Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8-week course on mindfulness practice and stress reduction developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979. Since then over 18,000 people have taken MBSR. There are several other mindfulness-based classes and interventions but MBSR is the oldest and most studied for general improvements in health and well-being. Significant improvement has been shown for a wide variety of physical and mental illnesses. [See current MBSR class listings below]
What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction?
Since 1979, more than 18,000 people have completed the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. It is a course that helps participants draw on their own inner resources and actively engage in caring for themselves and finding greater balance, ease, and peace of mind.
The program was founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD at the Stress Reduction Clinic of UMass Medical School and described in his book Full Catastrophe Living. The technique was originally developed for use in hospitals with patients suffering from painful, chronic, or disabling conditions. It was found that following participation in an MBSR program, participants' levels of anxiety and depression decreased and their sense of well-being increased. Extensive research has shown that the Stress Reduction Program can be beneficial for anyone, regardless of state of health.
Research Evidence Suggests MBSR is helpful for:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in the Media
MBSR has been featured on PBS in Bill Moyers’ documentary Healing and the Mind, which was seen by more than 40 million people; on NBC’s Dateline; on ABC’s Evening News and Chronicle programs; on The Oprah Winfrey Show; and in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. In the Seattle area a wonderful new documentary on the power of mindfulness with veterans at the Seattle VA Hospital is available online through this link.
Our 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course
In a safe, supportive atmosphere participants meet in a closed group every week with their instructor to:
Course details
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is a structured 8-week course on mindfulness that reduces stress, and promotes health and well being. This highly participatory, practical course includes:
The Commitment of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
MBSR is truly experiential education. By spending a significant amount of time in class and at home it’s truly possible to change patterns of reactivity and stress. New ways of relating to life that are less reactive and more healthy often result. The power of this investigation into moment-to-moment living offered by MBSR can change your relationship to your own experience and this carries forward into relationships and attitudes of all kinds.
For this “magic” to work participants must be committed to putting in the time in practice and study. This includes:
Sometimes with tongue just a little bit in cheek MBSR instructions tell participants that learning about stress reduction can be quite stressful! Most of us have busy lives and it’s not easy to add the weekly class and daily home practice.
To receive benefit from MBSR you must be ready to make your best effort to attend all class sessions and do the home practice. And to bring forward a gentle but persistent effort with an open-minded spirit of curiosity. There is plenty of support from the instructor, the recorded and written materials, and from your fellow participants but the decision to commit to MBSR can come from you alone.
Thousands of people of all ages, from all walks of life and lifestyles have now benefited from the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program - and you can too! This program is suitable for anyone who is interested in living a less stressful and more rewarding life.
Below, you can find a list of current, upcoming, and past MBSR classes offered by Mindfulness Northwest.
Or view our Entire Schedule, which includes our MBSR classes as well as all other classes, workshops, and retreats we're currently offering.