Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
We call what we do “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction” (MBSR). However, in actuality, MBSR goes far beyond what is commonly thought of as “stress reduction” and may be best described as tapping directly into the dimensions of human experience commonly described by words such as heart, spirit, soul, Tao, and dharma. In this way, MBSR can be thought of as a consciousness discipline: a profound spiritual discipline, aimed at deep self-reflection, self-knowledge, and liberation from confining views of self, others, and the world. Our articulation of the meditative principles and practices involved in MBSR attempts to uncover the universal dimensions of such disciplines and their applicability in modern society, and is independent of the ideological and cultural belief systems and religious frameworks out of which these meditative practices emerged, although it honors what is deepest and best in all the meditative traditions and attempts to embody the wisdom and compassion that underlie all of them.
Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge of your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you — consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life. The Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (CFM) is an outgrowth of the Stress Reduction Clinic, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. in 1979. Jon Kabat–Zinn is a current member of the MBA advisory board, his son is an outstanding MBA Project instructor.
The Stress Reduction Program has been featured in the Bill Moyer’s PBS documentary Healing and the Mind and in the book of the same title, on Oprah, NBC Dateline, ABC’s Chronicle, and in various national print media. It is also the subject of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s best-selling book, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (Delta, 1990) and Saki Santorelli’s book, Heal Thy Self: Lessons on Mindfulness in Medicine (Random House, 1999). Since its inception, more than 13,000 people have completed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program and learned how to use their innate resources and abilities to respond more effectively to stress, pain, and anger.
