Time Schedule:
Robert J. Kohlenberg
PSYCH 554
Seattle Campus
Weekly meetings for discussion of current topics. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Psychology, or permission instructor.
Class description
Meditation and mindfulness techniques are becoming increasingly popular for both self-improvement and as part of mainstream behavioral treatment. Stereotypically, meditation involves sitting quietly, in silence, either in group or alone and attending to one’s own immediate experience. There are, however variations that do not fit this image and instead explicitly incorporate a more interpersonal context. Whether done in an explicitly “alone” or “interpersonal” context, therapeutic benefits are intended to extend into relational realms and thus address the interpersonal issues that are implicated in most clinical problems. This class will review the literature on various meditation procedures with an emphasis on those that are explicitly interpersonal in nature along with possible behavioral accounts as to the mechanisms of action. We will also explore the development of mindfulness methods that are aimed at amplifying the interpersonal effects.
Student learning goals
Theory and methods of Interpersonal meditation and mindfulness
General method of instruction
class discussion of assigned readings and experiential exercise
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
