Jon kabat zinn website

About Us - Mindfulness Meditation

Guided

Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulnesscds.com was one of the earliest web commerce sites. It has been in continual operation since 1998. Before the mainstream development of the worldwide web, we were a mail-order business, begun in 1990. The official name of the business, including this website, is Stress Reduction Tapes. The business exists to make Dr. Kabat-Zinn's guided mindfulness meditation practices broadly available for those who have read his books, taken an MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) program or other mindfulness-based program (such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindfulness-based relapse prevention, mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting, etc), or who are drawn to developing and/or deepening their own mindfulness meditation practice.

Originally, the only way that people could obtain the Series 1 meditations was from information on the back page of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's first book, Full Catastrophe Living, which describes the curriculum of the MBSR program. At that time, and for many years, these guided meditations were only available in the form of audio-casette tapes. Now all three Series are available on multiple platforms: CDs, MP3 digital downloads, and iPhone and Android apps (for the apps, go to mindfulnessapps.com). They are no longer available as audio-cassette tapes ---- that technology has gone the way of the horse and buggy, revolutionary as it was in its day. But the content and Dr. Kabat-Zinn's guidance on the CDs and on the other platforms is identical to that which was originally on the audio-cassette tapes. For this reason, the listener to Series 1 will hear Jon refer from time to time to "side one" or "side two" of a tape, since these are the original audio files of Series 1, the guided meditations which gave birth to MBSR. They give the listener a sense of the history of the mainstreaming of mindfulness into society, since at the time, in the late 1970's and early 1980s, audio guidance of meditations was itself a novel development. Over the past three-plus decades, mindfulness has become extremely popular in mainstream culture around the world. Even so, many people are unaware of the potential of mindfulness as a way of being and a way of living for catalyzing healing and transformation in one's life, especially if practiced regularly, preferably on a daily basis, both formally, using these guided meditations, and informally, in everyday life. That is what these three sets of guided meditations, in concert with Jon's books, can help you discover and develop within yourself.

In 1994, the Series 2 set was developed to go with Dr. Kabat-Zinn's book, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, and the Series 3 set with his 2005 book, Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness. Of course, any of the series can be used as the gateway into the systematic cultivation of mindfulness in your life, including mixing guided meditations from the different series, as you are so inclined. We see these practices as different doors into the same room. The most important thing is to enter the room, if you care to --- and not to stand in the doorway and admire it or be caught in ambivalence and not making the time and commitment to practice on a regular basis, whether you like it or not, whether you feel like it or not, as if your life depended on it. You can get a much better sense of the potential power of these formal mindfulness practices ---- particularly if you commit yourself to practicing them on a daily basis ---- if you use them in conjunction with the books listed in the Books by the Author section.

MBSR Training by Jon Kabat-Zinn

The original, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness Training Program

"Mindfulness Training at your speed."

Welcome to the Official MBSR training program. Developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

View Course or Sign up

What Is M.

B.S.R. Training?

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (M.B.S.R.) online, is a 9-Lesson evidence-based program offering secular, intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression, and pain.

You learn and train at your own speed.

Mindfulness training is a practical approach that trains attention, allowing people to cultivate awareness and to have more choices. MBSR training uses a combination of mindfulness meditation, body awareness, yoga, and exploration of patterns of behavior, thinking, feeling, and action. Mindfulness can be understood as the non-judgemental acceptance and “open-hearted” investigation of present moment experiences. MBSR training includes awareness of body sensations, internal mental states, thoughts, emotions, impulses, and memories. This reduces stress and anxiety and increases well-being. (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) Source-Wikipedia Jon Kabat-Zinn, talks & training

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Studied Benefits Of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training

Cognitive benefits
Emotional benefits
Physiological benefits
Increased self-awareness
Increase in positive thoughts
Increased ability to concentrate

Increased capacity for empathy
Increased capacity for compassion

Lower blood pressure and pulse rate
Increased ability to regulate emotions
Increase in ability to be non-judgmental
Increased brain activation in regions associated with positive thoughts and mood

Illness
Fatigue
Headaches
Depression
GI distress
Chronic pain

Anxiety and panic
Sleep disturbances
High blood pressure
Compassion Fatigue
Stress — job, family or financial

Heidi & Ross

Course Support:

Email: themindfulcoach@gmail. com

How Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training Works (Online)

MBSR Training Features

Start at any time
Self-paced Learning
Jon Kabat-Zinn downloads
There are 9, 2 1/2 hour lessons
Each lesson:
- contains 12 lesson topics
- (108) audio, video & text topics
- has questions for personal reflection
- requires daily formal and informal practices
A ‘Certificate of Completion’ with successful course participation.
The curriculum is by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The M.B.S.R. course is self-paced and done at your convenience anywhere.

