therapyspotlight
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Available in Naples
by Lisa Marlene J ust as
beauty is in the eye of
the beholder, so is stress. While some individu- als thrive under pressure, others develop stress- related health challenges such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic pain and cancers, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn,
professor of medicine emeritus and the founding executive director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the Univer- sity of Massachusetts Medical School, as well as the founding director of its stress reduction clinic. Kabat-Zinn, the author of Wherev-
er You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, has dedi- cated his career to helping individuals deal with stress by bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society. He began teaching his mind- fulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program at the clinic in 1979. Today, the eight-week program is offered by hundreds of practitioners throughout the, country, including Madeline Eb- elini, the founder of Integrative Mind- fulness, in Bonita Springs, Florida, who studied directly with Kabat-Zinn. With MBSR, people learn to relate directly to and take charge of whatever is happening in their lives. It offers a method for consciously and systemati- cally working with their own stress,
pain and illness and the challenges and demands of everyday life. Individuals that learn mindfulness discover ways to participate in their own health and well- being. It teaches them that between stimulus and response, there is a space of freedom and power in which to choose a different response that can serve them better. Kabat-Zinn has
backed the effectiveness of MBSR with two decades of published research, based on self-reports from participants, many of whom describe an increased ability to relax and cope more effec- tively with both short-term and long- term stressful situations; reductions in pain levels and an enhanced ability to cope with persistent pain; greater energy and enthusiasm for life; and improved self-esteem. The practical course requires ac-
tive participation and includes indi- vidually tailored, guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices; gentle stretching and mindful yoga; and group dialogue and discussion aimed at enhancing awareness in everyday life. Four home practice CDs and a manual supplement the course’s daily home as- signments.
Integrative Mindfulness is located at 26721 Dublin Woods Cir., in Bonita Springs. For more info, call 239-590- 9485 or visit
IntegrativeMindfulness.net. See ad, page 24.
natural awakenings June 2013 49
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