Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
in a Time of COVID-19:
Cultivating Stability, Sanity & Ease
A growing body of scientific research at UMass and other academic medical centers has shown that mindfulness and participation in MBSR programs can be significantly and often profoundly beneficial in terms of reducing medical symptoms and emotional/psychological distress. A majority of program graduates report:
- an ability to cope more effectively with stressful situations, both short and long-term
- lasting decreases in physical and psychological symptoms
- decreased levels of pain, and an increased ability to cope with pain that may not go away
- an increased ability to relax
- increased emotional stability
- greater sense of energy and well-being and enthusiasm for life
Janet Curry, MA, MSt, LPC, Certified MBSR Teacher, founded Stillpoint in 2006 as a private practice offering counseling and Mindfulness-Based training programs in Durango, CO and the Four Corners region. Janet is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado; she received her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Seattle University and her BA from Williams College. One of the first 130 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teachers globally to have been certified by the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness (CFM) in Medicine, Health Care and Society, Janet was also one of 30 Certified MBSR teachers around the world to complete the CFM’s first and only ‘Train the Trainer’ program. The CFM is where MBSR began, and is the oldest, largest, continually running MBSR clinic and teacher training organization in the world. An ardent practitioner, student and teacher of Mindfulness-Based Programs, in 2018 Janet completed a second Master’s degree program in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, from which she graduated with their highest mark of ‘Distinction.’ Trauma treatment is an area of personal passion and expertise. Janet is fully trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for trauma. The understanding of trauma and exploration of effective treatments is evolving rapidly; thus Janet has twice completed the Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies with the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute led by world-renowned trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD. She is currently engaged in the 3-year training in Somatic Experiencing, a somatic treatment approach for resolving trauma. She is also bringing her Master’s research in Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness to the community through presentations and workshops. Before moving to Durango in 2006, Janet began her work at a Seattle community mental health clinic. Since opening Stillpoint in early 2007, she has supported clients coping with a wide variety of mental/emotional and physical health challenges and conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, grief and loss, AIDS, addiction recovery, fibromyalgia, cancer, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. She has taught 34 MBSR & MBCT courses in Durango and the Four Corners area, including onsite at the Durango Cancer Center and in Telluride. Over 600 individuals, ranging in age from 16 to 84, have participated in her courses. Hundreds more have been introduced to mindfulness via her talks, presentations and workshops. Other passions include theatre, music and the performing arts. Janet is on the Board of Imaginary Friends, a local non-profit supporting Merely Players Theatre and 20 Moons Dance. She has occasionally been spotted on stage herself. Janet began her investigation of meditation and personal inquiry at age 16, when she enrolled in a course in Transcendental Meditation (TM). Ten years later, she was introduced to and fell in love with yoga; another decade down the road, after reading Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book on MBSR, “Full Catastrophe Living,” and ordering his guided meditations on, then, tapes, she began the practice of mindfulness meditation. Her work today is grounded in over three decades of personal practice, study, and experience, and the privilege of offering these practices to others. Her daily teachers include her two children, ages 20 and 24, her husband of 25 years, and the newest member of the family: Sammie the Rescue Pup. MBSR COURSE SCHEDULE:
Classes: Wednesdays, September 30 - November 18, 5:30 - 8pm MST (First and Last class, 5:30-8:30pm) All-day Retreat: Sunday, November 8, 8:45am to 4:30pm MST Location: All classes will be held online, using the Zoom video conferencing platform. Tuition: Given the extraordinary circumstances in which we all find ourselves, I am offering a "pay what you can" fee structure, trusting in your honest assessment of your circumstances. I suggest that you choose to pay: $300 or $560 or $725. Please pay more, if possible, to help support those with fewer financial resources. A deposit of $150 will hold your place for the upcoming Fall session. Please contact Janet directly to set up a plan that fits. A deposit of $150 will hold your spot in the course, and can be paid by Venmo (@Janet-Curry-4) or by sending a check to: Stilpoint, 2243 Main Ave, 4B, Durango, CO, 81301. |
Free Required Orientation Session
to be held online: Wednesday, September 16, 5:30 - 7:30pm All times listed are in Mountain Standard Time (MST) (This session is required for course participants) 
Fall MBSR Course Begins Sept. 30
While life on this planet has never been stress-free, it's fair to say that never before in our lifetimes have stressors been so global, acute, and threatening to safety, livelihood, and well-being. And it's not just the pandemic, and the layers of loss, financial crises, illness, and uncertainty that have come in it's wake. It's also the way in which the lowered volume of busyness has allowed for seeing more clearly than at any time since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, the violence and suffering that come with social injustice. It's the way we're being called to engage proactively with our own blindnesses regarding privilege and the dire consequences in terms of healthcare, safety, and sustainable work for those without it. We're being called to reflect, consider, and educate ourselves so that when we take action, on a local or global level, it's in the service of minimizing harm, and maximizing well-being for all human beings across categories of race, gender identification, sexual orientation, and income levels. It's the way we're being called to listen. To open our minds and hearts to others' experience that is different from our own. To learn and grow in our own understanding of all forms of oppression, and affirm that we stand in support of dignity and justice for each and every one of us. All this in the midst of a viral scourge that is changing where and how we work, socialize, connect with our families, and support ourselves and one another. Could there be a better time to learn skills for steadying our minds, for befriending ourselves? Right in the midst of the chaos and confusion of our times, it's not only possible, but may be critical to cultivate our deep internal resources for clarity, kindness, and durable well-being. