“Healing Our Nervous System” with Dr. Andy Bein (In-person Only)

3111 Wissemann Drive,Sacramento CA 95826

18 October, 2022

Description

This class will meet in person weekly on Tuesday evenings for five weeks. The classes will be held on October 4, October 11, October 18, October 25, and November 1 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Simply register for the first date, and you will have registered for all five classes. Note: Masks are required for this series and is limited to 20 participants. Class Description: Our autonomic nervous systems are constantly at work. Surveillance occurs during each microsecond of each day, and determinations are made invoking ‘survival brain’ systems of reactivity, anxiety, and anger or shutdown, disconnection, and numbness. This activity nearly always escapes our awareness, and conditioned interpretations of safety and subsequent reactions create suffering. The class series aims to integrate mindfulness practice, Buddhist wisdom, and tender yet fierce self-compassion to liberate us from well-ingrained fight, flight, and collapse patterns, in essence, to help us heal our nervous systems. We begin this work by exploring a new development in Western psychology and trauma: Polyvagal Theory. Diving into this framework, we identify and learn to embrace our personal neurological processing and coping patterns; in the spirit of Buddhist teacher Matthew Brensilver: we “know these patterns to death and love them to death.” Our deep intimacy with how our nervous system presently functions launches us toward enhanced personal and interpersonal connection, self-compassion, equanimity, and resilience. This series is limited to 20 participants to facilitate personal exploration and sharing. We will pay special attention to creating a supportive and safe environment. Your work may start at this very moment: notice arising aversion, judgment, or attraction to the idea of joining this 5-week venture and ask yourself – right now – how your thoughts or feelings about joining this group relate to your perceptions of personal safety/ non-safety. Note: No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please contact Andy about financial assistance if needed. Registration applies to all five classes. However ,if you miss the first class, you will have the opportunity to register through the second class-- after which registration will close. Cost We offer this class on a sliding scale of $50 to $200 for all five classes. Choose the first date to register and you choose the amount. Note: you are paying that amount for all five classes. Registration will close the second week. As registration includes a donation for the teacher, we want to encourage people to register as generously possible. However, we turn no one away for lack of funds. Contact the teacher Andy at [email protected] for a scholarship. Our Teachers Andrew Bein, Ph.D. LCSW, has practiced mindfulness since 1989, working closely with teachers Joan Halifax, Susan Orr, and Ed Brown, and participating in the Mindfulness Teacher Training Program led by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. He has been applying mindfulness and Buddhist psychology in a variety of therapeutic settings and has trained people in over 30 states regarding dialectical behavior therapy (a mindfulness-oriented modality). Andy has authored two books (Wiley) regarding the interface of mindfulness and Buddhist principles and human service/ therapeutic practice. In recent time, Andy has been inspired by pioneers such as Larry Yang and has led diverse, community oriented groups at Sacramento LGBT Center and WellSpring. Andy emphasizes respect for diverse perspectives and backgrounds and nurtures an environment where the experiences and wisdom of group members are celebrated and deeply valued. He is a founding member of SBMG’s Caring Council. Judy Thornhill, M.S., LMFT, first learned how to meditate from a high school teacher and was so touched that she kept up the practice. She then meditated with a new age group from 1985-1995 and was introduced to the works of Thich Naht Hanh, which impacted her deeply. She has been heavily influenced by Thay, as well as the Buddhist teachers Ed Brown and Heather Sundberg. Judy currently serves as the liaison between the Board of Directors and the Scheduling Committee with SBMG. Judy graduated from CSUS in 2001 with a Master of Science in School Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy. Judy has worked extensively with youth and obtained a certificate in Mindful Schools, which brings the practice of mindfulness to children and youth in school settings, in 2018. Judy has integrated her study of meditation and dharma into her therapy practice to share the benefits of these with others. Judy began training in the trauma-informed therapy styles of Somatic Experiencing and NARM (Neuro-Affective Relational Model) with Master Instructor Brad Kammer about 8 years ago and became enamored of the healing power of mind-nervous-system-body connections. In early Sept. this year, Judy completed a Level 2 training course in NARM, and is eager to bring her new, as well as old, knowledge to our class. Judy now works as a mental health therapist in the Midtown Sacramento Area.