Practice
Mindfulness Course
MBCT mindfulness course — evidence-based techniques and skills from mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy
Participants learn practical skills to calm the mind, increase self-knowledge, and respond constructively in challenging situations. The course can help researchers and academics to manage stress, break negative thought patterns, and cultivate the ability to pause and choose more skillful responses in the face of academic pressures. The course is based on research at the University of Oxford and other leading centres.
If you are curious and want to have a taste of a mindfulness course, join us for a free mindfulness tasting session.
I also offer a 3-session long introductory course and an 8-week, evidence-based course integrating mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. More information and registration form below.
What is this course about?
The course is well-structured in 8 sessions to gradually introduce and teach key techniques and skills both from mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. The course offers learning from direct experience that supports recognizing unhelpful reactivity patterns and developing new helpful habits. It also offers cognitive understanding of one’s mind and behaviour.
The course is designed to support individuals in difficult situations in personal and work life. It also teaches to bring attention to positive aspects in life that are often overlooked. This strategy is an antidote to negativity bias. Finally, it is a great resource to understand oneself better be it in a work or personal life. Such self-understanding is essential for making better decisions and developing helpful habits.
Boundaries
What is this course not about?
It is not about relaxation techniques even though one of the “side effects” of the course can be relaxation.
The course is not a therapeutic intervention or treatment for physical or psychological conditions.
The course is not connected with any religion and does not teach religious practices.
For academics
Relevance for students and researchers
From my experience, the skills and techniques learned in the course have helped me in my research activities and supported me throughout my PhD journey. The course is particularly valuable for learning how to maintain focused attention instead of resorting to multitasking that drains energy. It can also teach skills that might be helpful to find a state of mind that encourages curiosity which I find essential for enjoying research and continuously exploring topics. Finally, the course can support researchers to deal with overwhelming situations by learning how to step back and find skilful responses to such situations. For example, one can learn how to face stressful situations and find a relaxed state for working despite a daunting workload. Or sometimes a more skilful strategy can be to decide to take a real break to support one’s well-being and with it also the research project.
What you leave with
Learning outcomes of the 8-week course
recognizing unhelpful reactivity
understanding one’s recurring patterns in behaviour, emotions and thinking
responding skilfully in difficult situations
befriending own mind and experiences
supporting well-being and relationships
How it runs
Structure of the 8-week course
Information session
Before the course, I will contact each participant to schedule an information session. The goal of the information session is to make sure that the course is suitable for you. It is also a good opportunity to answer any questions that you might have.
8 weekly online sessions
Each session focuses on a specific topic linked to techniques and skills. The sessions build on each other and combine mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Day of Practice
The course includes an additional Day of Practice, on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. This is an opportunity to deepen practice and it is voluntary.
Register
Course offerings
Mindfulness Tasting Session — 1h, Nov 22, 4 pm (CET), online (Zoom)
Are you curious about mindfulness and would like to experience how it can help you create more well-being, peace and balance in your life?
Join us for this tasting session to try key practices, talk about the role of mindfulness in well-being and stress reduction and learn more about how to continue practicing.
The session will consist of an introduction to mindfulness — what it is and what it is not, how it can be helpful, short practices and an overview of the course offer. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences, thoughts and doubts.
Open session
Mindfulness for Life — 8 week course — Wednesdays
Dates & Location: 15/Oct/2025 – 10/Dec/2025, 17:30 – 19:30 (CET), online via Zoom
Price: 100 CHF. Flexible student fee: pay what feels right for you.
Registration closed
Introduction to Mindfulness — 3 sessions in December
Dates & Location: 8/Dec/2025 Monday, 10/Dec/2025 Wednesday, and 12/Dec/2025 Friday, 6–7pm (CET), online via Zoom
Price: 25 CHF. Flexible student fee: pay what feels right for you.
Registration open
Further reading
Resources (research articles, books, further materials)
Books
- Williams, M. & Penman, D. (2011). Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. London: Piatkus
- Goleman, D., & Davidson, R. J. (2017). Altered traits: Science reveals how meditation changes your mind, brain and body. New York: Avery Publishing Group.
- Feldman, C. & Kuyken, W. (2019). Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology. New York: Guilford Press.
Articles
- Baer, R. A. (2011). Measuring mindfulness. Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 241-261.
- Bishop, S., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N., D., Carmody, J., … Devins, G. (2004) Mindfulness: A proposed theoretical operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 230-241.
- Desbordes, G., Gard, T., Hoge, E. A., Holzel, B., Kerr, C., Lazar, S. W., . . . Vago, D. R. (2015). Moving Beyond Mindfulness: Defining Equanimity as an Outcome Measure in Meditation and Contemplative Research. Mindfulness, 6(2), 356-372.
- Crane, R. S., Brewer, J., Feldman, C., Kabat-Zinn, J., Santorelli, S., Williams, J. M. G., & Kuyken, W. (2017). What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft. Psychological Medicine, 47(6), 990-999.
- Feldman, C. & Kuyken, W. (2011) Compassion in the landscape of suffering. Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 143-155.
Reviews
- Galante J, Friedrich C, Dawson AF, Modrego-Alarcón M, Gebbing P, Delgado-Suárez I, Gupta R, Dean L, Dalgleish T, White IR, Jones PB. Mindfulness-based programmes for mental health promotion in adults in nonclinical settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. PLoS Med. 2021 Jan 11;18(1):e1003481.
- Boyd, J. E., Lanius, R. A., & McKinnon, M. C. (2018). Mindfulness-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the treatment literature and neurobiological evidence. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 43(1), 7-25.
- De Vibe, M., Bjørndal, A., Fattah, S., et al. (2017). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults. Cochrane review of MBSR.