I have just been accepted onto the course in Mindfulness-Based Approaches at Bangor University. Starting in October this year I’ll be travelling to Bangor for 5 weekends a year and studying from home to develop my practice and knowledge of mindfulness based approaches to mental health and general well being. Here is a quote from my application that explains why I want to do the course.
My experiences from meditation have lead me to believe that a secular form of mindfulness practice would be of great benefit to many people in the wider community. I believe, for example, that basic mindfulness classes in high school or as a general preventative treatment may improve many peoples lives.
As a scientist and advocate of a secular society I understand that beliefs based on individual experience alone are not enough to inform policy in education and medicine but that validating the efficacy of mindfulness practices is exceedingly challenging. Indeed even developing testable hypotheses is challenging when the result of such interventions may be an overall change in the quality of experience. This is an appealing research area.
I am excited by the masters courses at Bangor as they appear to offer a way for me to ‘square the circle’ of my personal mindfulness practice and the more analytical approach to life that comes out of my professional work.
I hope to blog about my experiences on the course as they unfold.