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It seems Spring is struggling to arrive. We hope you've all weathered the cold Winter months and are planning an active and engaged Spring... then Summer and Fall. Here at the OMC, we have been busy with many workshops and the usual MBSM programs offered in January. As always, it's so gratifying to see our participants take up mindfulness practices and report back positive and insightful experiences.
Mindfulness & Psychotherapy for Alumni
As part of the OMC's commitment to training and support of future generations of healthcare professionals, we are a practicum and internship site for the University of Ottawa. The trainees take part in our MBSM program to the same level of rigorous training as direct applicants. In 2017, we initiated with great success a more in-depth training process that includes psychotherapy for the OMC's program Alumni.
We offer 5-8 individual sessions with an intern who has completed the initial phases of training and supervised by Drs Frank Musten or Lynette Monteiro. There is no cost for the sessions.
If you are interested in developing a resetting or boosting your mindfulness practice, please contact us.
Meditation: Good or bad?
Good experiences are wonderful. They motivate us to continue practising and encourage learning how our choices can lead to healthy or unhealthy outcomes. Sometimes, we can feel distressing emotions when meditating; most of the time, they diminish. Through discussions with our therapist or meditation instructor/facilitator, we are able to find ways to meet these experiences with skill.
Lately, however, there have been increasing research findings and discussions that indicate meditation can also lead to unpleasant or distressing feelings, both during meditation and after. While these experiences can be upsetting, they do not necessarily mean meditation is bad or wrong. At the same time, we feel it is important to advise you of the potential for distressing experiences during meditation.
If you have had distressing experiences during meditation, please reach out. Talk with your therapist or counsellor. If this occurs during a mindfulness program, ask the facilitator for a time to discuss your experience. It does not mean we are failures at meditation or that there is something wrong with us. It does mean we need support to understand what is happening and how to address it.
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Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe Healing by David Treleaven
View the video here.
We highly recommend this book by Dr. Treleaven. Written in a style that is inviting to both practitioners and healthcare professionals, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness explains how we can become stuck in negative mind cycles because of various forms of trauma. The recommendations for dealing with trauma-related negative experiences during meditation are easy to understand and helpful. The most important insight is that trauma is not only from historic, life-threatening events but can also be from witnessing events that left us feeling helpless and fear-stricken.
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Alumni Evenings
Please join us on the last Monday of each month for an evening of meditation and practice Q & A.
2018
April 30, May 28 & June 25
6:00 - 7:30 PM
(Bad weather announcements will be made on Facebook & Twitter!)
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New to meditation and retreats? Ever wondered if you "can do it?" Yes, you can! Join the teachers of the OMC for an introduction to mindfulness on retreat.
Heart of Mindfulness
June 15-17, 2018
Registration opens January 1, 2018
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Mindfulness-based Symptom Management 5-day Intensive
July 22-27, 2018
Can't make it over the school year or just need a getaway for a week in the Summer? Join Drs. Lynette Monteiro and Frank Musten, Directors of the OMC, and learn mindfulness in this five-day version of our 8-week program.
Location: Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic
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Cultivating Wisdom & Compassion through the Roots of Mindfulness
October 19-24, 2018
Want a quiet time to learn how mindfulness can help you develop a calm and steady life? Join Drs. Lynette Monteiro and Frank Musten, Directors of the OMC, and learn how to develop compassion for yourself in the beautiful surroundings of Galilee Retreat Centre in Arnprior ON.
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Mindfulness-based Symptom Management
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Register now for our May MBSM programs.
Information sessions begin April 17, 2018
*learn the fundamentals of mindfulness practices
*how to become more aware of the mind-body connection
*mindfulness-based stress awareness and coping skill
*how the Five Skillful Habits can support your values and how to live in line with those values
*self-care strategies that go together with mindfulness skills
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