experiential exercises and “homework exercises” relating to stress reduction, relaxation and presence or mindfulness. The course includes exercises based on recent research results produced by brain researcher Daniel Siegel at Harvard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Siegel). During the group sessions there will also be expansive learning lectures on sleep, cognitive ergonomics, stress reduction and topics that arise in the group.

If you are interested in Mindfulness groups a good google search is Mindfulness+your area. If you live in the Helsinki, Finland area and you are interested in my groups, I offer them through CommonLove.fi and you can contact me at miia.rautiainen@commonlove.fi

If you are an occupational health customer at Lääkärikeskus, you can sign up through your OH nurse or doctor (see the ad at http://www.laakarikeskus.com/sites/default/files/lk_mitakuuluu_5_160911_lr.pdf)Elsewhere in Finland (including the Helsinki area) MBSR training is also available through:

Suomen psykofyysisen psykoterapian yhdistys ry. http://www.psykofyysinenpsykoterapia.fi/ Clara Wickström, c/o Hol-Tera, Jarrumiehenkatu 7, 20100 Turku p. 0400-803 038 , clara.wickstrom(a)kolumbus.fi

Suositeltavaa lukemista:

Joustava Mieli by Arto Pietikäinen. katso lisää: Psykologi-lehti tai http://joustavamieli.blogspot.com/