Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Evening Course

An eight week course specifically designed to help people cultivate greater well-being and deal effectively with difficult states such as depression and/or stress and anxiety 

Course aims:

The programme has been formulated to teach you simple but practical skills which, when applied, can bring significant benefits to your daily life and prevent relapses into negative emotional spirals.

MBCT fuses long-established meditation techniques with a modern therapeutic approach, and was designed specifically to help people who suffer repeated episodes.

It has been scientifically proven as an effective treatment, and has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Over eight weeks, we will work together to change patterns of mind that are unhelpful, and thus enable a greater sense of ease and calm into our lives.

Who is it for?

Anyone seeking to learn how to work (more) skillfully with depression, stress or anxiety.

Anyone interested in learning or developing mindfulness-based practices.

This course involves guided meditation exercises, mindful movement exercises, and some discussion on the characteristics of anxiety, depression and stress. By learning these practices, with patience and persistence, you will be able to cultivate greater contentment and a more skilful approach to life in general.

Course outline:

You will be given a comprehensive course manual which includes practical information, exercises, tips and reflections. You will also be given two professionally produced CDs containing various mindfulness practices.

Week 1: Automatic Pilot This session focuses on our tendency to live our lives on automatic pilot. You will be taught the  Three Automatic Habits of Mind . You will investigate how to respond to with more freedom and choice. You will be taken through the Body Scan

Week 2: Dealing with Barriers This session focuses on some of the barriers we place in our minds and lives that obstruct our well-being. You will be guided in exploring the ;Five Obstacles to Well-Being . You will explore the relationship between thoughts and feelings, and begin to keep a pleasant and unpleasant events diary. You will be taught Mindfulness of Breathing

Week 3: Mindfulness of Breathing. Now you will begin to develop a greater awareness of how the mind is often busy and scattered. You will be instructed in the Two Kinds of Mental Development. You will be taught the Three Minute Breathing Space   

Week 4: Staying Present. You will explore how the mind habitually avoids some things and holds on tightly to other things. You will learn the benefits of being present which helps to create a wider perspective and relate differently to experience. You will be shown the Chinese Finger Trap  and how it can act as a metaphor for our thoughts and feelings. You will be taught the  Meditation on Kindness  and the Coping Breathing Space  to help with troubling or difficult thoughts and feelings.

Week 5: Allowing / Letting Be. You will further cultivate the attitude of allowing things to be as they are, not constantly wanting things to be different. You will be taught this is an active attitude to life and not passive resignation. You will be taught Mindful Movement

Week 6: Thoughts are Not Facts. You will be taught that all thoughts are not the absolute truth and this frees us to see perspectives. You will be shown how you can view thoughts differently. You will be instructed in Mindful Walking as well as a listening exercise.

Week 7: Taking Care of Myself. There are specific things you can learn to do when you notice the warning signs of depressed thinking and mood states. Here, you will learn to see the signs of depressed thinking and how best to respond to those signs.

Week 8: Dealing with Future Moods. Maintaining a balance in life is helped by regular mindfulness practice. Good intention can be strengthened by linking such intentions to a positive reason for taking care of oneself. You will be taught the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

Booking: Book online or email yve@ontopofthemountain.com or telephone the CMBE office on 01273 681333.

WHAT THEY SAY:- Feedback from the most recent MBCT courses

Here are the comments recent participants have written on the anonymous feedback sheets given out at the end of each course:   

I would most definitely recommend this course. I cannot think of a single soul it would not benefit.

The room at first seemed small, but it soon became a haven-a holiday place for our practice.

The sounds outside the high bay window were at times both anchoring, at times comforting.

The course exceeded expectations and I hope to take its rewards onwards.

The power and simplicity astonishing at times.

Rory and Sarah have been wonderful, warm and openhearted facilitators.

The group felt very safe and I have felt privileged to be part of eight wonderful weeks.

Thank you.

The course was a sanctuary to experience a soft sense of gentleness, kindness, respect & a sharing of knowledge.

The group was contained & magnificently run by Rory.

A truly in-depth experience as I began to notice with curiosity, what was happening around me in such a different way.

It was like opening my eyes in a different country; different smells, sounds, sights, touch, lightness rather than frightening at the thought of so many possible ways of dealing with pre-conceived ideas, habits & conditioned responses – but the mindfulness meditation held everything together.

My brain is clearer & I am calmer & happier and proud of at least doing something just for me – what a joy!

I liked the afternoons, I was not too tired to listen & hear from the others on the course & the facilitators. I would love a next stage – where to go & when.

The course has been very special; I have found the exercises very helpful. It has been a bridge, in the way that I was familiar with some of the theory, but to have the meetings, readings to take home, plus the different types of meditations to experiment with, has brought to me the experiential quality that I was missing & that I was seeking to find.

I feel very comfortable now in the world of meditation: in the past I used to wonder whether the practiced I called meditation was right for me & also if I was doing it correctly.

I feel confident in my initial journey & hopeful for the future. My intentions are to carry on with the practice as it has left a sweet flavour in my life.