Certificate of Completion

Questions?

Email, [email protected]

Testimonials

Hi Ross

I really enjoyed the 8-week MBSR training and look forward to continuing to grow in my practice of mindfulness. My hope is to become an MBSR teacher trainer within the next couple of years and I know the record of taking an MBSR training is one of the requirements on the road to becoming a teacher so I would like to have some sort of verification that I have completed the course.
Thank you for providing this online training. It has been a gift to me during the past 2 months during the pandemic and I am grateful for having an online option for the training.
Thanks and take care.

Mary Alice Grady

A Turning Point

As I finish this mindfulness class, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for mindfulness of meditation, breathing, walking, eating, talking, listening, grounding, safety, teachers, audios, readings, poems, journaling, yoga, the whole program including you Ross, and myself. This is a powerful turning point in my life.
Thank you

Hello Ross,

I hope you are having a beautiful week!
I completed the 8-week MBSR training last week.
Thank you dearly for facilitating it. It has changed my life for the better, in many ways and I greatly look forward to continuing to incorporate the practice. Sincere thanks and gratitude, Lisa

A Doorway

This has been a course in which I have come back home to who I really am in my essence. This course is really a doorway for others to love being in their own company with no judgment and unconditional self-love.
Thank you, Ross

What Is Mindfulness?

Broadly defined, mindfulness is learning how to use our natural mental faculties of attention & intention. We first bring a non-judgmental attention, to our daily life experiences. Then we choose a wise intention, to match any of our life experiences. This deeper understanding of our life, results in more health & happiness. As we practice mindfulness we have less stress & more calmness, clarity and choices. Jon Kabat-Zinn, talks & training

What Is Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training?

Mindfulness training is a way of learning to consciously and systematically work with stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life by not turning away from them but learning how to be resilient with and through them.

Mindfulness is already within the human experience. A deep internal resource of attention, intention and attitude that is available to us. Mindfulness is patiently waiting to be used in the service of learning, growing and healing.

Original Jon Kabat-Zinn MBSR program.

“Mindfulness is moment to moment, non-judgmental awareness.” -Jon Kabat Zinn , Ph.D. (1990)

HISTORY Of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction:

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was founded by John Kabat Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. MBSR has now spread to multiple populations including health professionals and medical and nursing students, as well as in numerous settings including work places and educational institutions.

BENEFITS Of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction:

Three decades of published research indicates that the majority of people who complete MBSR courses report:

Improved self-esteem
An increased ability to relax
Greater energy and enthusiasm for life
Reductions in pain levels and an enhanced ability to cope with pain
An ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations.

Mindfulness Is Not:

Mindfulness is not something that one gets or acquires. It is already within the human experience. A deep internal resource of attention, intention and attitude. That is available to us and is patiently waiting to be observed and used in the service of learning, growing, and healing.

The 4 Basic MBSR Practices Are:

The Body Scan- mindful attention while lying down
Mindful Walking- mindful attention in daily life and activities
Mindful Sitting Meditation- mindful attention while sitting still
Mindful Stretching- mindful attention while stretching or doing yoga

The Lessons Are Highly Participatory And Includes:

Reflections
Poetry and Articles
Gentle stretching and mindful yoga
Audio’s with 22 practices and practice forms
Daily home assignments- at least 45 minutes a day
Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practice
Inquiry exercises to enhance personal awareness in everyday life
Instruction on stress response and stress hardiness models and research

* Optional, The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl, can be ordered from Amazon. com ($15 USD)

Get M.B.S.R. Training

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MBSR?

MBSR stands for mindfulness-based stress reduction. Developed by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn, MBSR is a program that offers mindfulness training to help people deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. Similar to many techniques that aim to help individuals reduce stress and help the mind and body relax, MBSR uses a combination of mindful meditation, yoga, and body awareness strategies to help you become present in the moment and focus on the sensations and feelings that you have.

