Hybrid Vigor: Integration of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) into the Therapeutic Community Part 2

MBCT at Amity’s Circle Tree RanchnnA series of rather unexpected and fortuitous events lead to the introduction of Mindfulness-based meditation at Amity’s Circle Tree Ranch Teaching and Therapeutic Community in March, 2008. Rod Mullen, President and CEO of Amity Foundation, and Mary Stanton, Senior Counselor and Trainer with Amity Foundation, are the presenters and authors of this work. Always interested in current academic literature, we were drawn to topics concerning neuroplasticity of the adult brain, and the capacity of the brain to develop new neuronal/synaptic interconnections and thereby develop new functions and roles (Begley, 2007). We were intrigued by newly discovered principles which are at the heart of some revolutionary work in the therapy of adult sufferers of a variety of physical and psychological disorders. However, this interest did not extend to meditation practices until we were presented with the opportunity to attend an intensive retreat and training in the practice of MBCT. The six-day retreat presented by Zindel Segal Ph.D., Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D., and Steven Hickman, Psy.D. in Joshua Tree, California was a profound experience for both of us, personally and professionally. From that point our preparation included the disciplined development of a personal practice of mindfulness meditation, studying current literature on a variety of applications of Mindfulness-based meditation practices, and planning the implementation of these practices in our Community. We discovered that above all else, it is essential for instructors of MBCT to teach from their experience of a personal meditative practice and to embody the attitudes that they invite participants to practice. Our aim was both to teach the MBCT curriculum and to weave mindfulness practices into all aspects of the Therapeutic Community.nnWe first introduced the concepts and practice of Mindfulness-based meditation to the entire community during a week-long workshop in March 2008. This general orientation included a description of mindfulness as a metacognitive state of “awareness that emerges through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmental to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145). Each day of the workshop began with a guided meditation which consisted of bringing greater awareness to physical sensations and body-feeling states (the body-scan meditation), and sustaining attention on the object of one’s current experience (focus on the breath, and seeing, hearing exercises). Periods of silence and “mindful walking” were also included. Throughout the workshop, participants first experienced mindfulness practices, and then the concept was presented in a seminar format. We detailed the MBCT course which would be available to interested students and faculty members. This provided a foundation and general understanding when it came time to recruit participants for our first 5-Day MBCT course. Students were invited rather than required to attend the course.