Mental Health

mPEAK is an intensive course in mindfulness training for those who seek to draw upon this proven practice to achieve their goals, both personal and professional, as well as attain new levels of performance and success. This cutting-edge 8-week course is built around the latest brain research related to peak performance, resilience, focus, and “flow”. The mPEAK program enhances the human capacity of mindfulness through established and empirically supported practices and exercises, tailored to fit the needs and desires of the team, organization or individual.

As with physical training, this mental-emotional training program is based upon the understanding that optimal outcomes occur most often when participants continue to engage in the practices and exercises on a daily basis as a part of their training regimen. Mindfulness is effective precisely because it is a way of being and relating to all aspects of life, rather than a specific technique or tool for a particular goal. The foundation of this program is drawn from the highly respected and empirically-supported Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Additionally, the program incorporates specific practices and exercises formulated to correspond to recent neuroscientific findings, competitive advances, and related research regarding optimal performance.

The mPEAK program was developed in conjunction with the US National BMX Cycling Team in 2014, as a collaboration between the coaches of the team, UC San Diego neuroscientists Drs. Lori Haase and Martin Paulus, and the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness Founding Director Dr. Steven Hickman and former Managing Director Allan Goldstein.

Whether you are an athlete, business professional, or simply want to participate in a program that brings together the latest neuroscience and mindfulness training to enable you to be at your best please join us by registering for the mPEAK program. Help spread the word by letting your colleagues and friends in San Diego know about our mPEAK program. 

Topics Covered

PILLAR ONE

Inhabiting Your Body
The first section of the course establishes the body as the primary focus of attention and platform upon which mindfulness unfolds. It is designed to introduce participants to the experience of mindful awareness of the body, including interoception and proprioception.

PILLAR TWO

Getting Out of Your Own Way and Letting Go
The second section is devoted to addressing initial challenges encountered by participants, the universality of the wandering mind and the fruitlessness of trying to stop the mind from wandering. Recognizing “story” and the way in which we think influences how we perform.

PILLAR THREE

Dancing With Pain and Working with Difficulty(Fear, Stress and Failure)
The third section is intended to challenge the notion that avoidance is the best strategy when it comes to difficulty arising (e.g. pain, fear, stress, failure, etc.) and to use the experience of working with the body as a way of grounding oneself in the moment in the face of difficulty.

PILLAR FOUR

The Pitfalls of Perfectionism and the Glitch in Goals
This final section deals specifically with the contradictory nature of some concepts and attitudes that seem to be positive, but have some hidden limitations. Perfectionism and self-criticism can seem to be good motivators, but research clearly shows that people perform more effectively when motivated by encouragement, reward and self-compassion. Specific exercises and practices will be taught to address these findings and support people in finding optimal ways to motivate themselves and achieve their goals.

This training provides clinicians with a structured introduction to Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MiCBT) and its application in clinical practice. It is the first step in developing competency in the clinical application of MiCBT. Training progresses through the four stages of MiCBT: attention training and emotional regulation; development of interoceptive awareness and equanimity targeting the co-emergence of sensation and reactivity; application of these skills within interpersonal contexts; and consolidation through compassion-based processes to support maintenance and adaptive responding.

MiCBT offers a structured, evidence-based framework for working with attention, interoception, and reinforcement processes that maintain psychological distress (Cayoun, 2011; 2015). Training focuses on the development of attentional stability, metacognitive awareness, interoceptive sensitivity, and equanimity, and how these capacities are applied within clinical contexts to support behavioral and emotional regulation.

This program is designed for clinicians/health professionals seeking a clear and reproducible method for integrating mindfulness within cognitive behavioral therapy. It is suitable for those beginning formal training in MiCBT and does not require prior experience in mindfulness practice. Emphasis is placed on direct experience, clinical application, and the development of skills that can be implemented within ongoing treatment.

Course Structure

This is a 10-week live online training, with weekly 2-hour sessions. Sessions integrate practice, theory, and clinical application.

Each session includes:

• Guided mindfulness practices aligned with MiCBT principles
• Experiential exercises, including interoceptive exposure
• Didactic teaching focused on mechanisms of change
• Home practice instructions

Participants are expected to engage in daily practice, as skill acquisition in MiCBT is dependent on repeated experiential learning.

Materials

Participants receive structured materials to support learning and integration, including guided audio practices, worksheets, and selected readings aligned with the MiCBT framework.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Apply attention training techniques in clinical settings
• Identify and work with interoceptive processes underlying distress
• Support clients in developing equanimity toward internal experience
• Integrate MiCBT principles within treatment planning
• Translate mindfulness-based skills into ongoing clinical work

This skill-building kid's program (ages 7-12) utilizes a combination of age-appropriate exercises - mindfulness, yoga/mindful movement, art, meditation practices, and multimedia - to cultivate kindness, encourage insight, build skills of self-awareness and empathy, and strengthen the capacity for greater emotional regulation and stronger emotional resilience.