MBSR was originally created to mainly help individuals with stress and anxiety. It helps you become attuned to your present emotions and sensations throughout the body so you can focus on relieving the symptoms and triggers that cause your stress and anxiety. Nowadays, many people use MBSR to treat a variety of illnesses and symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, immune disorders, and more.

MBSR sessions typically last eight weeks and are very beneficial for patients or individuals that don’t respond well to more traditional and common treatments for their illnesses or conditions. When you practice mindfulness-based stress reduction, you train your mind and body to become self-aware. This allows you to become more focused throughout your day and make decisions that are reasoned out.

Individuals that are trained to teach MBSR typically encourage you to incorporate general mindfulness throughout your daily routine to make each day more purposeful. You can learn how to identify stressful and anxious situations in your life, as well as how to respond to these situations in a healthy way.

How to practice meditation to reduce stress

Various levels of stress affect many people every day. Some individuals experience higher levels of stress and have symptoms that prohibit them from completing many activities in their daily lives. Other people might experience lower levels of stress or only during specific moments in their lives. While stress is normal, it can be challenging if you feel constantly overwhelmed or don’t have the right tools to deal with your stress.

Meditation is a great way to help you reduce stress levels, so you can become calmer and respond to the symptoms in a healthier way. Here are some ways you can practice meditation to reduce your stress levels:

Get into a comfortable position

An important part of an effective meditation session is choosing the right environment. Noise, bright lights, and other distractions may prevent your body and mind from relaxing fully. Before you meditate, pick a place that makes you feel comfortable and at ease. This could be a dark corner of your room, on your bed, your living room, or even in your backyard. Wherever you choose to meditate, ensure you can fully concentrate on the thoughts and sensations of your mind and body.

A comfortable position also means that your posture is correct. This makes it easier for you to sit still for longer periods of time. If you feel uncomfortable, you can fidget and move around, which makes it harder for you to concentrate on the meditation. Eventually, your body should get used to the specific posture you use, which will help you slowly lengthen your meditation sessions.

Close your eyes

Closing your eyes helps you eliminate visual distractions when you meditate, which helps the body and mind naturally relax as you focus on your breathing. Once you’re in a comfortable position, slowly close your eyes gently. Ensure you relax the muscles around your face. The goal is to allow your eyes to guide the rest of your body into relaxation as you slowly eliminate the other distractions from your surroundings.

Relax your muscles

When you’re stressed, your body naturally tenses up, which makes it hard for you to become comfortable and relaxed. Focus on each part of your body, starting from your head all the way to your toes. Start to relax each part of your body by releasing the built-up tension. Focus on your breathing as you work your way through the body. This helps you relax and loosen the muscles.

Deep breathing

Deep breathing helps your mind and body stay focused in the present instead of wandering about thoughts or the future. Take deep breaths and hold at the top of each breath to really emphasize each breath you take. As you start to focus on your breathing, you’ll notice that your mind starts to clear and your body naturally relaxes.

Be consistent

Meditation can seem like a challenge or chore at the beginning because it can be hard for the mind to relax fully, even for a short period. With practice and consistency, you’ll be able to train your body to meditate for longer periods of time. This will help you with stress reduction and allow you to carry on with your routine with a healthier mindset.

Who should enroll in the training?

Stress reduction not only helps the body but also the mental and emotional state of individuals. Many physical, mental, and emotional symptoms we experience are tied to the level of stress we feel. Stress manifests in different ways and certain environments can trigger stress-induced symptoms that are more severe.

Although MBSR was mostly used to treat individuals with chronic illnesses, anyone can benefit from it nowadays. MBSR is great for stress reduction, dealing with anxiety, treating diabetes, and managing psychosocial issues. Anyone with lower blood pressure, trouble with sleep, heart disease, pain, and gastrointestinal issues can also benefit from practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction.

How much time is required to complete the course?

An MBSR session is eight weeks long. During the program, each session is typically around two and a half hours long. The first session might take longer than an average session as you’re learning about what MBSR is, its benefits, and how to practice it correctly.

The last session might also be a bit longer than the two and a half hours as you reflect on what you learned and how MBSR has helped you throughout the eight weeks. You might also reflect on some ways you can incorporate the practices and strategies you learned during the eight-week program into your routine. This helps you incorporate mindfulness into your daily life.

