Starts Wednesday 13 May | 7-9pm for 7 weeks with additional catch up session in the autumn

PLEASE NOTE :  the first 4 weeks of the course will have both an In Person component plus Online component, the last 3 weeks will be Online only for all participants.

Leader: Pippa O'Connor
Costs: £280 [£225 if on low income; £155 if living off benefits]

For our concessions policy please click here. If you are eligible for a concession, enter “concession-225” (low income) or “concession-155” (if living on benefits) at the Checkout page in the ‘Package, gift or coupon code’ box .
Prices include materials and the additional practice afternoon.

This course is not suitable for people with acute symptoms or who currently find it difficult to regulate emotions.

This Mindful Compassion – Somatic Body - Mind Awareness Course is for people who suffer from anxiety, stress, overwhelm, underwhelmed, trauma, and low mood. We will discuss, understand, and integrate knowledge, body wisdom, and mindful strategies for building resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty, as well as the importance of maintaining a strong and stable mindset for embracing change as an opportunity for growth.

In a world full of uncertainty and perceived threats, how can we effectively manage ourselves? The answer lies not in survival of the fittest but in the survival of the nurtured. Neuroscience has revealed that activating the mammalian part of our brain is essential for feeling safe and secure, as well as for self-soothing and emotional regulation. Through this training, we will gain a deeper understanding of our inner experiences and learn about neuroscience-based tools for grounding and stabilizing ourselves. By exploring the Vagus Nerve and the threat-fear system, along with somatic body-mind awareness, we will acquire practical techniques to manage difficult mental states and experiences in a functional and effective manner.

You will acquire mindful compassion and somatic body–mind awareness, skills to manage the wild mind, and reactive thoughts and feelings. knowledge to activate your natural endorphins to trigger the release of positive neurochemicals like oxytocin to achieve self-soothing and attain deep relaxation. By engaging the safeness system, you can access the benefits of natural endorphins which help to ease muscle tension, alleviate pain and calm the nervous system. These core strategies are crucial in navigating the three states of polyvagal theory - trauma, stress, and anxiety release - by freeing the petrified, aroused self and fostering cooperation with oneself and others. Here we can learn to respond to life and lessen reactivity. Working with the evidenced-based trauma-informed - body, mind, breath, mindfulness, and physical skills, techniques to self-regulate and self-soothe.

We are not just the mind, we are a body-felt sense intelligence so we have to understand our feeling body experience, and not just our thinking mind.

This interactive course will empower you to tap into your body's natural healing intelligence and effectively manage trauma, anxiety, depression, and past conditioning. By gently releasing these experiences and aligning with your natural state, you will be able to achieve a sense of calm and inner peace. With the aid of modern psychology and neuroscience, as well as knowledge of mindful compassion, polyvagal theory, and gut ecology, you will learn to be present, stable, and at ease with yourself and others. Ultimately, this course will lead you toward greater self-awareness and resource you for emotional resilience.

Here we will explore the intersection of mindful compassion wisdom and neuroscience-based knowledge of trauma, anxiety, fear, and depression. Drawing on direct experience and informed theory and the latest evidence-based research, we will gain a deeper understanding of how our symptoms impact us mentally, physically, and emotionally/somatically. Through direct experience, we will learn how to effectively manage these symptoms and gain greater control over our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.

N.B. We will only share information on our direct experience of the skills/tools knowledge and practices from the mindful compassion somatic practices and application to your daily life.

Tutor: Pippa O'Connor (BSc; MSc; PGCE & Dip) Senior lecturer in Mindfulness Based Clinical Applications at the Priory,  North London Hospital, Southgate. She is a Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Teacher / Psychotherapist, at The Tavistock & Portman Hospital, London Clinic Hospital, Harley Street & Priory Hospital, London. Specialising - (CBT) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Addiction and Trauma Focused Therapy / EMDR. Relationship Diploma 

IMPORTANT :

If one has an emergency and requests to change, from in person sessions to Zoom / online, we do allow this but then one must return to your in person place on the mindfulness class as there is a waiting list for these spaces at the North London Buddhist Centre.

Pippa O'Connor

Psychotherapist (BSc; MSc; PGCE & Dip) and senior lecturer in Mindfulness Based Clinical Applications at the North London Hospital, Southgate. She is a Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Consultant at Tavistock Hospital and has a BSC in Cognitive Behaviour, Addiction and Trauma/ DIP Trauma/ EMDR.