Special workshop on mindfullness
Presenter: Sheena Clarke
Sheena is a Residential Social Care Manager for children in residential care with more than twenty years experience working in the Health Service Executive and the national Irish Child & Family agency. Sheena has completed a BSc in PMAV (Professional Management of Aggression and Violence) in 2009, and a Diploma in Mindfulness Based Interventions in 2016.
She provides an eight week Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction programme for healthcare staff within the Child & Family agency and believes that it is vital that health care services invest in the people that deliver care to the most vulnerable.
The average person is on ‘autopilot’ 47% of the time, with our attention absorbed in ‘wandering’ minds and not really ‘present’ (Harvard Gazette, 2010). Mindfulness is a method of improving our attention to the present moment without judgement. (Kabat-Zinn 1990). Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness in supporting individuals to live more authentically and with improved kindness and compassion. Empirical evidence over the last 30 years has supported the positive impact of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and/or Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on improving mental health, individuals’ experience of pain, brain function and general well-being (Williams, 2011).
Zylowski et al. (2007) suggest that Mindfulness has emerged as a new approach for stress reduction and an important innovation in treating psychiatric disorders. Mindfulness programmes are now employed as an adjunct in the treatment of many disorders including addictions, eating disorders, chronic pain, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and in relationship enhancement.
Evidence suggests the positive effects of mindfulness on brain functioning, managing day-to-day stress, irritability and anxiety, and in preventing depression. Those who use mindfulness regularly have demonstrated improved attention, memory and faster reaction times, with positive effects also on medical conditions including hypertension, immune system functioning, cancer and chronic pain (Williams, 2011). Recent developments within neuroscience, investigating the plasticity of the brain, suggest, that mindfulness training can alter the functioning of the areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with mood and happiness (Davidson 2012).
This workshop will present a practical mindfulness session and explore how delegates might employ mindfulness in becoming more mindful in their daily life.
Previous participants have suggested that "Caring for our own wellbeing is crucial"; "Being with my own thoughts feels so liberating" and that “I have learnt to appreciate my own life in this moment".
Thursday 27 October
Parallel Session (5)
Room 2
16.00 - 17.30
Friday 28 October
Parrallel Session (8)
Room 15
13.30 - 15.00
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