What are participants required to complete?

There are a few components to the MBSR program:

Meditation

Meditation is a common technique that individuals use to reduce stress and increase self-awareness. It helps increase your patience and tolerance by focusing on your breathing for extended periods of time each day. Not only can it help you become more aware of the present, but it can also help you flush out any negativity or bad thoughts.

Individuals that practice meditation each day experience overall increased productivity and mood as they approach each day with more mindfulness and purpose.

Yoga

Yoga is a gentle exercise that helps the body move and flow better. It improves your flexibility, core, and muscle strength. Yoga can also help you improve your lungs, cardio, energy, and vitality. Once your body feels less tense and tight, you typically feel a lot more relaxed and rejuvenated.

Frequent yoga sessions can also improve your athletic performance and protect you from injury throughout the day.

Body awareness

Body awareness means you’re attuned to the sensations your body feels. These sensations might be relaxation, pain, discomfort, aches, fatigue, or warmth. You’re also more aware of your physicality, such as your strength, balance, and weight. When you become aware of these sensations, you have a better understanding of what your body feels under different circumstances.

As a result, you can work on identifying ways to mitigate some of the negative sensations based on specific triggers. You can also work on increasing the amount of positive sensations you feel.

Behavioral awareness

Behavioral awareness is the acknowledgement and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in your behavior and actions. For example, cautious, ambitious, confident, logical, curious, and organized are all types of behaviors that you might exhibit. Behaviors can cause specific patterns in our thoughts and actions that influence the way we make decisions or interact with others.

Emotional awareness

Emotional awareness is the ability to acknowledge and understand the feelings you have. For example, it can help you identify whether you’re feeling sad, happy, or anxious and the triggers that bring these feelings. Increased emotional awareness helps you construct tools to help you cope or control the way you express your emotions.

Is prior meditation or mindfulness training required?

Prior meditation or mindfulness training might help you understand the purpose of mindfulness-based stress reduction better, but it’s not required for you to start MBSR. There are both coaching and teaching resources available for you to immerse yourself in the benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

These resources will guide you through the different components and phases of mindfulness-based stress reduction. With the eight-week program and the tools that you learn from it, you can experience the benefits of MBSR even after the program ends. These tools help you live a more fulfilled and conscious life.

What is included in an MBSR training program?

In this 9-module online MBSR program you will work at your own speed. You will gain strategies to help you perform body scans, gentle yoga, and sitting meditation.

As a University of Massachusetts Medical School qualified and experienced instructor I will provide guidance throughout the 9-modules, so you can optimize the benefits you experience.

Some ‌strategies provided include guided imagery and breathing methods to help you reduce stress.

Participants practice one of these strategies each day to help them become more aware and in control of their stress. They also become more mindful of their actions and thoughts each day to live more purposefully.

John Kabat-Zinn: "Meditation strengthens the immune system"

Meditation has been successfully used in some European medical institutions, although many experts are still wary of it, and in some countries - for example, in Russia - its medical possibilities are generally very little is known. "Healing" meditation showed its effectiveness thirty years ago, when biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn developed a series of exercises that included special breathing and concentration techniques with the goal of "mindfulness-based stress reduction."

Today, experts in the field of cognitive therapy add to these exercises the work of becoming aware of the depressive state (persistent gloomy thoughts, a drop in self-esteem), as well as the gradual training of control over these mental processes: relaxation, non-judgmental acceptance of one's emotions and thoughts and observing how they " floating like clouds across the sky. About the possibilities that this technique can open, we talked with its author.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is a biologist and professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts (USA). At 19In 79, he was at the origins of "spiritual medicine", the first to propose the use of the practice of meditation for medicinal purposes.

Psychologies: How did you get the idea to use Buddhist meditation techniques to deal with stress?

About this

Jon Kabat-Zinn Wherever You Go, You're Already There, Transpersonal Institute Press, 2000. parents. My father was a famous biologist, and my mother was an enthusiastic but unrecognized artist. Their views of the world were radically different, and this often prevented them from finding a common language. Even as a child, I realized that the worldview of each of us is incomplete in its own way. All this subsequently forced me to ask questions about the nature of our consciousness, about how exactly we are aware of everything that exists around. This is where my interest in science began. In my student years, I was engaged in Zen Buddhist practices, yoga, martial arts. And my desire to connect these practices with science became stronger and stronger. When I completed my PhD in molecular biology, I decided to dedicate my life to my project: to incorporate Buddhist meditation - without its religious aspect - into medical practice. My dream was to create a treatment program that would be scientifically controlled and philosophically acceptable to everyone.

