Mindful Journey
WORKSHOP PLANNED FOR FALL, 2023. STAY TUNED!
The Mindful Journey is an 8-week class series for participants with recurrent depression and anxiety. The course draws both from mindfulness practice (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Growing evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of MBCT in preventing depression relapse, particularly for people with chronic or acute depression, mild to moderate anxiety, or both. MBCT provides people with insight about the negative mind states associated with depression and anxiety, helping them recognize these symptoms as precursors to relapse.
The Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Canada lists the following proven benefits of mindfulness:
- Decreased negative affect (e.g., depression and anxiety)
- Increased focus
- Improved mood and working memory
- Prevention of depression relapse
- Increased emotional intelligence
- Increased awareness and resilience
- Reduced emotional reactivity and increased emotion regulation
The Mindful Journey has been offered since September 2016 through the Time to Talk (T2T) program at the South Calgary Primary Care Network.
The Mindful Journey is based on Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT helps people who suffer from depression and chronic unhappiness and combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. MBCT was developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale and is based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program.
The Mindful Journey program is built around facilitator-led group discussions, as well as individual home practice and exercises.
Please note that participants are discouraged from taking the same workshop more than once.
This workshop has four objectives for class participants:
- Reduce the intensity and frequency of distress symptoms (depression and anxiety)
- Develop a foundation in mindfulness practice
- Integrate mindfulness practice into daily routines (ideally 20 minutes daily, chosen from a wide variety of strategies)
- Be aware of the interconnection of thought-feeling-sensation and behaviour, and its role in emotional distress
The Mindful Journey is a skill-based group. It is not group therapy.
IMPORTANT:
- Please read the confirmation email you will receive thoroughly as it contains the online workshop link and other important information.
- Your partner/spouse or support person is welcome to attend this workshop with you. In addition to registering yourself, you will need to complete a separate registration form for them now.
- Please do not register to take Mindful Journey and Anxiety to Calm at the same time. If you do, we will contact you to choose one and find an alternate time to take the second one. The reason for this to ensure you are able to fully absorb and practice the techniques in these workshops. Taking these two courses at the same time may create confusion and would impact the benefit you receive from both groups.