This six-hour educational and experiential course is for practicing counselors and psychotherapists who seek to learn more about meditation as a therapeutic modality. Psychiatrists, social workers, hypnotherapists, and holistic healers who incorporate therapy into their practices are also welcome to take this course, as are graduate students in Psychology and Social Work.
This workshop features six styles of meditation drawn from several spiritual traditions that can be usefully adapted to work with clients in the therapeutic setting. Participants will have an opportunity to practice the techniques and to guide others in them. A workbook is included with the course.
In our modern version of the course, it is taught entirely on-line through a webinar, and leads to certification as a Meditation for Therapists Practitioner.
To obtain certification, you will need to present a case in a practicum where you use these meditation techniques, and pass a final exam to assess your knowledge.
The course begins with an overview of the many styles of meditation. We will discuss and practice in this workshop those meditation techniques that have special efficacy in promoting insight, aiding in stress reduction and relaxation, and assisting your clients to contact their inner resources of intuition and volition.
Among the methods we will explore are Vipassana, Inner Absorption (Laya) methods, breathing meditation, and techniques of Reflective and Receptive meditation.
As a supportive adjunct to this course, you may benefit from reading our broader treatment of uses of meditation for therapeutic purposes in our book, Meditation and Therapy: Theory and Application
Professionals who work on a daily basis with individuals seeking to better understand themselves, improve their lives, and relate to others in a healthier way will find this an invaluable course, both for their clients and for themselves. Incorporating the powerful focusing methods of meditation in therapy can lead to faster resolution of clients’ issues and improved therapeutic outcomes.
Part One: Introduction to Meditation
- What is Meditation?
- The Great Continuum of Consciousness
- Models of Consciousness in Psychology
- Vehicles, Forms, or Energetic States—The Focal Point of Meditation
- Comparisons of Psychotherapy, Hypnosis, and Meditation
- Who is Using Meditation in Therapy?
Part Two: Techniques of Meditation with Relevance to Psychotherapy
Monitoring Techniques: Vipassana
- Vipassana upon Sensations
- Vipassana upon Feelings
- Vipassana upon Thoughts
- Vipassana upon I AM Statements
- Vipassana upon the Voidness of Consciousness
Breathing Meditations
- Watching the breath
- Breathing an affirmation
- Breathing a mantra
Creative Meditations
- Energizing the body by visualization—a demonstration
- The Rainbow Method
- Affirmation
- Process Meditation
Reflective Meditations
- The Little Sun Method
- The Mandala Method
- The Stepping Stone Method
Centering
- Reflection and Disidentification
- Ego, Self, and Soul
Grounding—Coming Back from Altered States of Consciousness
Part Three: Articles on Meditation and Psychotherapy
Conscious Mind Meditation
Methods for Meditation on the Vehicles and to Activate the Potentials of Consciousness
Meditation on the Vehicles
Levels of Autosuggestion
Imagery Techniques in Psychotherapy
A Comparison of Spiritual and Psychological Work
The Human Growth Continuum
What is Transformation?
Temples of Human Life
A New Model of Human Functioning
A Heuristic for Determining the Outcome of Therapy
A Comparison Between Psychological and Spiritual Transformation
Inner Encounter
Madness and Mysticism: the Role of Reality Testing
The Journey to Inner Awakening
The workbook also contains suggestions for continuing study and an extensive glossary of new terms.
Your agency can host this workshop in-person if you wish. [It is not approved for professional continuing educational credit at this time].
