Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the practice of cultivating non-judgmental awareness of day-to-day life. It helps people develop the ability to experience each moment, no matter how difficult or intense, with serenity and clarity.
The program offers a powerful, integrated approach to tapping into and mobilizing our inner resources for developing a life-affirming approach to living with chronic stress, pain and related conditions, such as anxiety, anger, depression, headaches, high blood pressure, sleep disturbances and gastrointestinal problems. The program is based on the pioneering work of Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and featured in Bill Moyers' television special, "Healing and the Mind."
Two decades of published research indicate that the majority of people who complete the mindfulness-based stress reduction course report:
- An increased ability to relax.
- Greater energy and enthusiasm for life.
- An ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations.
- Major improvement in pain-related anxiety, depression, hostility, and the tendency to become preoccupied with painful sensations in both body and mind.
- Lasting decreases in difficult physical and psychological symptoms.
- Reductions in pain levels with an enhanced ability to cope with pain that may not go away.
Sutter Health and its affiliates offer mindfulness-based courses at many locations throughout Northern California. The programs typically meet one evening a week for eight to 10 weeks, and often include a one-day retreat.
Check our class schedule to find a mindfulness-based stress reduction course near you.