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction(MBSR) is a means of doing just this. An 8-week, evidence-based, experiential training, MBSR was designed precisely for coping more effectively with the vast array of challenges, demands, and both ordinary and extraordinary stresses of daily living. It offers intensive training in mindfulness meditation and mindful movement, and in integrating course learnings into everyday life. Research consistently shows that mindfulness practices result in significant short and long-term benefits, including increases in self-awareness, compassion, and emotion regulation, reductions in anxiety, depression and chronic pain, and positive changes in risk factors that may lead to more serious chronic ailments. The MBSR curriculum integrates trauma-informed guidelines that reflect current 'best practices' in the field. These guidelines have grown out of the recognition that many of us are, on any given day, coping with traumatic stress arising from events such as sudden loss, diagnosis of disease, accidents, assault, or military combat, as well as from on-going encounters with systems of discrimination, violence, and marginalization. The intention of this course is to bring every possible benefit that mindfulness offers to all participants, including those who have experienced the full range of joys and sorrows that accompany our being human. Please join us in exploring how mindfulness might support you in living with greater ease and well-being, right in the midst of the difficulties now present. Mark your calendars for the: Questions? Please contact Janet at: janet@stillpointmindfulnesstraining.com, or 970-779-0611. |
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
for Reducing Anxiety and Improving Health
The MBSR program was created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. The course is now offered in over 250 medical centers, hospitals, and clinics around the world, and variations of the program have made their way into popular culture, holistic training institutes, and public schools, supporting people with stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain in ways that give hope in these troubled times and teach kindness and compassion to current and future generations.
The course is a formal 8-week training in mindfulness meditation, with a day-long silent retreat near the end of the program. It meets on a weekly basis and includes a personal commitment to home practice and mindful citizenship. Participants will practice present moment awareness, breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, movement meditations, yoga, mindful walking, and more. This brings attention to the unity of mind and body, as well as to the ways the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can undermine emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
for Reducing Anxiety and Improving Health
The MBSR program was created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. The course is now offered in over 250 medical centers, hospitals, and clinics around the world, and variations of the program have made their way into popular culture, holistic training institutes, and public schools, supporting people with stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain in ways that give hope in these troubled times and teach kindness and compassion to current and future generations.
- Clinically proven to lower blood pressure, prevent depressive relapse, and improve quality of sleep and overall health
The course is a formal 8-week training in mindfulness meditation, with a day-long silent retreat near the end of the program. It meets on a weekly basis and includes a personal commitment to home practice and mindful citizenship. Participants will practice present moment awareness, breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, movement meditations, yoga, mindful walking, and more. This brings attention to the unity of mind and body, as well as to the ways the unconscious thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can undermine emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
What participants are saying:
"This has really helped me get in touch with what it feels like to be kind to myself by taking the time.”
“On a stressful and busy workday, the breathing exercises help calm me down.”
“I’ve been getting ‘stuck’ in my meditation practice – this gave me skills and tools to use in physical life outside of my internal practice.”
“This gave me immediate tools to stop my automatic reactions in stressful situations.”
“What has been useful is learning to put on the brakes of my thoughts and recognize the body sensations and building my awareness.”
“I learned to practice kindness, practice compassion, practice mindfulness and to be okay with being still and not latch onto thoughts and emotions.”
“I have discovered that I am a powerful and strong woman, capable of being mindful in the daily stresses of life.”
“Meditation is such an amazing tool. My goal is to be able to tune in as much as possible despite the chaos that surrounds us all, and to connect to the beautiful energies around me.”
“I was spending a lot of time ruminating over unnecessary and harmful thoughts and am learning to accept my emotions.”
“I am learning to stay present, even in the difficult moments.”
“I felt immediate benefits in that the body scan, the yoga, and the meditation were all helping me to settle more into being grounded and centered, even in difficult times. I also learned a great deal about how I habitually respond to stress, and realized that those automatic stress responses caused way more problems than they solved.”
"This has really helped me get in touch with what it feels like to be kind to myself by taking the time.”
“On a stressful and busy workday, the breathing exercises help calm me down.”
“I’ve been getting ‘stuck’ in my meditation practice – this gave me skills and tools to use in physical life outside of my internal practice.”
“This gave me immediate tools to stop my automatic reactions in stressful situations.”
“What has been useful is learning to put on the brakes of my thoughts and recognize the body sensations and building my awareness.”
“I learned to practice kindness, practice compassion, practice mindfulness and to be okay with being still and not latch onto thoughts and emotions.”
“I have discovered that I am a powerful and strong woman, capable of being mindful in the daily stresses of life.”
“Meditation is such an amazing tool. My goal is to be able to tune in as much as possible despite the chaos that surrounds us all, and to connect to the beautiful energies around me.”
“I was spending a lot of time ruminating over unnecessary and harmful thoughts and am learning to accept my emotions.”
“I am learning to stay present, even in the difficult moments.”
“I felt immediate benefits in that the body scan, the yoga, and the meditation were all helping me to settle more into being grounded and centered, even in difficult times. I also learned a great deal about how I habitually respond to stress, and realized that those automatic stress responses caused way more problems than they solved.”