8-Week Mindfulness (MBCT) Course
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a highly acclaimed, evidenced-based skills training program, combining the ancient wisdom of mindfulness and cognitive psychology. Developed by the University of Oxford Centre for Mindfulness.
Is This Course Right for Me?
You will gain a new perspective. Changing your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing to significantly reduce stress, anxiety and depression so you can feel more confident, peaceful and self-aware.
- Training your mind with life changing mindfulness and CBT skills.
- Freeing yourself from negative mind states, thoughts and moods.
- Powerful awareness into the patterns of your own mind.
- Reduce stress by 40%, anxiety by 58% and depression by over 50%.
- Enhance your health, fitness, work and family relationships.
- Let go of perfectionism and self-criticism.
- Find greater contentment, self-compassion & appreciation.
How is the Course Run?
We meet weekly over a series of 8 sessions with between 6 – 15 people within the group. It is a complete course and not designed as a drop in.
We meet at the same venue and the duration of each session is 1hour 45 minutes. Online courses are available.
No experience is necessary. The course is experiential, in other words, learning from your own experience of what you are aware of during your practice. Enlightening cognitive behavioural exercises play an important role in this life changing course.
Important: This course is not a form of group counselling or therapy, either formal or informal. It will not, therefore, be suitable for anyone suffering from severe clinical depression or other severe clinical mental health problems. Other therapy avenues would be more suited and helpful.
Themes of the 8-Week Course:
- Session 1 – Awareness Vs Automatic Pilot
- Session 2 – Living in Our Heads
- Session 3 – Gathering the Scattered Mind
- Session 4 – Recognizing Aversion
- Session 5 – Allowing Things to Be as They Are
- Session 6 – Thoughts Are Not Facts
- Session 7 – How Can I Best Take Care of Myself?
- Session 8 – Maintaining Mindfulness – What Now?
Lifelong Benefits:
- Awareness of the habitual patterns of your mind.
- Responding skilfully to situations rather than reacting.
- Taking a daily breathing space and being more present.
- Feeling calmer and more joyful .
- Changing your relationship to stress, anxiety, thoughts and moods.
- Shifting from self-criticism to self- kindness.
- Resilience and inner strength.
I found the course life changing. It has enabled me to appreciate the smallest of things in my life that I may have taken for granted before and enabled me to live in the moment. I am not dwelling on the past or planning for the future. Jakki has a wonderful calm presence and delivers the course with compassion and consideration. I would recommend mindfulness to anyone.
April 2019
What Does it Involve?
A significant level of commitment is required as most learning will take place in the home practice. You will be invited to develop a daily mindfulness meditation practice for 30-40 minutes per day and fulfil other brief exercises during the week to support your learning. Mindfulness is a practice, you get out what you put in. To change your life over the 8 weeks, creating time to cultivate and build your practice into your daily routine is crucial for your growth.
Course Materials
Guided meditations are provided for your home practice which can be downloaded and played on your smartphone or stored on your laptop. If you do not have access to a laptop or smartphone, a cd will be provided for you. You will also have access to the Oxford Mindfulness Centre Practices. Handouts will be emailed to you the day before each session with worksheets for the coming week and summaries of the themes.
What is the Cost?
The course costs £220. This includes all course materials, guided mediations to keep for life and continuous teacher support.