MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
8-week online course at UCSF
Course dates ongoing
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program that introduces mindfulness practices in the form of sitting meditation, body awareness, and mindful movement, modeled by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD. This program can help if stress is having a negative impact on your life, if you are experiencing chronic physical or mental distress, or if you are simply interested in learning ways to maintain health and well-being. Over 6,000 research papers have published findings on the benefits of practicing MBSR including decreased anxiety, depression, pain, and distress, and increased attention, concentration, performance, and quality of life. Recent studies have found that an 8-week MBSR course had comparable effectiveness to a first-line medication for patients with anxiety disorders (JAMA, 2022)
Course Summary
Each MBSR course includes:
An orientation
8 weekly sessions
One daylong retreat on a Saturday or Sunday
A 30-minute private interview with the instructor before the first class
A unique and essential aspect of the UCSF Osher Center MBSR program is a thirty-minute private interview with the instructor before the first class. This is an opportunity to ask questions about the program’s suitability for any personal circumstances. One may also provide information about their health, challenges, and aspirations that one would like the instructor to know so that they can best support one’s well-being.
The orientation session consists of meeting the instructor and participants, an introduction to what participation in the class entails, history and research on the MBSR model, and instruction and practice of mindfulness techniques.
Upcoming COurse DAtes
June-July Tuesday Evenings, 6:00-8:30 pm PT
Orientation: June 2
Class Dates: June 9–July 28
Retreat: Saturday, July 18
Instructor: Nichole Proffitt