The mindfulness-based therapeutic groups offered at Breathe Mindfulness Centre are intimate (~12-16 participants) and open to anyone curious about experiencing the transformational core skills and principles of mindfulness and self-compassion into one’s life in a group setting.They are designed to help participants work through difficult emotions such as anxiety and depression, enhance resilience and cope with life’s challenges. Groups harness the proven power of healing through highlighting our common humanity and increasing connection with others. Additional benefits include increased well-being and happiness, experiencing more satisfying relationships and support with maintaining healthier habits. The evidence-based MBCT, MSC and MBSR full programs offered at the Centre are the first steps in pursuing further teacher training in these areas as they fulfill the prerequisite for becoming a trained teacher.
Therapeutic groups typically run over several weeks and involve short talks, experiential exercises, mindfulness meditation, group discussion, and home practices. We focus on equity, diversity, inclusiveness and belonging. Mutual respect and confidentiality are required to participate. Prior meditation experience is not necessary to participate in therapeutic groups.
Therapeutic groups are a more accessible, less costly way to access therapeutic care in a group setting. Payment plans are also available for all group sessions.
*Although therapeutic, our group programs are not a substitute for individual mental health therapy. If experiencing mental health issues, alternate complementary health supports are required.
Should the group format not be suitable for you at this time, the main components of the mindfulness-based therapeutic group curriculums can be offered in individual session format.
Therapeutic programs are at times offered virtually throughout the Zoom platform. Contact us to find out more.
An 8-week program for coping with anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. In this program, you will learn to access and cultivate your natural capacity to actively engage in caring for yourself and find greater balance, ease, and peace of mind.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is an evidence-based treatment approach developed by Drs. Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale that has been proven effective for reducing stress and anxiety and preventing relapse in those who suffer from depression. It combines the practice of mindfulness with the skills of cognitive therapy. Mindfulness is about paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment without judgment. The core principles and skills of mindfulness facilitate greater awareness and acceptance of thoughts, emotions and sensations which help us break free from automatic, habitual responses that are often unhelpful to our well-being. Mindfulness also cultivates compassion towards ourselves and others. Cognitive therapy is designed to interrupt negative and unhealthy thought patterns that lead to depressive and anxious spirals. To learn more about MBCT CLICK HERE.
An 8-week program that combines the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion to enhance emotional wellbeing. In this program, you will learn how to be with difficult emotions and moments in your life with kindness, care and understanding and develop resources to safeguard your own well-being when navigating relationships and life’s challenges.
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically supported program developed by Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Combined with the skills of mindfulness, MSC teaches core principles and essential tools for treating yourself in a kind, compassionate way whenever you suffer, fail, or feel inadequate rather than the typical response of self-criticism, self-denial, or self-absorption. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, forgive ourselves, motivate ourselves with kindness, care for others, and be fully human.
The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness. Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. Common humanity opens us to our essential interrelatedness so that we know we aren’t alone. Mindfulness opens us to the present moment, so we can accept our experience with greater ease. Together they comprise a state of warm-hearted, connected presence.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who did not receive enough affection in childhood or who feel uncomfortable when they are good to themselves.
Growing research continues to show that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships. To learn more about MSC CLICK HERE.
A 6-week adaptation of the popular evidence-based 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion program for those who wish to learn the fundamental principles and skills of self-compassion but are time-limited.
This short course is an adaptation of the empirically supported 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion program designed to begin cultivating the skills of self-compassion. Research shows that self-compassion significantly enhances emotional well-being, lessens anxiety and depression, boosts resilience and happiness, leads to more satisfying relationships and can even help maintain healthy lifestyles such as nutritious eating and exercise.
To learn more about MSC, CLICK HERE.
An 8-week program to help you manage stress and promote long-term wellness.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the original mindfulness-based program designed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, clinically proven to help people cope with chronic pain, physical and mental illnesses, and the stress of daily life. In this 8-week in-person group program, you will learn a combination of mindfulness, cognitive behavioural, and self-regulation skills to cultivate a different relationship with your body and mind that will help you live with more self-awareness, balance, and choice in response rather than a reaction to stress.
A 4-week program to explore how mindfulness practice can increase resilience and reduce the effects of stress on the body and mind.
The Mindfulness Basics program is an adaptation of the 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program which introduces you to the core skills, practices, and principles of mindfulness and provides you with an opportunity to incorporate mindfulness into your life right now in a way that is both impactful and beneficial to you. A variety of practices will be offered to assist you in discovering what works for you and ways to begin to establish your own personal practice.
A 4-week program focused on cultivating a calmer, more fulfilling life.
Stress is an inevitable part of life that is experienced by everyone. When stress is not useful, severe and/or chronic, it can have a significant negative impact on your well-being. In this 4-week program, we will explore what stress is, and its impact on our well-being and be offered guidance and practical tools to decrease stress, increase resilience, and enhance joy and overall wellness.
The therapeutic group programs are periodically offered in half-day, one-day and multi-day intensives at the Wolfville, NS location and other serene locations in the Atlantic Provinces. These intensives allow you an opportunity to unplug from the everyday demands of your life, rest and immerse yourself in learning about and experiencing the transformational benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion.
As the title suggests, this format is a more “intense” and immersive experience than the programs that are offered over several weeks. Hence this format can potentially be more emotionally challenging as well as bring up difficult emotions, including past traumas. Although the mindfulness teachers are committed to helping participants feel safe and supported during the intensive, the participants agree at the outset that they will take primary responsibility for their emotional well-being and have other support for their mental health accessible outside of the program. We encourage careful consideration before registering. If you are unsure if an intensive is a good fit for you in your current circumstances, please contact Breathe Mindfulness Centre to discuss.
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Keep your practice going and be supported by others by committing to these monthly 90-minute group sessions for graduates of Mindfulness-Based Programs (including MBSR, MBCT, and MSC).