And how did you do it?

When I started my project, I was a Ph.D. in biology, with a PhD from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a successful career in medicine. That was enough to get the green light. When it turned out that my program was effective, I received wide support. Thus the 8-week Meditation-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was born. Each participant is offered a weekly group session and one hour a day of home audio recording practice. Gradually, we began to apply our program in the treatment of anxiety, phobias, addictions, depression…

What type of meditation do you use in your programs?

We use different meditation practices - both traditional exercises according to a certain method, and more free techniques. But they are all based on the development of awareness of reality. This kind of attention is at the heart of Buddhist meditation. Briefly, I can characterize this state as a complete transfer of attention to the present moment - without any assessment of oneself or reality. This position creates fertile ground for peace of mind, peace of mind, for compassion and love. We hope that by teaching people how to meditate, we keep the spirit of the Buddhist path, dharma, but at the same time we speak in a secular language that everyone can understand. We offer program participants different exercises. With a mental scan of the body (body scan), a person, lying down, focuses on the sensations in each part of it. In sitting meditation, attention is directed to different objects: breath, sounds, thoughts, mental images. We also have the practice of objectless relaxed attention, also called "open presence" or "mental stillness." It was first proposed by the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. At our trainings, you can learn to move consciously - walk and do yoga - and consciously eat. Freer practices help us learn to include an open and nonjudgmental perception of reality at any moment of everyday life: when we communicate with children and family, do shopping, clean up the house, play sports. If we don't let our inner monologue distract us, we remain fully mindful of everything we do and experience. Ultimately, life itself becomes the practice of meditation. The main thing is not to miss a single minute of your existence, to constantly feel the present, that very “here and now”.

What diseases can meditation help with?

The list of such diseases is growing all the time. But it is also important what exactly we mean by cure. Are we healed when we restore the same state of the body as it was before the illness or injury? Or when we learn to accept the situation as it is, and, despite the problems, live it with the greatest comfort? Healing in the first sense is not always feasible even with the latest means of modern medicine. But we can take the second path to healing at any time while we are alive. This is what patients learn from experience when they practice our program or other awareness-based medical and psychological techniques. We are engaged in the so-called active medicine, which encourages the patient to independently begin the path to well-being and health, relying on the body's ability to self-regulate. Meditation training is a useful adjunct to modern medical treatment.

Mindfulness meditation in Russia

“The John Kabat-Zinn method is based on fundamental scientific research in the field of neurophysiology,” confirms Dmitry Shamenkov, Ph.D.

“In essence, these studies are based on the works of such outstanding Russian physiologists as Pavlov or Sechenov. They proved how important a person's ability to influence the functioning of his nervous system can be in order to achieve health. The basic tool for this, according to Kabat-Zinn, is the so-called awareness - of our feelings, thoughts, actions - which allows a person to feel better and his body, helps the mechanisms of his self-regulation. If you master the skills of such work on managing your health, including through conscious stress reduction, recovery will go much faster. In those foreign clinics where they understand the importance of this approach, it is possible to achieve phenomenal results in the treatment of even complex diseases (neurological and cardiovascular, immunological disorders and metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus). Unfortunately, this approach is practically unfamiliar to Russian medicine: today I know of only one project to create such a stress reduction center in Moscow.”

Comment by Andrei Konchalovsky

Contemplation in my mind is the most important thing, because it is part of the path to a high spiritual level of a person. For meditation, the key concept is “concentration”, when you slowly turn off the outside world from yourself, enter this special state. But it is impossible to enter into it simply by sitting with closed eyes. So you can sit for an hour or two - and still think continuously: “What will I do later, tomorrow or in a year?” Krishnamurti spoke of a chatty mind. Our brain is chatting - it is so arranged, it creates some thoughts all the time. To exclude a thought, a colossal conscious effort of the will is needed. This is the pinnacle of self-control. And I envy those who can do it. Because I didn’t master it myself - I’m jumping off into the stupid chatter of the brain!

In essence, are you proposing a new approach to illness and the sick?

