NY Insight Meditation Center - Mindfulness & Trauma: Healing Our Wounds with Wisdom and Compassion

I am pleased to be returning to New York Insight Meditation Center to present a day-long workshop, "Mindfulness & Trauma: Healing Our Wounds with Wisdom and Compassion" on September 22, 2019.

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~ Carl Jung

Traumatic experience exists on a broad continuum. Most of us have experienced some form of trauma in our lives, to greater or lesser degrees. Everyone is exposed to trauma in life, either through their own experience, or witnessing the experiences of others. This is Dukkha, the truth of suffering, the first of the 4 noble truths. This concept is at the heart of the Buddha’s teaching.

In this retreat, we’ll explore the pain and suffering that arises from unresolved, unprocessed trauma. What is unprocessed can, and does, show up in our bodies, minds, hearts and spirit in our daily lives and in our meditation practice.

We’ll learn and practice how can we work with, and be with, the difficult and challenging sensations, thoughts and afflictive emotions that comprise the ongoing effects of trauma. Emotions such as fear, shame, anger, guilt and grief can be overwhelming, and often resistance to those feelings naturally arises as protective, conditioned and reactive avoidance. We have a variety of coping mechanisms that cause us to run away from and avoid these feelings instead of facing them directly. Yet, the only way out… is through.

In this day long experiential retreat we’ll focus on the healing power of mindfulness and compassion and apply those practices to the process of healing our wounds. We’ll explore skillful means and mindful strategies that bring us a sense of safety, loving kindness, clarity and connection. From that place we are able to greet and welcome our emotional experience directly with courage, confidence, calm, unconditional presence and acceptance.

In this context, the healing journey meets the spiritual path, as our experience of trauma itself becomes the opportunity and fuel for deep awakening and transformation. As we shift our relationship and approach to our pain, we set out on a path that leads to liberation and freedom from suffering.

** Note: While mindfulness and compassion practices are effective for healing and working with trauma, they are not being taught (or encouraged to be used) in place of therapy.

Click here for more information and to register.