Here’s a new way to deal with pain, sadness, worries, unpleasantness, stress…
With mindfulness the world can look very different.
With mindfulness you can shift perspectives, see choices you hadn’t dreamed of.
But this cannot be explained with words.
It is learned through teaching and practice.
Meet Donald Fleck
Depression Treatment
Mindfulness meditation can help sufferers from chronic depression in a powerful new way. It is university researched and validated, making it welcome even in the medical community.
It is called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression. It takes some elements of Jon Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and adds cognitive elements that help with depression symptoms.
Those with a long history of depression can attend this short 8-week workshop, learn mindfulness and cognitive skills, and have a much better chance of saying good-bye to depression. Research has shown that qualified participants can reduce relapse rates by half.
PRAISE FROM PARTICIPANTS
“Helped me immensely!”
“Extraordinary!”
“Back on the road.”
“Deeply grateful.”
“Extremely Important.”
“One of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Anxiety Treatment
Mindfulness meditation and cognitive therapy may also help those with general anxiety. Recent research showed that anxiety symptoms were reduced after the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) treatment. This workshop follows the same model as the one for depression. MBCT may be helpful for both depression and anxiety, as they can both involve ruminative thinking that is difficult to control.
The Workshop
The workshop includes an individual interview, 8 weekly group workshop meetings (2 hours each), a workbook and CD of guided meditations, and a half day of practicing with others. Currently, the workshop is offered three times a year.
Can I become free of medications? With the tools taught in this treatment, it is a reasonable hope to be free of medications. It all depends on your individual circumstances. Medical decisions need to be made with a medical doctor.
Is it for me? To take full advantage of MBCT you need to have a long history with depression, and commit to do daily homework for 30-45 minutes. People currently experiencing major depression do well to treat that first. Then, when symptoms are reduced, MBCT can be very effective at decreasing chances of a relapse.
Where and when do you teach it? The workshop is taught at locations in Manhattan, NYC. It generally is taught on weekday evenings, and the half day of group practice is offered on a weekend day.
How much does it cost? MBCT costs $395, and may be covered by insurance. That’s about $40 per two-hour class, plus $40 for the workbook and CD of guided meditations, and $40 for the half-day of practice.
What is the first step? The size of the group is limited, so please call soon if this is of interest. We start with an individual interview, to answer your questions and to learn a bit about you.
Download your Mindfulness Brochure
How much does it cost? MBCT costs about $40 per class, plus $75 for the day of mindfulness, the practice CDs, and learning materials. The total is $395, often covered by health insurance.
What is the first step? If this treatment interests you, we start with a screening interview. There is usually no charge for this interview. The size of the group is limited. so please call soon if it is of interest.
This Mindfulness Teacher
For 9 years I have been integrating elements of meditation into my psychotherapy practice. While preparing to teach a workshop I came upon a radically new way to use meditation for the treatment of depression: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). It had been developed by a group of brilliant psychologists, and was shaped by their exposure to the work of Jon Kabat. The psychologist-creators of MBCT are Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale.
I find mindfulness meditation is a powerful tool for clients. It has helped my clients tame anxieties, deal with depression, get deeper into feelings, learn to sit with extremely difficult feelings, sit more comfortably with the self, and appreciate the fullness of life as it unfolds.
I am not new to meditation. I first learned meditation using Herbert Benson’s The Relaxation Response. I used this effectively while I worked in the pressure cooker of Wall Street. In this practice we made up our own ‘mantra’ and repeated it with each breath.
Years later I learned Vipassana meditation. It is a powerful meditation, with an emphasis on mindfulness of the present moment. The idea was to be really aware of the breath as it was happening, in its fullness, as well as moment-by-moment experience.
Then I spent a weekend with Jack Kornfield, soon after he wrote A Path With Heart. I gained from his groundedness in the real world, his teaching through stories, his humanistic teachings.
Recently I have attended several events led by Sharon Salzberg, and have found her wisdom to be very helpful. I always feel like a beginner with her, in the best sense of the word. I’ve been meditating quite a while, yet sitting with her I still get additional insights into practice.
Along the way I spent time with Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco. He had a lot to teach about using the breath, meditation, and mindfulness when dealing with the deepest feelings of loss.
Retreat learnings with:
Thich Nhat Hanh
Zindel Segal
Susan Woods
Also strongly influenced by:
Carl Rogers
Jack Kornfield
Jon Kabat Zinn
Sharon Salzburg
Frank Ostaseski
Tara Brach