We are all vulnerable to craving. Whether it’s a compulsion to check social media, binge eat, smoke, drink, feed anxious thought loops, or any other behavior we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating.
Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? When and how does willpower fail? Is there a key to conquering the cravings we know are unhealthy for us? Can we hack our brain’s learning circuitry to break bad habits, and cultivate behaviors and mindstates that support our health and happiness?
Join psychiatrist and neuroscientist Judson Brewer and psychologist and behavior-change expert Robin Boudette to explore how our minds work and how we can tap into the processes that encourage habitual behaviors in order to break unhealthy patterns. Learn how the mind works to form habits and pragmatic ways to engage this very same brain process to change habits.
In very accessible ways, we learn how awareness, curiosity, and mindfulness practices can interrupt habits, and discover how to build our natural capacity for awareness, kindness, and curiosity. Weaving together patient stories, mindfulness practice, and the latest scientific findings, this workshop offers a path for moving beyond cravings, reducing stress and anxiety, increasing self-compassion, and living a fuller life.
This program is helpful for mental health professionals looking to deepen their understanding of the behavioral and brain mechanisms underlying addictive and habitual behaviors and individuals hoping to break habits such as emotional eating and anxiety.
We engage in experiential exercises, including writing and guiding our own meditations in small groups. We learn through feedback and, always, mindful attention to our own experience. As we get clearer about how to share meditation, our own practice deepens immeasurably.