MBSR vs. MBCT

[JonW]

Hi James.
I'll be sure to pass on your thanks to Nick, a good man, a truly great teacher.
It might be easier for you to move to Brighton.
All best, Jon

[James123]

I've just completed week 4 of my MBSR course. At the end I asked my teacher if we were doing the "turning towards difficulties" next week and she stared at me blankly.

I have read many times on here that this particular week was very important for those on a MBCT course.

Luckily I haven't really suffered what I would call "proper" depression (can't get out of bed, function normally when having to do mundane tasks like showering/making breakfast and even suicidal thoughts) so I am not too concerned that I am doing an MBSR course over the MBCT option. But I do suffer quite badly from anxiety. So now I feel I may be missing out on a big part of my practice because my teacher doesn't teach that particular part of mindfulness.

Having read Nick's words again I'm not overly concerned, but I do feel this week might be beneficial for me. I have FPIAFW here so perhaps I could do week 5 at home after completing my course, but I'm not sure if doing that will interfere as the weeks in both MBSR & MBCT have been laid out specifically.

Any thoughts, guys?

[piedwagtail91]

I don't see a problem with doing mbct week 5 when you've finished the mbsr course.
You'll have had a lot more mediation practice by then and you'll be more aware which can only be a good thing.
If you wanted to follow the first 4 weeks of fpiafw before week 5 that may have its advantages.

[SheilaB]

Hi James,

We usually speak to course participants before they come on our 8 week courses, to make sure it's a good fit.

Aswell as the differences between MBCT and MBSR already mentioned, it's important to know if a course is being aimed at a particular client group. The course teacher should be able to advise on suitability. For example, we can have up to 25 people on our Mindfulness for Stress courses, which might not be the preferred environment for some students.

Sheila

[SheilaB]

Just realised I didn't see the whole thread so my reply was a bit behind!

It is so important to be able to discuss anything you're unsure about with your teacher. I'm sorry there seems a lack of clarity about the structure of the course you're on. Hopefully things are unfolding well...

Sheila

[James123]

Thanks guys.

Would there be any downside to re-visiting all 8 weeks of the FPIAFW book once the MBSR course finishes or should I just concentrate on what I will have learned during the MBSR course?

[piedwagtail91]

I think it would be ok to do the whole course. I've done about 8 or 9 courses as a volunteer and benefited from each one. Mindfulness may be experiential but there's always something to learn or become aware of.