Meditation is currently one of the most widely researched treatment methods. It is a systematic method of regulating attention and emotion — beneficial skills for alleviating mental and physical disorders in patients — and for enhancing the wellbeing of clinicians by cultivating positive attitudes associated with patient care.The term “Mindfulness” encompasses diverse forms of meditation, including focused attention, open monitoring, and compassion training. Most recently, compassion training is being carefully studied and supported by neuroscientific and clinical research. What is mindfulness, really? What is compassion? How do we integrate mindfulness and compassion training into psychotherapy, especially in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and destructive emotions? Can it help with pain? How can we apply it to daily life? What scientific evidence supports its use and what are the contraindications? This program is an up-to-date review of the theory and practice of mindfulness, compassion, and self -compassion from its ancient origins to modern brain science and psychotherapy. Participants with no meditation experience, as well as seasoned practitioners, will find this course helpful in their clinical work and in their daily lives. More and more psychotherapists and their patients are interested in bringing the power of mindfulness, compassion, and self-compassion into their clinical work. But how does one actually do that? This workshop will show the way. This course will introduce a variety of mindfulness practices that clinicians and their clients can use to develop the core skills of concentration, open monitoring, and compassionate acceptance. Emphasis will be on working with common issues such as anxiety, depression, pain, trauma, and working with destructive thoughts and emotions. It will include lectures, experiential exercises, Q&A, and case discussion. This program is appropriate for anyone with an interest in the integration of meditation and psychotherapy, either personally or professionally.

Hosted by the Continuing Education Program at BIDMC, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School online for 15 CEs. For more info, visit Harvard Medical School's website.