Kids can easily experience what is commonly known as the "monkey mind," a mind that jumps around, and is continually distracted by thoughts and ruminations about the past and future. Neuroscience research provides strong evidence that when practiced, mindfulness can help to calm the mind and body, alter the structure and function of the brain/pre-frontal cortex, and promote a greater sense of well-being.

One of our students stated, "I may not always understand my feelings, but I know if I name it, I can tame it. I can choose what is important to pay attention to and can focus better when I need to." By building the capacity to become more self-aware, kids develop greater resilience and emotional strength in the face of adversity. Mindfulness and self-kindness help to cultivate the skills to respond with greater kindness and generosity to the needs of others as well as their own.

The kids will learn:

• To understand and manage big emotions 

• Feel calmer and less anxious 

• To be kinder to themselves and others

• To treat themselves with care instead of harsh self-criticism 

• Improve focus and learning 

The kids will practice:

• Short meditations and breathing techniques 

• Reflection exercises 

• Group discussions and sharing

• Movement to foster the mind and body connection 

• Short and engaging practices to use “in the moment”

Don't know where to start? Our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is our flag-ship program and a great place to learn about mindfulness and what it has to offer in your life.

Many participants come to us suffering from the following:

• Chronic pain
• Stress, anxiety, and worry
• Chronic or life-threatening medical illnesses
• Depression
• Relationship difficulties
• Sleep disturbance
• Hypertension and headaches
• Grief and loss

Now is the perfect moment to bring balance back into your life with this evidence‑based, 8‑week MBSR program—designed to help you regain calm, resilience, and heightened awareness.

MBSR involves cultivating a different relationship between you and the things that challenge you in your life, and relies completely upon the tools you already have. Specifically, mindfulness helps you access the ability to be non-judgmental, compassionate, patient, present and aware.

However, just because you have the inner wisdom and resources to contend differently with your life and all its aspects, does not mean that you routinely use them. Most of us are on “auto-pilot” much of the day and tend to react much more than we respond to the decisions and situations we face. Our courses are intended to develop the innate ability to cultivate mindfulness over “mindlessness”, with which we are all familiar. 

This is an opportunity to rediscover yourself and to access the qualities and strengths you possess deep inside. 

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor emeritus of medicine and the creator of the 'Stress Reduction Clinic' and the 'Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society' at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the author of many books including Full Catastrophe Living.

MBSR All-Day Session (Included in our registration):

As part of the MBSR course, we offer an All-Day Session of Mindfulness, typically held between weeks 6 and 7. This teacher-led silent retreat is a chance to experience mindfulness practices you have already been learning—such as sitting meditation, mindful movement, walking meditation— in a supportive and spacious way. You'll also have the opportunity to reflect and share your experience at the end of the day and during class.

MBSR Orientation Video

Make an Inner Difference.

In partnership with UC Irvine - Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute (SSIHI), this highly interactive 8-week course will support you to:

• Understand the current state of our planet and the role you want to play in making a difference.

• See the world through new eyes and feel connected to yourself, others, and the planet.

• Learn evidence-informed, mindfulness and self-compassion practices that lead to a shift in awareness.

• Work skillfully with feelings of overwhelm, climate anxiety, and worrisome thoughts.

• Strengthen emotional balance, personal resilience and ecological awareness.

• Listen to nature’s wisdom and what she has to teach us through experiential nature walks on your own time.

• Collaborate with like-minded people and work on a purposeful "handprint" project.

This 8-module mindfulness-based program helps participants navigate climate anxiety and transform it into meaningful, sustained action. Experience the power of inner resilience, connection, and shared purpose in facing today's ecological and social challenges.

Human well-being is inseparable from the integrity of Earth's natural systems. This course supports the development of emotional balance, personal resilience, and ecological awareness, and helps you to remember your deep interconnectedness with nature. Experiential sessions with mindfulness and self-compassion practices including interpersonal meditation will equip you with practical tools for self-awareness, emotional regulation, and collaboration. Themed nature walks between sessions will deepen your sense of embodied rationality within systems. You will experience the support of the group's wisdom and design a personal, purposeful initiative towards more ecological responsibility and connection with self and others. 

Please feel free to watch the Nature Awareness Information Session HERE.

Why might I take this course?

Shift to a Greener Mindset.

• The intention of this course is to offer a transformational process for a mindset shift leading to long-term and systemic thinking and acting, fostering a transition towards more green and fair societies.

• This course is open to anyone who wants to strengthen their relationship with nature, is drawn to meeting like-minded people, worries about the state of our planet, and wants to turn feelings of helplessness into a sense of agency and meaningful action. 

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an empirically validated program designed to prevent depressive relapse and reduce the impact of mood disorders. Developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale, MBCT integrates mindfulness meditation with cognitive therapy.

The core of MBCT involves helping participants recognize patterns of thinking associated with mood disorders while cultivating a new relationship to thoughts and emotions—viewing them as events in the mind rather than identifying with them.

