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Programs & Services
Human beings have an innate capacity to experience wholeness and well being, even in the face of stress, pain, and illness.
Valley Mindfulness offers a range of programs and services for individuals and organizations. These include:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
This 8-week course, originally developed by
Jon Kabat-Zinn
at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is designed to help participants discover and utilize their own inner resources for bringing
balance, health, and peace of mind
to their lives.
During the past 33 years, over 20,000 people have completed this course at UMass Medical School and many thousands more have participated at hospitals, clinics and educational centers around the world. The course has been the subject of many
clinical studies
for people grappling with conditions such as stress, cancer, heart disease, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, drug and alcohol addiction, sleep disorders, and more.
MBSR is an experiential learning program, intended to
engage the mind and the body. Through group and individual practices, discussions, and presentations, participants learn a variety of formal and informal methods for cultivating mindfulness.
The practicial applications of mindfulness in daily life are explored so that participants can
meet all the moments of their lives
(including times of
stress,
pain
and
illness) with
greater ease, confidence and resiliency.
The course is most often structured as a series of 8 weekly classes with an additional, longer, session during the sixth week of the program (a total of nine sessions). The course is designed to accommodate nearly any adult, including those with serious illnesses, chronic pain, and physical limitations.
Each week, ideally on a daily basis, participants practice at home what they have been exploring in class. This home practice is an essential part of the course.
It develops and strengthens one's ability to experience mindful awareness in daily life
and to
access the strength and wisdom that lie within.
Handouts, workbooks and audio CD’s will be provided to support this practice.
People take the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course for
reasons
such as:
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Medical conditions such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, heart disease, asthma, emphysema, gastrointestinal problems, cancer, sleep and skin disorders, and immune problems.
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Chronic and short-term stress due to work, life changes, family issues, and illness.
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Psychological and emotional concerns such as anxiety, phobias, panic, grief, and depression.
During the years this program has been offered at UMass Medical School and around the world, participants have reported
benefits
such as:
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Increased ability to relax
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Decrease in pain and increase in ability to cope with chronic pain
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Reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression
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Improved overall health
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More energy and enthusiasm for life
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More self confidence
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Resilience in the face of health and life challenges
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Greater sense of compassion for self and others
Upcoming course -- Spring/Summer 2013:
- Eight Monday evenings, 6:00–8:30 p.m. beginning June 10 and ending July 29.
- In addition, there will be a special (and important) class session on Saturday, July 20 from
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- New location: Indigo Massage and Yoga Studio, 45 Main Street, Florence, MA (behind Cumberland Farms).
Click here for an online map.
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The
cost
of this course is $350, $450, or $550 as follows (a sliding scale based on household income):
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Under $25,000:
$350
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From $25,000–50,000:
$450
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Over $50,000:
$550
Please note that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is also available as a series of
private sessions
for individuals and for the staff of organizations.
Registration
and more info:
In order to make sure that everyone who registers is making an informed and appropriate decision, we ask everyone who is interested in the MBSR course to attend a pre-course
Orientation
session.
The Orientation is not a sales pitch for MBSR. In many ways, it serves as the first session in the course.
The Orientation session is offered free of charge.
During an Orientation session, you will:
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Learn about the MBSR course and have an opportunity to ask questions
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Have a first-hand experience of the approaches utilized in the course
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Meet one or more of the Valley Mindfulness teachers
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Have a brief private meeting with one of the teachers
At the end of the Orientation session, you may:
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Enroll in the MBSR course. This involves paying some or all of the course fee.
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Decide to enroll at a later time.
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Decide that the MBSR course is not for you.
We recognize that benefiting from the MBSR course requires an investment of time and energy — attending weekly class sessions and practicing at home — in addition to the fee for the course. The decision to enroll is best made with full information. We want each person's decision to be a comfortable one.
If you cannot attend a scheduled Orientation session:
Please contact us if you are strongly interested in the MBSR program but find that attending an Orientation session is not possible for you. In some cases, we might be able to work out alternative arrangements. However, our ability to make exceptions is likely to be limited.
Spring/Summer 2013 Orientation sessions
Two different sessions will be available. Each one will be limited to 12 participants. Advance registration is required.
Monday, May 20, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Monday, June 3, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Location: Indigo Massage and Yoga Studio, 45 Main Street, Florence, MA (behind Cumberland Farms).
Click here for an online map.
*** Click here *** to reserve a place in an upcoming MBSR Orientation session as soon as the dates have been posted.
For more information:
Private sessions and consultations in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and in support of ongoing mindfulness practices
A private course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- This private version of the MBSR course follows the same curriculum as the group course.
- It includes the same 9 sessions as in the group course, although these sessions are shorter in length due to the on-to-one format (no group discussions). There are 8 weekly sessions of 90 minutes each and one additional 3-hour session — 15 hours in total.
- Sessions are scheduled at mutually convenient times, typically one session per week during an 8-12 week period of time.
- Private MBSR courses utilize the same materials as the group courses and include the same guided meditation CDs for daily home practice.
- The cost for the full program is $1,075 for one person. That comes to just under $72 per hour for this 15 hour program and it includes all materials.
- Several couples have also completed this private MBSR course. For a couple, the total fee is $1,600.
- The meeting place is in the Florence section of Northampton, MA. It may be possible to arrange for sessions to take place in other locations. However, this would increase the cost of the program.
- NEW — For those who live more than 50 miles from Northampton, MA: Private MBSR courses are now available online through the use of Skype and similar technologies. Please contact us for details.
Which is better — a a private MBSR course or a group class?
- Advantages of Private format MBSR
- Sessions can be scheduled at mutually convenient times
- Flexible scheduling can accommodate illness, business travel, a planned vacation, etc.
- Time can be spent focusing on personal concerns
- Advantages of Group format MBSR
- There is enormous wisdom in a group. Participants in a group class learn a great deal from each other.
- Support and comradery in the group can be powerful aids in meeting the many of the common challenges people face integrating the practice of mindfulness in daily life.
- This is the original, intended format for MBSR.
Other options for private sessions
Instead of a full, specific course, it possible to book one session or a few sessions to meet specific needs and objectives.
- For whose who would like to begin a meditation practice and/or support an existing practice
- Sessions can be either 60 or 90 minutes in length and may be scheduled as needed.
- The fee is $90 per hour. Any needed materials such as meditation books and CDs would be extra.
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Click here to contact Valley Mindfulness if you would like to begin such a private program or if you have questions.
Training Programs for Organizations and Businesses
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course
and meditation classes can be offered to organizational staff as stand-alone programs and also as part of a comprehensive staff development effort. These programs can be
customized
to meet the needs of each organization.
>>>
Click here to contact Valley Mindfulness if you have questions about this program.
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Some quotes from recent workshop participants:
"Very helpful. Excellent instructor."
"A good mix of instruction and meditation."
"An excellent intro to meditation."
"David Spound has impeccable credentials with current brain science as a fundament of his practice. I would without hesitation refer anyone with an ounce of imagination to him. I felt entirely safe and respected. I was gratified to learn that there is no way practicing "mindfulness" is ever anything but the right way to do it. Imagine—something everybody can do the right way! How often does this happen in life? The workshop provided me personal benefits beyond my expectations."
Liv Pertzoff, LICSW, Northampton
"Certain ailments have traditionally been recognized as being psychosomatic because they are especially responsive to stress... the list can be greatly expanded to the universe of illnesses and diseases because today we have reason to believe that any ailment can be affected by stress emotions... In some instances stress exacerbates an ailment even when its main cause is not psychological. In other instances, psychological stress is considered a primary cause."
Richard Lazarus, Professor of Psychology emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley
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