Bring Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to all who need it

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We feel more alive. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.” Jon Kabat-Zinn. Ph.D

Stress and the Consequences for Americans

Stress is the leading cause of physician visits and contributes to countless chronic illnesses. It lowers productivity, compromises relationships and eats away at our quality of life. While we often can't change the situations and conditions that are causing stress, we CAN learn to cope more effectively!

How? One way is by participating in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

How does MBSR Help?

Research has documented the following benefits of MBSR:

• Increases our ability to relax
• Decreases physical and psychological symptoms from illness
• Reduces pain levels and enhances the ability to cope and deal with chronic pain
• Helps people cope more effectively with short and long-term stressful situations

MBSR at a Glance

MBSR is an 8-week intensive training which meets on a weekly basis. It teaches participants to consciously and methodically deal with stress, pain, illness and the demanding challenges of everyday life. It's a deep, transformational program that offers lasting benefits and impact.

The catalyst behind the Center's MBSR program is Terry Pearson. Terry has 35 years of clinical experience in health care. She taught the Center's first MBSR class in 2004 and continues as our lead MBSR facilitator. Now with seven facilitators, who bring a deep passion for mindfulness, our program is growing and spreading. We've brought MBSR programs into schools, prisons, hospitals, community agencies and, more recently, corporate settings.

Home Base and Partners

• Since 2002, the Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota has been researching the effectiveness of MBSR--with organ transplant patients, caregivers of Alzheimer’s, chronic insomniacs and more.
• The Center has been successfully offering the MBSR to the community since 2004. Over two thousand participants have taken a MBSR class.
• The Center has developed and is offering an academic version of the MBSR to U of M students.

How You Can Help?

In 2005, MBSR founder Jon Kabat-Zinn helped the Center create a Scholarship Fund to support and subsidize those who need the program but simply cannot afford it. Over the past six years the Scholarship Fund has enabled more than 100 individuals to participate and get vital support and healing from MBSR.

With the tight economy, scholarships are granted every quarter and we need to replenish the Scholarship Fund. Everyone is affected by stress; everyone should have access to MBSR.

From a Scholarship Recipient

“The Center’s MBSR Program has been a life changing experience for me. What I have learned about myself, how to cope and manage challenges in my life and becoming aware of responding instead of reacting to situations has been profound. I understand deeply within myself that MBSR is a life-long journey that, with commitment and practice, will carry me through the rest of my life. I have come to accept that I am human, will make mistakes and will be stressed by different situations. One of the most important lessons that I take from this program is that my task to remember not to judge, but to be willing to let go and learn for what comes my way. I struggle to find words to adequately describe what this experience has meant to me. Without the amazing gift of a scholarship, from the Center for Spirituality and Healing, I would not have been able to participate at all. Thank you to the generous supporters.”

-Harriette Manis, MBSR Scholarship Recipient (Fall 2011)

Thank You for Your Generous Gift!

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL GIFTS DIRECTLY SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE CENTER. THE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION, DESCRIBED BELOW, IS OUR 501(c)(3) PARTNER.