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Mental Health / Mindfulness Eating Group
Understand your eating behaviors and improve your health.
Mindfulness,
the ability to be fully in the present moment, is a skill that
can be beneficial for increasing personal awareness of thoughts,
emotions, and choice in behavior. Mindfulness applied to eating
behaviors can improve a person's relationship to food and
promote awareness of "fullness" or satiety. This helps
people make better choices, feeding the body
when
it is hungry and learning to attend more appropriately to
other
issues
that
may be causing non-hunger based eating.
Dean’s Mindfulness Eating Group is a skill-based experiential group aimed to improve awareness of eating behaviors and promote healthy eating. Not a traditional psychotherapy group, but rather a group with class participation where members practice mindfulness together, participate in eating meditations, help each other identify barriers to being fully present (both internal and external), and identify triggers for non-hunger based eating. The group also discusses and learns about approaches to the present moment that promote balance, wise choices and lower stress. In addition to group attendance, group members are asked to commit to a 30 minute practice three times a week between group meetings. CDs are provided as practice aides.
Mindfulness Eating Group Discussion Topics and Exercises
Week 1: Introduction and Overview
Focus on cultivating attitude of Non-judging and Beginner's
Mind
Mindfulness practice: Breathing and Mindful Eating
Week 2: Binge
Triggers
Focus on cultivating attitude of non-striving
Mindfulness practice: Body Scan and mini-eating meditations
Week
3: Hunger Awareness
Focus on cultivating attitude of letting go and identifying "what
is hungry"
Mindfulness practice: Hunger/Fullness Awareness practice,
Loving Kindness Practice
Week 4: Satiety
Focus on cultivating attitude of patience, introducing
pause and checking in with hunger/fullness.
Mindfulness practice: Pot Luck meal
Week 5: Forgiveness
Focus on cultivating attitude of acceptance.
Mindfulness practice: Forgiveness Meditation
Week 6: Staying Mindful
Focus on cultivation of attitude of trust.
Mindfulness practice: Class Exercise, Wisdom Meditation
Group Basics
This six-week group meets weekly during the evenings for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Sessions are held at Dean East Clinic, 1821 S. Stoughton Road in Madison. Eating meditations occur weeks 1-4. Food for these practices will be provided weeks 1 and 3. Participants are asked to bring food weeks 2 and 4.
Mindfulness Groups are led by Dean Psychologist Lisa Rambaldo, PsyD.
New group attendees should begin the group on Week 1. Attendees who have already attended the six-week group can join any ongoing session to reconnect to or refresh the practice. Make up group session can be arranged with Dr. Rambaldo.
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