Breathworks

Last updated
Breathworks CIC
Founded2004
Founder Vidyamala Burch
Sona Fricker
Gary Hennessey
Founded at Manchester, United Kingdom
Type Community Interest Company
Region
Worldwide
Services Mindfulness-Based Pain Management
Mindfulness for Health
Mindfulness for Stress
Website www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk

BreathworksCIC is an international mindfulness organization founded in the United Kingdom, which offers mindfulness-based approaches to living well with pain, stress, and illness. [1] [2] It is known particularly for developing the approach of mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM), which shares many elements with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) but is adapted specifically for those living with chronic pain and illness, and incorporates a distinctive emphasis on the practice of 'loving-kindness'. [3] [4] Breathworks is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) in the United Kingdom, and has nearly 500 accredited teachers working in 35 countries. [5]

Contents

History

Breathworks was founded in 2004 by Vidyamala Burch, Sona Fricker, and Gary Hennessey, [6] [7] growing out of a 2001 pilot scheme funded by a grant from the UK's Millennium Commission. [8] This grant supported Burch to receive training from Jon Kabat-Zinn in mindfulness-based stress reduction, and enabled her to begin a "Peace of Mind" course in Manchester that used mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations to help those suffering from chronic pain. [8] [9] Drawing on her own experience of severe long-term back pain and partial paraplegia, Burch emphasized the need to turn towards difficult experiences with acceptance and kindness rather than continually struggling to defeat or overcome them. [10] The pilot course received a positive response from participants, and was inundated with inquiries. [8] [9] An ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, Burch worked with other members of the Order to found Breathworks, and initially focused the organization on creating a community of trainers who could share the "Peace of Mind" program more widely. [8] [9]

Current work

Subsequent to its foundation in 2004 Breathworks has grown rapidly, playing an active role in the UK mindfulness teaching community and establishing an international presence. In 2005 Breathworks was a founding member of the UK Network of Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations (later renamed the British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches, or BAMBA), and since then has adhered to this organization's Good Practice Guidelines for training mindfulness teachers and delivering courses. [11] [12] [13] [14] The majority of Breathworks trainers and teachers now come from a very wide range of professions and backgrounds and Breathworks is clear that, while drawing on contemplative training derived from Buddhism, it offers a secular mindfulness pathway appropriate to a wide range of applications. [15] Breathworks established its Teacher Training Pathway in 2005, [16] and by 2019 there were almost 500 accredited Breathworks teachers working in 35 countries, reaching 11,000 people. [5] [17] [9] Breathworks is a registered Community Interest Company in the UK, meaning that its profits are used to provide bursaries and scholarships for its programs through the Breathworks Foundation charity. [5] [7]

Breathworks now offers a range of mindfulness programs catering to people with varied needs and circumstances. The "Peace of Mind" program evolved into the 8-week Mindfulness for Health course, which in 2015 was delivered to over 800 people in the UK. [18] This course is aimed primarily at those suffering from chronic pain and illness, and is the main vehicle through which Breathworks delivers mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM). [19] [20] A parallel 8-week course for those suffering primarily from stress - the Mindfulness for Stress course - was developed by Gary Hennessey, [20] and in 2015 was delivered to over 1000 people in the UK. [18] Breathworks also offers bespoke Mindfulness in the Workplace programs. [21] In 2020 Breathworks began offering live online versions of its Teacher Training, Mindfulness for Health, Mindfulness for Stress, and Mindfulness in the Workplace programs, allowing it to continue to reach significant numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. [22] [23]

Mindfulness-Based Pain Management (MBPM)

Breathworks is known particularly for developing the approach of mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM). [3] Drawing on the experience of Breathworks co-founder Vidyamala Burch, MBPM adapts the core concepts and practices of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to create a program specifically tailored to those living with chronic pain and illness. [19] In addition to using shorter meditations and integrating a pacing program into the course, [19] MBPM includes a distinctive emphasis on the concepts of "primary" and "secondary" suffering, and on the practice of "loving-kindness". [24] [19] Utilizing a "six-step process" oriented towards the cultivation of qualities such as awareness, acceptance, sympathetic joy, equanimity, loving-kindness, and choice, MBPM has been seen as sensitive to concerns about the dangers of removing mindfulness teaching from its original ethical framework, while also providing a secular evidence-based approach appropriate for people of all faiths, and none. [25] [3] MBPM is delivered primarily through the Breathworks Mindfulness for Health course, but has also been adapted to those suffering from stress in the Mindfulness for Stress course. [20] A 2018 literature review found that research on the Mindfulness for Health and Stress courses has shown them "to be very helpful for people with severe chronic pain and illness", but also noted that further randomized controlled trials were needed. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Prudence Margaret Burch, known professionally as Vidyamala Burch, is a mindfulness teacher, writer, and co-founder of Breathworks, an international mindfulness organization known particularly for developing mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM). The British Pain Society has recognized her "outstanding contribution to the alleviation of pain", and in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 she was named on the Shaw Trust Power 100 list of the most influential disabled people in the UK. Burch's book Mindfulness for Health won the British Medical Association's 2014 Medical Books Award in the Popular Medicine category.

Mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM) is a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) providing specific applications for people living with chronic pain and illness. Adapting the core concepts and practices of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), MBPM includes a distinctive emphasis on the practice of 'loving-kindness', and has been seen as sensitive to concerns about removing mindfulness teaching from its original ethical framework. It was developed by Vidyamala Burch and is delivered through the programs of Breathworks. It has been subject to a range of clinical studies demonstrating its effectiveness.

The Breathworks Foundation is a registered charity in the United Kingdom that aims to broaden access to mindfulness and compassion training. It provides bursaries enabling people in financial hardship to access the programs of Breathworks CIC, develops partnerships with charities and community groups to expand the delivery of mindfulness training, and initiates research projects investigating the efficacy of Breathworks programs. It was founded by Vidyamala Burch and is advised by a group of academic experts.

<i>Full Catastrophe Living</i> 1990 book by Jon Kabat-Zinn

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The British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) is a UK-based network of mindfulness organizations and teachers, which has been described as "the lead organisation overseeing the quality of mindfulness-based training in the UK." Founded in 2005 as the UK Network of Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations, BAMBA's original members were the mindfulness centers at the universities of Oxford, Bangor, and Exeter, as well as Breathworks CIC and NHS Scotland. The primary purpose of the organization is to support and develop good practice and integrity in the delivery of mindfulness-based approaches in the UK. It does this principally through the maintenance and dissemination of its Good Practice Guidelines, which provide a standards framework for its member organizations, and through the maintenance of a regulated list of accredited mindfulness teachers in the UK, who have been independently verified as having trained with a BAMBA member organization and as adhering to BAMBA Good Practice Guidelines. The independently verified teachers list has been called "an international first", and BAMBA has been described as "the closest thing that currently exists to a regulatory body for mindfulness training" in the UK. As of June 2020, BAMBA had 25 member organizations.

References

  1. ↑ Tracey, Emma (2015-01-06). "Managing pain with the power of the mind". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. ↑ "Our Mission and Values". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Cusens, Bryany; Duggan, Geoffrey B.; Thorne, Kirsty; Burch, Vidyamala (2009). "Evaluation of the breathworks mindfulness-based pain management programme: effects on well-being and multiple measures of mindfulness". Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 17 (1): 63–78. doi:10.1002/cpp.653. PMID   19911432.
  4. ↑ "What is Mindfulness based Pain Management (MBPM)?". Breathworks CIC. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  5. 1 2 3 "Vidyamala Burch". Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  6. ↑ Burch, Vidyamala (2010). Living Well with Pain and Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering. Sounds True. pp. xxx. ISBN   978-1-60407-637-0.
  7. 1 2 "Our history". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Vajragupta (2010). The Triratna Story. Windhorse Publications. p. 65. ISBN   978-1-909314-28-3.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Interview With Vidyamala Burch". www.everyday-mindfulness.org. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  10. ↑ Burch, Vidyamala (2010). Living Well with Pain and Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering. Sounds True. pp. xxix. ISBN   978-1-60407-637-0.
  11. ↑ "About Us – Bamba" . Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  12. ↑ "British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) Launched". Breathworks CIC. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  13. ↑ "Good Practice Guidelines – Bamba" . Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  14. ↑ "Good-Practice Guidelines for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses | Online Resources". study.sagepub.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  15. ↑ Burch V (2016). "Meditation and the management of pain". The Psychology of Meditation. Oxford University Press. p. 165. doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199688906.003.0007. ISBN   978-0-19-968890-6.
  16. ↑ "Our history". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  17. ↑ "Breathworks - Mindfulness and Compassion Training". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  18. 1 2 Breathworks Social Value Forecast. The Social Value Business. December 2015. p. 6.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Mehan, Suraj; Morris, Julia (2018-05-02). "A literature review of Breathworks and mindfulness intervention". British Journal of Healthcare Management. 24 (5): 235–241. doi:10.12968/bjhc.2018.24.5.235. ISSN   1358-0574.
  20. 1 2 3 "What is Mindfulness based Pain Management (MBPM)?". Breathworks CIC. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  21. ↑ "Workplace Mindfulness Training". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  22. ↑ Kineke, Liz (2020-05-18). "Buddhists with Physical Disabilities Access Digital Dharma". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  23. ↑ "The Joys of Online Mindfulness". Breathworks CIC. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  24. ↑ Burch, Vidyamala (2016), "Meditation and the management of pain", The Psychology of Meditation, Oxford University Press, pp. 153–176, doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199688906.003.0007, ISBN   978-0-19-968890-6 , retrieved 2020-05-24
  25. ↑ Lt, Pizutti; A, Carissimi; Lj, Valdivia; Cav, Ilgenfritz; Jj, Freitas; D, Sopezki; Mmp, Demarzo; Mp, Hidalgo (2019). "Evaluation of Breathworks' Mindfulness for Stress 8-week Course: Effects on Depressive Symptoms, Psychiatric Symptoms, Affects, Self-Compassion, and Mindfulness Facets in Brazilian Health Professionals". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 75 (6): 970–984. doi:10.1002/jclp.22749. PMID   30689206. S2CID   59306658.

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