The C.D’s were very helpful & soothing, I really like Rory’s calm & serene voice.  I particularly enjoyed the twelve minutes Loving Kindness meditation, I have used it in times of turmoil & it is beautiful!

I have a heart full of positive experiences & fondness of this time in the mindfulness group. Thank you so very much, my life feels calmer & yet more vibrant, full of possibilities & well balanced.

I found the course immensely helpful & feel I have useful tools to take away. The length of the sessions felt the right amount of time & the group size was comfortable & felt very safe.

The C.D’s & hand booklet were both very clear & again, a useful tool to take away to use at a later date.

I have been amazed at how just a few sessions with Rory, have brought about such a positive change to my life, I feel far more relaxed when confronting difficult situations, and am taking so much pleasure in allowing myself to just be.

It would be great to have a follow-up course to attend.

Despite some trepidation, I enjoyed this course immensely.

Each meeting felt safe, calm and revitalising-I always felt feeling like a better person.

Through practising mindfulness I have felt kinder and less critical of myself. I am more able to accept my failings as part of my humanity- that I am (after all good enough).

The programme was excellent, very useful, subtle and effective.

Facilitators great and gentle air of positive acceptance.

Cannot think of anything I would change –excepting perhaps the venue- difficult to park near- but this did not detract enough to put me off coming.

Actually an invitation to participate in Brighton.

It has been a delightfully rounded introduction to a life long habit into real well-being.

I would absolutely recommend it and have wished for it for ages.

Gratitude.

I have found the course really beneficial, having suffered with bouts of depression & anxiety over the years.

The different aspects of the course introduced different approaches to meditation, which has been most interesting & good to have a variety of tools. Some of these seem to work better than others for each of us.

Rory’s approach had a very powerful effect, particularly his calmness & wise words of Buddhist experience & maturity. He seems to have a very calming effect on the group.  Yet also bringing structure, order & mutual respect.

I like having different practices & exercises to complete, as it acted as a ‘taster’ to how I might use mindfulness. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience & feel grateful to have attended.

A very enjoyable course held in a positive environment which felt safe and comfortable.  It enabled me to explore aspects of myself with other members of the group. This has helped my progress through a particularly difficult stage in my life.  

The course has benefited me in a number of ways, such as increased self and special awareness, realization of the habits of negative thoughts and feelings and how to overcome these.

The group dynamic was awesome, as were the facilitators.

I constantly left feeling rewarded and more content-hence not wanting to finish.

I have really enjoyed the course, of knowing a Monday night sanctuary in my life. I shall miss it- would like it if there was something ongoing, but perhaps that is something I could do for myself.

I still find it difficult to be reflective on the spot, as soon as I put this down I’ll remember something I could of said….. Thank you so much.

This course has done amazing things to my consciousness.  

The manner in which it was delivered and the pace of the warmth of the facilitators, helped with the wonderful calm energy that I experienced each time I entered this space.

This has had tremendous value to my soul.

There were times in the sessions that I could not keep up with the ‘homework’ but that my choice, to do it or not  was ok and the experience, living life through meditation is more the tool I take away.

I believe it has given me strategies to use during difficult moments in my life, how I respond and how I feel thereafter.

I feel grateful and blessed to have had this amazing experience. A beginning of a wonderful journey for me! Thank you.

The course was a fascinating journey, accompanied by an experienced guide.  

The prepared course book served as a map, which was reassuring , although at the same time there was the feeling that there was a degree of creative improvisation, according to how things unfolded.

I would, and will, highly recommend the course to anyone feeling at all stuck, and in need of tools to help change habitual ways of seeing.

I found the length of the weekly sessions ‘just right’ to allow the sharing of practice as well as learning and meditation.  

The facilitators showed both caring and a depth of presence to each participant. I felt safe and involved in a trustworthy experience.

This has given me both confidence and clarity that I now want to develop a meditation practice.

Thank you. I would certainly recommend this course to my friends.

I would recommend this course to anyone who could possibly benefit and be open to it.

I had no expectations, was very open and curious how it was going to be led. I really enjoyed it.

I love when people where sharing their deepest feeling.

They were very honest and real, I think the best bit.

Love the programme.  The length was just about right.  Very good opportunity. Thank you.

Nice place,

Nice space, 

Nice people.

I’ll try to keep a little bit of all three with me from now on. I would recommend this course.

I think the course was well run and the information was clear and accessible I cannot really think of anything I would change.  

The evenings always went very quickly and I felt cared for nourished.  Rory modeled the accepting, kind approach that the course was all about.

I’ve found the course length of sessions very good for an after work course, good length for concentration.  

The teaching was very informative, at a good pace with enough theory/personal development balance.

I found the course exceeded my expectations especially personal awareness.

Good handouts/CDs very useful.

The course was relaxed, comfortable and enjoyable. It was good to have two facilitators as we received double input.

Venue very conducive to such a course.

The course has enabled me to allow myself to be more present and notice when I am not, but allowing rather than beating myself up/noticing when this is happening, being aware I am in control.

Yes I would recommend this course, in fact I did today to someone on the bus to here!!