The MBCT Teacher Training Intensive (TTI) is a highly interactive professional training that emphasizes the clinician’s own meditation practice and self-inquiry. Through role-play, simulated teaching environments, and patient-practitioner scenarios, participants explore how to apply mindfulness practices in clinical settings.

The curriculum integrates didactic, experiential, and small group learning, including daily meditation, mindful movement, and periods of silence. Participants examine the interaction between thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations and how these contribute to depressive relapse, while developing the skills to teach MBCT effectively.

Are you a mental health therapist seeking to take your expertise to another level? A transdiagnostic approach such as Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) integrates mindfulness training in the Burmese Vipassana tradition with well-established cognitive and behavioural methods.

MiCBT has been shown through research to reduce symptoms across a wide range of psychological disorders, including complex comorbidities. This integration is considered a second-generation mindfulness-based intervention, incorporating transformational skills from Buddhist psychology.

Through the MiCBT Foundation course, participants deepen understanding of mindfulness insights and behavior reinforcement, explore neuroscience findings related to behavior maintenance and change, and learn to engage clients in treatment.

The course includes didactic, practical, and experiential learning, including daily meditation practice, training in mindfulness techniques, implementation of the four stages of MiCBT, and role-play of core skills in breakout sessions.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an empirically-supported 8-week psycho-educational group intervention that teaches mindfulness meditation as a health intervention. Created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, MBSR offers participants the possibility to develop a different relationship to stress resulting from chronic physical and psychological illnesses, and the daily indignities experienced as a result of racism and other forms of oppression. Research outcomes have demonstrated positive improvements in physical and psychological symptoms, as well as changes in health attitudes and behaviors.

This teacher training will provide trainees the opportunity to study and experience the foundational underpinnings, mindfulness meditations and specific exercises that are the framework of the MBSR program. The themes, rationales, intention and practice skills of each MBSR class session will be reviewed, discussed and practiced. Participant screening guidelines will be covered, and samples of client handouts will be provided. There will also be home practice for personal mindfulness practice.

This online teacher training is highly interactive. Trainees will move between experiencing MBSR sessions and practicing teaching components of the program in small groups under supervision. The training emphasizes the necessity of a personal mindfulness practice as the foundation for teaching, along with embodiment of non-judgmental present-moment awareness, kindness, compassion, and equanimity.

The training integrates didactic and experiential modules, including large and small group learning, role-play, and simulated patient-practitioner encounters. Ethical considerations in teaching MBSR are also addressed.

PREREQUISITES: You must have taken the 8-Week MBSR program and the 5-7 Night Silent Retreat before registering for this MBSR TT program. These prerequisites cannot be taken at the same time as taking this program.

Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) is a sophisticated integration of mindfulness training and cognitive-behavioral science. Grounded in evidence-based principles, MiCBT offers a four-stage, transdiagnostic treatment model that can be applied across a wide range of mental health conditions and client populations. Drawing from the Burmese Vipassana tradition of Ledi Sayadaw and U Ba Khin, MiCBT blends traditional mindfulness practices with the rigor of behavioral and cognitive methods.

This one-day workshop provides an engaging overview of the theoretical framework that underpins MiCBT. Participants will deepen their understanding of operant conditioning and explore the neuro-behavioral mechanisms that explain how mindfulness and CBT complement one another.

Join an international community of clinicians in this learning opportunity to discover how MiCBT can enrich both your clinical work and your personal mindfulness practice—and to consider whether further training in this empirically validated approach may be right for you.

The experiential workshop will involve learning material through various modalities, including guided mindfulness meditation practices as taught in MiCBT, live demonstration of delivery of Diary of Reactive Habits, guided mindfulness interoceptive exposure tasks and experiential ownership, video demonstrations of MiCBT skills with a client during real-life therapy sessions, and live question and answer through chat.

What’s included: access to online pre-workshop content, 14 days access to the recorded workshop, and membership to the North American Chapter of the MiCBT Institute.

For the introductory workshop, no prior knowledge of mindfulness is assumed, but basic skills in cognitive and behavioral techniques are helpful. The workshop is geared toward professionals with a foundational understanding of the concepts, as the workshop is delivered at a higher psychological level.

How do you typically react to difficulties in life—work stress, feeling rejected, physical problems, or financial hardship? Most of us instinctively fight negative experiences and find fault in ourselves when things go wrong. This tendency adds stress and self-criticism that can worsen anxiety, depression, and other challenges.

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teaches a different approach—learning to calm and support yourself when you’re struggling, much like you would for a close friend. Self-compassion is a skill that can be learned by anyone and is a courageous mental attitude that helps reduce self-judgment and emotional reactivity.

With mindful self-compassion, participants learn to recognize stress, respond with kindness, and build emotional resilience. Research shows that self-compassion can increase happiness, reduce anxiety and depression, and support healthy behavior change.

The 8-week MSC program consists of weekly sessions in a group format, along with guided practices and opportunities to integrate mindfulness and self-compassion into daily life.