Yes, in treatment we put attention and care at the forefront, which is fully consistent with the principles of Hippocrates. It was these rules of medical ethics that laid the foundation for modern medicine. But recently they are often forgotten, because doctors are forced to see as many patients as possible during their working day.

Have you personally experienced the benefits of meditation?

Only those who do it themselves can teach others meditation and awareness. Meditation has changed my life. If I hadn't started meditating at 22, I don't know if I would be alive today. Meditation helped me come to harmony between different aspects of my life and personality, gave me the answer to the question: “What can I bring to the world?” I don’t know of anything better than meditation to help us be fully aware of ourselves in the present moment in our lives and relationships – no matter how difficult it can be sometimes. Awareness itself is simple, but it is difficult to achieve. It's hard work, but what else are we meant for? Not to take up this task means to miss the deepest and most joyful in our life. It's so easy to get lost in the constructions of your mind, get lost in the desire to be better or be in another place - and stop realizing the importance of the present moment.

It turns out that meditation is a way of life and more of a prevention than a cure…

No, I didn't say it by accident, the healing properties of meditation have been fully proven, it just cannot be perceived as a treatment in the classical sense of the word. Of course, meditation has a preventive effect: by accustoming yourself to listen to your feelings, it is easier to feel that something is wrong in the body. In addition, meditation strengthens the immune system and gives us the ability to fully experience every moment of our lives. The stronger our physical and mental health, the better we endure stress and resist disease processes and the faster we recover. When I talk about meditation, I mean improving health throughout life, and after all, a person’s goals change at every stage of life ...

Are there any contraindications for meditation?

Personally, I would say no, but my colleagues advise against meditation in case of acute depression. They believe that it can reinforce one of the mechanisms of depression - "chewing" gloomy thoughts. In my opinion, the main problem is motivation. If it is weak, then mindfulness meditation is difficult to practice. After all, it requires a serious change in lifestyle: it is necessary not only to set aside time for meditation exercises, but also to train awareness in everyday life.

If meditation really helps, why isn't it used in clinical and hospital practice?

Meditation is used, and very widely! More than 250 hospitals and clinics around the world offer stress reduction programs through meditation, and the number is growing every year. Meditation-based methods are being used more and more in most of Europe. They have been used in medicine for many years, and recently psychologists have also become interested in them. Today, the method is taught in the medical departments of prestigious universities such as Stanford and Harvard. And I'm sure this is just the beginning.

* Research started (since 1979) and continues today by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Stress Reduction Clinic in the USA (today the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society): www.umassmed.edu

Text: Galina Severskaya Photo source: FOTOBANK

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Jon Kabat-Zinn: interview for US Mindful magazine

This time I want to share with you an interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn for Mindful magazine. I was lucky not only to know this man personally, but also to learn from him. John is a man of amazing depth who went far beyond his time.

The Mindful Magazine is America's leading publication on mindfulness practices.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

- Did you imagine 35 years ago that a business started in an empty clinic office would have such a huge impact on the lives of countless people ?

- In short, yes. I never imagined this work as something small and insignificant. She has always been perceived as important to me. I am convinced that knowledge about the practice of meditation enriches Western medicine, bringing to it the ability to heal a person from the inside through insight, wisdom and compassion. In addition, I pursued the goal of popularizing meditation.

– As a result, MBSR penetrated completely different aspects of human life: childbirth, education, struggle with addictions, depression and mental disorders.

- Initially, we didn't expect our ideas and suggestions to go that far. Much like planting seeds, you can't predict how well they will sprout, what the harvest will be, and how far the wind will blow their seeds. This is the special charm of agriculture. I am sure that if we knew the result in advance, our mind would lose its freshness and curiosity, and we would not achieve such significant results.

– What is the benefit of MBSR in humans?

- The course lasts eight weeks, is balanced and has repeatedly proven its effectiveness. It is a step by step holistic system. Experienced teachers noted a weakening of its impact on students if the teacher tries to rebuild it in some way (to omit something and thereby delve into other aspects).

The program is a certain framework, and the teacher is of particular importance, "breathing" life into it. His incompetence in any of the areas covered by the course is unacceptable. If a teacher is inspired by what he passes on to his students, sincerely loves his work, then this will directly affect the success of his followers.

But, first of all, it is worth understanding that awareness is a way of life, not a static state. By learning to live in the present, people are healed.

