Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT), developed by Jean Kristeller, addresses mindless eating, stress-related eating, disordered eating patterns, and obesity through the application of mindfulness meditation. This workshop for health-care professionals provides intensive training in the application of MB-EAT in clinical settings. Informed by Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) work, and the basic principles of food intake regulation, the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness program employs meditation practice, experiential eating exercises, didactic instruction, and self-reflection to help participants cultivate mindful awareness of their eating behaviors. Throughout this training, we use demonstration, role-play, simulated exercises, inquiry, and discussion to cover the themes, material, and exercises in the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness program. We also deepen our own mindfulness practice through daily sitting meditations, eating meditations, body awareness and movement meditations, and a half-day silent retreat. For those with a professional background treating eating issues and a personal meditation practice, this program provides the necessary skills for delivery of the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness program. For those with less experience in either of these areas, it provides an introduction to the issues and skills involved. At the completion of this activity, the participants should be able to: - Demonstrate an intellectual and experiential understanding of the MB-EAT principles and the role of mindfulness in problematic eating behaviors and weight loss concerns
- Be familiar with the empirical evidence from research on meditation and eating regulation that supports the value of these targeted interventions.
- Teach the curriculum and core therapeutic tasks for each of the ten-week group sessions of MB-EAT
- Discuss common clinical and logistical issues that arise in leading MB-EAT programs
- Demonstrate and practice the clinical skills and perspectives involved in facilitating MB-EAT groups
- Develop and/or deepen their own mindfulness meditation practice through formal periods of practice and mindfulness as a mode of being in daily life and appreciate the necessity of personal practice for successful delivery of this treatment modality to increase the quality of patient outcomes
CE and CME are available and included in the tuition. Jean Kristeller, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has used meditation-based interventions for eating disorders and obesity for more than 20 years, and has received NIH funding for related research for the past five years. She has taught at Harvard University, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Indiana State University, and cofounded The Center for Mindful Eating. tcme.org Char Wilkins, MSW, LCSW, teaches MBSR, MBCT, and MB-EAT programs and has had a personal meditation practice for 15 years. She serves on the board of The Center for Mindful Eating, and is the founder and director of the Center for Mindful Living in Hartford, Connecticut. amindfulpath.com |
