MBSR and MBCT have done a great job of introducing people to mindfulness meditation in secular, psychologically-grounded contexts. However, less attention has been given to supporting the ongoing development of mature, secular, meditation practice. In fact, practitioners attending advanced professional training are typically expected to have a Buddhist teacher and to attend Buddhist retreats. This evening we will explore how you, as a professional who teaches or aspires to teach mindfulness within secular contexts, are navigating the process of sustaining and further developing your meditation practice.
There will be a silent meditation practice, set up in an inclusive way allowing for any kind of meditation practice, followed by journaling or reflection about the practice, and then discussion.
If you wish, you will also be able to engage in a novel, experientially open form of mindfulness meditation – recollective awareness meditation.
About the speakers
Bill Gayner, BSW, MSW, RSW integrates mindfulness in his work as a mental health professional in the Clinic for HIV-Related Concerns at Mount Sinai Hospital. He co-led a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness for gay men living with HIV. He has trained and mentored professionals in mindfulness for many years. He is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at U of T and the Head of Meditation Innovation at the new Sunnybrook Mindfulness Centre.
Steven Selchen, MD, MSt, FRCP(C) is a staff psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (University of Toronto). He has a Master’s degree from Oxford University in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. He runs a clinical and research program for mindfulness-based approaches, and leads mindfulness-based educational and professional development workshops in local and international settings. He is Director of Continuing Mental Health Education at Sunnybrook, and Director of the new Sunnybrook Mindfulness Centre.