Meditation helps to improve mental and physical condition

- Do you still think it is still relevant to emphasize the aspect of dealing with stress in the name of your program? After all, as we mentioned earlier, MBSR has long stepped beyond its scope.

- In my opinion, the name is chosen correctly. Stress is a universal human experience, a concept of wide meaning. Old and recent research confirms and concretizes its negative effects on the mind, soul and body. As we learn more about stress, humanity seeks to deepen its knowledge of dealing with it. The practice of mindfulness is a great helper in developing emotional resilience.

- You often point out that mindfulness is not about fighting problems or reaping certain benefits. Rather, it is designed to reveal ourselves to us. However, your program is perceived as result-oriented.

- At first glance, this is a contradiction. However, the benefits that program participants receive arise precisely because they are side effects, not the goal. People get to know themselves and learn to understand and accept themselves, and this opens up new opportunities.

Most come to courses because they are in pain, sadness, anger, fear or other negative feelings. The only thing they want is to get away from it all. Therefore, teachers repeatedly emphasize that mindfulness is not an escape from yourself and your problems.

- As far as I know, you are passionate about working with pain, not only in the narrow sense of the word, but also in its broadest sense, when a person is in a mortally dangerous state.

– People with serious illnesses come to us in order to overcome their symptoms. And then they note that the program influenced their whole life.

I will tell you about an MIT professor who came to us before undergoing a bone marrow transplant. He wanted to learn how to contact his mind in such a way that he would be able to spend a long time in a solitary isolation room after surgery.

After joining the MBSR group, he found himself thinking that he felt freer and calmer among the other participants in the course than next to his colleagues. In his opinion, this is due to the fact that the group contains people who are aware of their suffering, and although his colleagues also suffer, their level of awareness is different. And then one day in the subway, he realized that all people experience mental and physical ailments, and at that moment he felt an extraordinary freedom.

– If all the most valuable and authentic is within us, then why is so much attention paid to scientific research?

– For a program to be accepted by the public and key health care institutions, its effectiveness must be scientifically proven.

But above all, science is called upon to explain the nature of the universe and the human being living in it. Now the opportunity to learn new things about the brain attracts many experienced and young scientists, the interest is supported by the award of grants.

The popularity of mindfulness is growing

There are a number of works that especially attract my attention. For example, researchers led by Paul Condon compared the results of compassion meditation and mindfulness practice with each other, as well as in relation to the behavior of control group participants. People who completed the courses were five times more likely to give way to a sick person than those who did not practice. But most interestingly, participants in both meditating groups were equally likely to empathize with the pain of others and give up some of their own comfort in order to alleviate the suffering of strangers.

Another interesting experience: with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a study was conducted on the potential of using computer games to develop children's skills in interacting with others (the ability to read emotions, etc. ).

I was also interested in the fact that the University of Rochester Medical Institute provides training for specialists in "attentive" conversation in emergency care. Patients experience a lower level of anxiety, and doctors, instead of the usual perception of patients as carriers of the disease, learn to notice them as people. In addition, the likelihood of “burnout” at work is nipped in the bud.

David Creswell explores the loneliness experienced by older people. None of the types of traditional therapy solved it. No matter how many surrogate friendships were maintained within the group, no matter what joint activities were held, everything was to no avail until the idea came up to teach them the practice of MBSR. The feeling of loneliness receded.

- What projects outside the medical field do you find significant?

– I am close to the topic of educating the younger generation in schools and universities.

I was impressed by the joint training in the practice of mindfulness of students and their teachers during the projects "Inner Children" and "Conscious Schools".

Duke University's mindfulness practice for students helps young people cope with the challenges of life as their age dictates.

The special role of mindfulness practice in business and the social sphere should also be noted. Politicians, economists, public figures are discovering new opportunities that mindfulness provides. More and more multinational companies and world famous enterprises see the future behind this practice, offering top management and ordinary employees participation in MBSR programs. With relatively modest costs, impressive results are achieved.

– There is no doubt that we are seeing a surge of interest in mindfulness. Are there enough competent specialists to meet the demand for teachers?

– At the Mindfulness Center and at trainings around the world led by Saki Santorelli, people are trained to pass on the knowledge of mindfulness. The certificate given to our graduates confirms that they have been given valuable knowledge, but does not guarantee that they have become excellent teachers.
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